Sister Wives: Meri Brown’s Using Robyn Brown (Who’s The Real Victim?)

Sister Wives Meri Brown has been using Robyn Brown for years, but many believe Robyn has been the one reaping the rewards throughout her marriage.

Sister Wives has seen Kody Brown’s relationships with Robyn Brown and Meri Brown change, especially after Robyn joined the family and Meri began taking advantage of her position in the family. While many feel that Robyn plays the victim in most situations, it’s often overlooked how her role in the family benefits Kody’s other wives. Meri, Janelle Brown, and Christine Brown have faced far less one-on-one scrutiny, with Robyn taking up the majority of Kody’s attention. For Meri specifically, adding Robyn into the family has had its negatives and positives, but many overlook the benefits.

While Robyn and Kody haven’t tried to hide the fact that their relationship is stronger than his others, Meri, Christine, and Janelle have always noticed that his affection runs deep. Kody’s always made sacrifices for Robyn that he never would for his other wives, and it’s provided a sense of resentment in his other relationships. For Meri, who was Kody’s first wife, Robyn has always threatened her happiness. It’s likely, however, that Meri understands while there are negatives to her relationship with Robyn, she’s invested in utilizing the positives.

Robyn’s Relationship With Kody Changed Meri’s Tough Marriage

Throughout Robyn’s relationship with Kody, Meri has been the one who’s lost the most in her marriage. From the earliest moments of their relationship, Kody and Robyn were pushing Meri into tough spots. At the beginning of their relationship, Kody legally divorced Meri to marry Robyn and legally adopt her children. Though many see this as a slight against Meri, it’s possible she viewed it as a positive. Meri, who was Kody’s first wife, was already having a difficult time with her relationship by the time Robyn came into Kody’s life.

Their marriage had been riddled with difficulty since the beginning, especially after their plural family went public. Kody and Meri were quiet about their relationship troubles at first, but Meri was hopeful to fix their marriage, while Kody felt things were beyond repair. Though some viewed Meri allowing Kody to legally divorce her as a sign of her giving up, it could’ve been a way for Meri to attempt to change things in her pressurized relationship. Allowing Kody the freedom he was looking for was better for her than trying to resist doing so.

Meri Has Gained More Freedom With Robyn In The Family

As Kody’s first wife, Meri’s position in the Brown family was that of a figurehead for a long time. She was Kody’s only legal wife, which meant there were parts of her marriage that were more public than Christine or Janelle’s. Meri was on legal documentation for Kody, likely had to be more present for him in scenarios where he’d need his wife, and overall, had more to do with Kody on a high level when they were married legally. After Robyn came along, things changed tremendously for Meri.

Robyn became Kody’s legal wife in 2014, which changed Meri’s relationship with Kody entirely. She was afforded more freedom, continuing in her relationship with Kody and honoring their spiritual marriage, but having the ability to step back from the duties of being his legal wife. Meri was able to live a life that was somewhat distanced from the rest of the family, which benefited her in the long term as she was able to start her business and travel more freely away from the rest of the Browns.

Robyn Sticks Up For Meri When Others Don’t

Although Robyn has taken a lot from Meri, in terms of her relationship, she is also one of the few people in the Brown family who seems to respect Meri. Robyn often sticks up for Meri, making it clear that she has her sister wife’s back. Though it feels performative at times, Robyn does do her best to ensure Meri is included and that her relationship with Kody is at least stable.

Robyn doesn’t often interact in the same way with Christine or Janelle, or at least hasn’t in the past. When it comes to Meri, Robyn seems to understand that she owes her sister wife a bit of grace. Meri, who at times feels embarrassed by how publicly Kody shames her, has made it clear that she appreciates Robyn. She’s shared that there have been times she’s felt like she and Robyn are the only two holding the Brown family together, and it’s clear Robyn shares the sentiment.

Meri And Kody Use Robyn As A Mediator

While Meri and Robyn’s relationships with Kody are separate, being part of a plural family makes it easy to blur the lines between relationships at times. Robyn often spends her time invested in Kody, which means, more often than not, she’s the person who hears about his other relationships. Because Robyn gets the majority of the details about Kody’s relationships, she puts herself in the middle sometimes, especially when it comes to Kody’s marriage to Meri. She pushes Kody to be a better husband, no matter how much that may embarrass her sister wives.

In the past, Robyn has pushed Kody to try and pay more attention to Meri, especially in moments where he’s left her out entirely. Meri finds this somewhat embarrassing, but Robyn wants Kody to treat his wives with respect. For Meri and Kody, Robyn has acted as a mediator when they’ve had issues in the past. Though this isn’t exactly healthy, and it isn’t always something Kody or Meri want, it’s likely Robyn’s meddling helped Kody and Meri keep their relationship afloat as long as they did.

Robyn’s Position In The Family Gives Meri A Shield

Before Robyn joined the Brown family, Meri was in the first position in terms of the hierarchy of Kody’s wives. While he may not have felt the most for her romantically, because Meri and Kody were legally married, she was automatically the highest in terms of wives. When Kody and Meri legally divorced, Robyn legally married Kody, and things changed in the dynamics of the Brown family forever. Kody, who had a new relationship to foster, likely changed his hierarchy without being cognizant of doing so.

After Kody and Robyn’s legal marriage in 2014, Robyn became Kody’s number one. He’s shown her favoritism throughout their time together, but speaking in basic logistical terms, Robyn being higher on the list of wives than Meri allowed Meri to take a much-needed step back. She was able to see her Sister Wives for who they were and assess her relationship in a more detached way. Though Meri didn’t make the tough decision to leave until 2022, having Robyn as a shield ahead of her for the years Kody and Robyn have been married has been useful in navigating her future.