TLC’s “Sister Wives” star Meri Brown was there from the start of Kody Brown’s polygamous family and remained with him through many ups and downs. Meri became Kody’s first wife when they legally married in 1990. The two then decided as a couple to live plural marriage, and Janelle Brown became the first sister wife to join their family when she “spiritually” married Kody in 1993.
Meri and Kody, who have one child together, remained legally married for about 14 years. In 2014, she divorced Kody so he could legally marry his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, in order to adopt Robyn’s three older children from a previous marriage. Though they were no longer legally married, they remained spiritually married.
But in 2015, Meri was the victim of a catfishing scandal that caused her marriage to Kody to become estranged. As depicted on “Sister Wives,” Kody cited diminished trust in Meri as the reason why he stopped visiting Meri’s house and ceased to have romantic feelings for her.
In the “Sister Wives” season 16 tell-all special that aired in 2022, Meri suggested that her marital problems with Kody had started long before she was tricked into an emotional relationship with a catfish. Meri admitted to host Sukanya Krishnan that she hadn’t been intimate with Kody for a decade.
Even when faced with Kody’s blatant disregard for her on episodes of “Sister Wives,” Meri said that she stayed with the family because of her faith, her commitment to the family, and the hope she held onto that Kody would one day want to reconcile with her romantically.
Meri refused to consider herself separated from Kody, though she knew he had no interest in repairing their bond. But in January 2023, the pair finally announced the official end of their “spiritual” marriage.
“After more than a decade of working on our relationship in our own unique ways, we have made the decision to permanently terminate our marriage relationship,” a statement posted to their Instagram accounts read.
On currently airing season 18 episodes of “Sister Wives,” filmed in late 2021 and early 2022, Meri is slowly making the decision to physically distance herself from Kody and Robyn, though she hasn’t yet decided to call her situation an official split from Kody. At the time of filming, Kody’s former third wife, Christine Brown, had already left him, and Janelle was in the process of splitting from him as well. But viewers are watching the season unfold knowing that the termination of their marriage, like Janelle and Kody’s, is on the horizon.
Here’s everything we know about Meri’s life today since leaving Kody.
Where does Meri Brown live now?
In a preview of Sunday’s episode of “Sister Wives,” shared by Us Weekly, Meri discusses her move to Utah with Robyn. Meri says she doesn’t think Kody will “give a crap” about her moving to Utah. She then assures a stressed out Robyn that she’ll still maintain a home in Flagstaff, Arizona (where the Brown family has lived for the past few years). Meri tells Robyn she intends to split her time between Flagstaff and Lizzie’s Heritage Inn, the bed-and-breakfast she owns in Parowan, Utah. Meri bought that property, which used to be owned by her family generations ago, in 2017.
“I’m gonna have an address. I’m gonna be here. I’m gonna sleep there. I just will also be up there,” Meri tells Robyn.
While the conversation between Meri and Robyn would have been filmed around a year before Meri and Kody officially announced their split, it doesn’t appear as though she is spending much time, if any, in Flagstaff anymore. Meri shared a post after visiting Utah’s Zion National Park in September 2023. Plus, she hosts a live chat with her best friend Jenn Sullivan many Friday nights talking to fans on Instagram, often from inside Lizzie’s Heritage Inn.
When she’s not running the inn, Meri also clearly loves to travel, and has used social media to document her trips. She recently visited New York City in late summer 2023, and was in California in July.
What does Meri Brown do for a living?
In addition to the salary she earns for appearing on TLC’s “Sister Wives,” Meri presumably generates income from Lizzie’s Heritage Inn. On top of the money presumably generated from guest stays, the inn’s website sells branded merch, including baseball caps and hand-cut stone coasters.
Meri has also been selling clothing for the multi-level marketing company LuLaRoe since 2016. On season 18 episodes, Meri shares that she’s considering moving inventory for her clothing business from Arizona to the Utah inn.
Meri also offers personalized video messages to fans on Cameo for $150.
Does Meri Brown have a boyfriend?
Meri hasn’t said whether she’s dating anyone, but as of now, she’s likely single and focusing on her businesses.
She often posts pictures with friends on Instagram while traveling, sometimes sharing the ways they’ve helped her while she’s on her 2023 personal growth journey.
In February, shortly after announcing she’d left Kody, Meri shared a cheeky “relationship status” update on her Instagram story just ahead of Valentine’s Day. “Relationship Status: committed to inner peace, growth, self love and gratitude,” the quote in Meri’s post read, per People.
