Sister Wives Meri Brown may have spoken about her marriage to Kody Brown being over in a recent episode of the series, but she seems to be the last person to realize her relationship is over. Throughout the run of Sister Wives, Kody’s behavior toward Meri has become far more stilted and created a divide between the couple that viewers have been paying attention to for years. While Meri has always been open to preserving their relationship, she’s been at fault for her issues within their marriage as well. Meri, who infamously was catfished by someone in the mid-2010s, has tried to do damage control in recent years.
Though Meri and Kody have stayed married throughout the more difficult times, it’s been obvious to nearly everyone that their relationship has been more performative than genuine. The resolve Meri has shown in her marriage to Kody proves just how strong she is, as the Sister Wives season 18 patriarch has pushed her to the limit as he’s continued to tell her just how little interest he has in their relationship. Kody and Meri’s marriage may be publicly heading to the finish line, but their relationship has seemed like it’s over for quite a long time.
8 Kody Hasn’t Prioritized Meri In Nearly A Decade
![Sister Wives: 8 Signs Meri Brown’s Marriage To Kody Has Been Over For Years (She’s Delusional)](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/sister-wives_-what-we-know-about-meri-brown-s-life-before-the-show.jpg)
While Meri has been working hard to try to ensure that her relationship with Kody doesn’t fall to the wayside, Kody hasn’t been prioritizing his first wife in the slightest. After Kody married Robyn in 2014, his priorities shifted entirely. He was focused on his new wife and ensuring that her children felt like they were a part of his family, but it came at the cost of ignoring his other wives, especially Meri. As things got more stable with Robyn and their children, Meri’s role in Kody’s life continued to shrink, ultimately leaving him choosing not to prioritize Meri at all.
7 Meri’s Catfishing Scandal Broke Kody’s Heart
![Meri Brown montage from sister wives one close up serious expression](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/300623_sr_rtv_021.jpg)
Considering how much things had changed between Kody and Meri in the first 20 years of their marriage, learning about Meri’s catfishing scandal wasn’t exactly the biggest surprise. Meri felt pushed out of the family when Kody chose to marry Robyn, and when the family went public, they began getting attention in ways they’d never imagined. Meri fell into a predatory trap, getting catfished by someone pretending to maintain a deeply personal relationship with her and using the damning evidence against her. Though Kody and Meri chose to try to work through the betrayal, her choices broke his trust entirely and undoubtedly changed the nature of their relationship.
6 Kody Had To Check With Robyn About Meri’s Anniversary Dinner
![Sister Wives' Meri Brown looking sad, with Robyn Brown and Kody Brown](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/sister-wives-do-robyn-kody-humiliate-meri-on-purpose_-it-sure-seems-like-it.jpg)
During Sister Wives season 18 episode 11, Meri shared that she’d called Kody to wish him a happy 32nd wedding anniversary after realizing it was likely he’d forgotten it was their anniversary entirely. She relayed the story that he came off cagey on the phone, not understanding her wishing him a happy anniversary, and then said he needed to get permission from Robyn to take her out to dinner for their milestone. Meri, who respects the fact that they’re in a plural marriage, found it appalling that Kody had to get permission from another one of his wives to spend time with her and wouldn’t simply choose to go out.
5 Meri Pushed Kody Away
![Meri Brown montage from Sister Wives meri with two different expressions](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/a27.jpg)
Meri consistently acts like she’s been the one holding their marriage together, but Sister Wives viewers see that she’s been pushing Kody away for years. Meri’s been one of the biggest proponents for plural marriage in the family, sharing that she’s been happy to live a partially independent life as her time with Kody is minimal. Rather than prioritizing her time with Kody, though, Meri often chooses her business over her marriage. Likely from her subconscious understanding that Kody is pushing her away, Meri chooses to focus on her solo endeavors, making it clear that she has a life outside her marriage and inadvertently pushing Kody out of the picture.
4 Kody Didn’t Want Anything Physical With Meri
![Sister Wives' Meri Brown](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/sister-wives-star-meri-brown-standing-on-front-porch-smiling.jpg)
While Meri has chosen to invest in herself, the issues within her marriage to Kody have always been very apparent, especially considering he speaks about them openly. In recent years, Kody has been vocal about the fact that he’s not interested in doing anything physical with Meri. While he’s shared similar sentiments about all his wives but Robyn, it has been the loudest when it comes to Meri. With Kody openly saying he’s no longer physically attracted to Meri and admonishing the idea of being intimate with her, it’s been obvious he’s not happy in their relationship for the last few years on Sister Wives.
3 Meri Allowed Robyn To Convince Her To Divorce Kody
![Sister Wives' Meri Brown looking off screen and Kody Brown looking straight ahead](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/wdakugh287612.jpg)
At the beginning of Sister Wives run, Robyn was new to the Brown family. As she tried to figure out her place in the family structure, she needed something Meri had – the status of Kody’s legal spouse. For Robyn’s children to be adopted by Kody, she needed to be legally married to Kody the way that Meri was. While Robyn and Kody brought the idea to Meri to discuss it, Meri agreeing to allow Kody to divorce her to marry Robyn was likely the first thorn in Kody’s side, even subconsciously. Kody was probably hurt by the idea that Meri would put him out to pasture so easily.
2 Kody Finds Meri Unattractive And Tells Her So
![Sister Wives star Meri Brown sitting on couch looking serious](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sister-wives-star-meri-brown-sitting-on-couch-looking-serious.jpg)
In a similar vein to Kody no longer wanting to be physically intimate with Meri, he’s been outspoken about her looks in a critical way, as well. Kody’s changed in recent years, becoming more vocal about the things he finds wrong with his wives in a public space. He’s been quick to share on Sister Wives the things he finds wrong with his wives, especially Meri. Kody has spoken up about the fact that he doesn’t think Meri’s physically attractive at this stage, and has shared that with her. While Meri has been hurt by her husband openly shaming her looks, she hasn’t stopped Kody from talking about it.
1 Meri’s Never Picked Up On Kody’s Signals About Their Relationship
While Kody and Meri have been in a tough spot for years, the Sister Wives star has never seemed to pick up on her husband’s disdain for her, or at least she doesn’t seem to. Meri has often been quick to defend Kody in ways that make it seem like she doesn’t grasp just how uninterested in her that he is. Though she may see it and simply choose to ignore it, the signs about her marriage ending have been present for years. If Meri has chosen to be willfully ignorant of them, it could be a difficult storm for her as their relationship finally comes to an end.