[Spoiler, Speculation and Social Media]

On 8/10/2022 at 6:24 AM, riverblue22 said:

Well, we don't know about those imprisoned in Robyn's compound.  I imagine AuroraBrianna are subjected to daily lessons on the superiority of polygamy.  Are they ever allowed to leave the house or have friends?  Doubtful. Even their college classes are probably remote.

Yep. As much as there may be some favoritism, I can tell you I would rather be one of Meri, Janelle or Christine's kids any day. I have a lot of empathy for Robyn's kids. (Plus they have to spend more time with Kody.)

[Spoiler, Speculation and Social Media]

16 hours ago, Pooky said:

I think that definately came into it. The problems were brewing long before she left. She said she didn't really want him there they needed the space. But the intimacy issues pushed her to make the move

Yes, and to be fair I think the intimacy situation meant more to her than just "I want sex and he won't give it to me." Kody is the only man she ever had sex with and in the cult she grew up in, there's no expectation of other markers of marriage - plural wives don't get legal recognition of any kind. They don't get adequate quality time, help with or public recognition of their children, etc. So the main difference between a plural wife and everybody else is sex; essentially, marriage IS sex to them. To her, Kody saying "we won't have sex again" was essentially a disavowal of the only thing that made them a married couple. 

[Leon Brown: So Here's Me]

58 minutes ago, deirdra said:

I don't see it on her IG now - ?

It was on her IG stories, not her posts.

Ysabel, Logan and Michelle also posted supportive things and used the name Leon.  

[S16.E11: One on One (Part 1)]

On 2/1/2022 at 1:56 AM, TurtlePower said:

I think it’s forgotten that Mariah treated Meri so badly because Mariah knew the object of Meri’s affection was a catfish. When Meri was exposed and tried to shift blame, Mariah wasn’t going to go along with that because she knew that’s not how it happened. 

Yeah I will never understand why people can empathize with Meri for straying -- which I totally can as well -- but not with Mariah, who was:

-18 at the time

-raised as a polygamist 

-put on a national TV show about her parents' polygamous marriage

-dealing with her parents' divorce and struggling with her own sexuality as she entered college

-aware that her mom was being catfished, and warned her

-dragged to MEET the catfish in person behind her dad's back

-probably afraid the divorce and affair would leave her, not just Meri, even more alienated from her siblings and dad

-aware that her mom's sexts would probably be splashed all over the internet and talked about at her school where she was trying to enter young adulthood

Like, she's not perfect, she can be annoying, but I'd have been pretty displeased with my mom too. Especially at that age. They've clearly moved past it and that's great, but her being snotty about it at the time is not a shock to me or a sign that she's some truly awful person. I feel like the aftermath of the divorce is so focused on Meri that it's easy to forget that it probably affected Mariah too. Sure, it was a weird marriage to begin with, but it's the marriage Mariah's parents always had. And unlike the others, their marriage was the only thing really connecting Mariah to the rest of the family, as she didn't have full siblings. 

On 2/3/2022 at 3:04 AM, Sandy W said:

Christine seemed to over-react to her Aunts' comments (didn't she get up and huff off the stage?).  

It could be that the Aunt scratched a nerve that Christine had been fighting to suppress, sometimes the truth hurts and the comments made were too close to reality.  Christine wasn't ready yet to examine her true feelings.

I see no harm in offering an apology and maybe even gratitude to her Aunt for digging up and exposing some ugly truths.

That's what I think too. Christine was probably trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

She's also always struck me as an "all in or all out" type of person. If she's going to be married, she wants to have a real, affectionate marriage - not this grey area, kind-of thing that Janelle and Meri have with Kody. If she was going to be polygamous, she was going to be gung-ho about polygamy. If she's going to be divorced, she's going to be VERY divorced and clear about it. 

[Jazz and the Jennings Family in the Media]

On 11/11/2021 at 1:06 PM, Sile said:

I thought by the time one went to college they were over the mean girls and harassing and so forth (just an assumption, I never went).  And a lot of college students would be full fledged adults (back to school, grad work, etc.).

I would think that the cost and case load, especially somewhere like Harvard, people wouldn't have the time and resources to waste heckling other students because of their appearance.

Plus, while yes, she is obese and that's an important medical issue, so are almost half of Americans. I highly doubt she's the only overweight college student out there. 

[The Snowdens: Ashley, Dmitri, bachelorette #1, bachelorette #2, but definitely no Vanessa]

On 5/8/2021 at 12:11 PM, LucyEth said:

I wondered the same thing since Ari stated they had to all share the same bed.

I wondered if they gave up that idea once they decided to be on the show and realized that probably wouldn’t go over well with viewers. 

[The Snowdens: Ashley, Dmitri, bachelorette #1, bachelorette #2, but definitely no Vanessa]

Here’s the interview with Dimitri’s previous “wife,” Ariadne. 
 

Basic bullet points:

-she claims Dimitri choked her sexually and also choked her in a rage

-claims Dimitri has physically abused Ashley 

-claims Dimitri and Ashley constantly tried to get her to have threesomes 

-claims Dimitri is a felon and keeps guns in the home illegally 

-claims Ashley pressured her to be naked around the house and was cruel to her children 

Idk, I have a hard time believing all these women are 100% lying and not a single instance of abuse has occurred. 

[Josh & Anna Smuggar: A Series of Unfortunate Events]

6 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I don't think Smuggar has it in him to feel self-loathing. The more I think about him, the more he strikes me as a sociopath.

Yeah, I honestly don’t know if he’s capable of shame. 

[Jill, Derick & the Kids: Moving On!!]

6 hours ago, JoanArc said:

 They were the first ones to say something.  And not everyone needs to release some long damning statement. I actually like her approach of “ohhhhh that’s tooooo baaad” *coffee sip*

“Wow, that sounds really bad for him! Like, really REALLY bad. For him. Anyway...” 😂 

[Jill, Derick & the Kids: Moving On!!]

37 minutes ago, MsJamieDornan said:

And for 5 minutes JBooger and the Hairball weren't allowed on, but we all know how long that lasted.

Yes, what a total bait and switch. They basically had them as background noise for a couple episodes before they were just main characters again. JB is never going to accept not being the protagonist of any story. 

[Jill, Derick & the Kids: Moving On!!]

1 hour ago, FizzyPuff said:

I wonder if Jill has said to him I don’t mind you commenting about the show and money but please don’t comment about the abuse in any way because in the end the abuse is Jills story to tell if she wants not his. 

I could absolutely see this being the case. Jill seemed horrified that she had to talk about the abuse on camera when the news first broke, so I would imagine it’s very possible that she asked Derick not to make any statements about that specifically on her behalf. JB/the show might be his only “outlet” to publicly condemn. I get the strong sense that they’ve aligned on their messaging and what they want to complain or not complain about. 

[Jill, Derick & the Kids: Moving On!!]

1 hour ago, wait.what said:

If my parents supported the person who sexually molested me as a child AND also profited from a show that portrayed them as God fearing, loving, better than everyone else parents AND then shunned ME? 

you better believe my husband would have some shit to tweet about my parents. 
 

derrick may be an asshole, at least he didn’t make her forgive her molester and keep sweet. 

Yep. I’ve noticed that Jill tends to try to be a little more reticent and diplomatic. Derick has a more assertive and aggressive personality. My husband and I are the same and he’s definitely been our “spokesperson” at times in family issues like this, with my full permission/blessing and even my request. While Derick *might* be doing this without Jill’s OK, I think it’s just as likely that he fucking hates JB for watching idly as his wife was abused, then screwing her over in terms of payments for the show, which was the very minimum of what he owed her, and savors every chance he gets to defend his wife/himself against the mindless defenders of JB & co. That’s just me, though.

That doesn’t make him some perfect angelic person, but it’s a little refreshing imo compared to many of the Duggar husbands who seem to just sit around watching their wives suffer and not saying a thing. I’m honestly surprised there aren’t many more arguments going on. 

[Janelle Brown: Smarter Than Your Average Brown (Maybe)]

On 4/30/2021 at 5:23 PM, WhatAmIWatching said:

Yes, yes it is. Otherwise he might go spend time with one of the lesser wives, like Janelle who would be overjoyed to cater to him. 
    Janelle seems like she's pushed down all feelings so hard and for so long, that she doesn't really feel anything any more. Look at how unconcerned she was over Ysabel -and even said so in her TH (!) -and also before Axel was born. 

 

HAHAHA

I bet she helps Kody with not only his coif, but also his shark-eyed thousand-yard-stare. With such time consuming tasks, it's no wonder they can't get real jobs!

My god, he does have the most shark-eyes stare! No compassion in those things at all. 

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

2 hours ago, Sandy W said:

Meri and Christine may be wondering too and that may be why they are both running parallel MLM's to their LLR.  Both are now shilling cosmetics in addition to LLR.  Plan B

Gotta line up the MLMs in anticipation! 😂 God knows there are precisely zero other available jobs.

[Spoiler, Speculation and Social Media]

On 4/22/2021 at 8:54 AM, laurakaye said:

This guy is dumber than dirt.  He's been on reality tv for how long now?  And he's just now figuring out that whatever he says can be aired?  And what the crap does he mean, he's not allowed to take it back?  He most certainly can!  It's called an APOLOGY.  I feel like what he's saying is that he can spew all the hatred and vitriol about his shrewish wives that he wants but if it airs, it's out there for eternity so there's no reason for him to go to whoever he offended and apologize so he might as well just say whatever he wants to whomever he wants, repercussions be damned. 

 

Exactly. I think what he means is that people will continue to criticize him online for his outrageous comments (which makes him... feel like a victim for some reason?). I don’t think he’s concerned about going back and easing the hurt to a wife or child. I doubt he’s ever apologized to them. 

[Janelle Brown: Smarter Than Your Average Brown (Maybe)]

On 4/29/2021 at 11:59 AM, Sandy W said:

It was either on her twitter or one of her talking heads when it came out that Robyn sleeps until noon.  She justified this by claiming that she stays up to keep Kody company while he conducts business by phone and due to time zone differences, his business is conducted late at night.  The gun company he has been said to represent has a German sounding name, (forget what it is, Das...something?).  This may fit if he is conducting import business with Europe where there is an 8 hour+/- time difference but it doesn't explain why she would permit a chaotic schedule for Ari-Mae.  Is holding Kody's hand while he makes business calls more important than a routine for her kids? 

Now, now. Let’s be fair. Robyn also has to make time in her daily schedule for brow-furrowing. She has to furrow her brow and look concerned for at least two full hours a day. Probably 12-2 — you know, to start the day right. 

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

I was also randomly wondering - does anybody know how Meri’s (or Christine’s) LuLaRoe business could be doing post-lawsuit? Did it affect individual sellers, does anybody know? Or was it mostly just the overarching company that took a big hit? I wonder what would happen if it completely went under. 

[Christine Brown Woolley: Nacho Sister Wife Anymore]

23 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

I wonder if, now that most of her kids are grown, Christine doesn’t have as many distractions in her life that she could use to ignore Kody’s behavior. He has gotten worse for sure, but maybe it was easier for Christine to overlook when she was raising her kids. Now that she’s looking at her future with the kids out of the house, she’s probably wondering why the hell she sticks around (I know I wonder that).

(I know that Truley isn’t that old, but all of the rest of her kids have or are starting to leave the nest)

Yeah, I absolutely agree with this. It’s hard to focus on your marital issues if you have 6 kids — and she basically had 13 when they were young — even if you’re monogamous. Now she has a few older kids at home and is going, “wait, what have i done and what did I settle for?” 

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

1 hour ago, LilyD said:

I don’t really like Mariah either but really feel the need to jump to her defence because I have a mother who reacts exactly like Meri! A mum who screws up, then plays victim and demands you forgive and forget and insists upon you being the loving daughter who is her best friend. Well, it doesn’t work like that.

For all Mariah’s faults, it was Meri who did near irreparable damage to that relationship (in terms of trust and completely irresponsible behaviour) It takes a long time to repair that, if it ever happens. And even then, it will never be the same. Trust me, I know! You may forgive but you’ll never forget!

Yeah, I see a lot of Meri’s self-centeredness in Mariah. They both have a hard time seeing the pain of others and seeing beyond their own feelings. I also do agree with a previous poster that Mariah was probably cast in the role of Meri’s substitute partner for a long time because of Kody’s neglect — which is obviously Kody’s fault just as/more than Meri’s, but still. I have often wondered if the whole extended argument between them was partly Mariah distancing herself to get out of that enmeshed role. She could have been a lot nicer about it, yes.

While Meri was also humiliated, Mariah had no choice in the matter, while Meri did. Meri chose to appear on a show about promoting and praising polygamy while her daughter was still a minor. She also chose to engage with an obvious catfish after being warned. Mariah did not. So while Mariah’s sulking and pouting annoyed me just as much as the next person, she ultimately didn’t really *cause* the problem or have a choice in it unfolding — her parents did. And I include Kody in that for sure. 

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

58 minutes ago, Twopper said:

I cannot imagine how mortified Mariah was.   It would be bad enough if that happened in a totally unknown family, but having it happen to a family that is on tv and often in the tabloids would have been almost unbearable.   She has benefited from being a less-than-z-list person as an adult, but she is not responsible for her teenage years being on  tv or  the behavior of her five idiot parents.

Ok at least I’m not totally crazy, I thought I was the only one who felt like Mariah had a point with this. Don’t get me wrong, Mariah can be very annoying and melodramatic, but I couldn’t believe that NO ONE seemed to see that a *teen girl* would rightfully be embarrassed and mad as hell at her mom for sending banana BJ pictures to an obvious catfish when she was famous for being a super-religious polygamist on a national reality TV show. People said it wasn’t Mariah’s business, but Meri kinda made it her business when she stuck her on a TV show about polygamy and also made her meet the catfish in person. 

This was not Meri realizing she wanted to leave Kody and privately talking to Mariah about it and her daughter flipping her lid and not showing her any grace. This was a humiliating tabloid scandal that was 100% preventable (and foreseen by Mariah) — and afterward, Meri has stayed with Kody and continued to publicly extol the virtues of polygamy and claim she is his wife through and through, so it’s not even like it was a step toward a different life. Meri wasn’t falling in love with a viable partner and getting a boyfriend, she was fantasizing like a schoolgirl about being in some sort of romance novel setting with a drop-dead gorgeous multi-millionaire. It permanently changed Meri’s relationship with the rest of the family and likely Mariah’s as well, especially since she was already the only child in the family and probably felt like a misfit to begin with.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

9 hours ago, Art Of Noiz said:

I agree with your "unpopular opinion". Since I've watched and rewatched, and seen Meri drag Mariah over hot coals to MAKE her agree she's a victim, I'm amazed Mariah speaks to Meri at all. I got a mom like that- told me to lie to my daddy about where she was  while she had rendezvous with our minister. I was 12, babysat my 9yo sissy. 

Consider that Kody tried to diffuse high drama between them, before the catfish. My god!

I suspect it runs deep, and both ways between Meri and Mariah. 

Very true. And I know that we outside the relationship are like “but Kody’s been cheating for years,” which he has imo, but not according to the rules of the relationship Meri set up with him willingly and preaches on a TV show. Like, I’m not gonna feel bad that she is in a polygamous relationship if I’m her kid - they went on national TV to talk about polygamy and raised all their kids in a hardcore polygamy-promoting cult. Mariah even went to an AUB school. 

Meri also seemed to be the one who kept bringing it up by bringing the other “catfish victims” around to meet Mariah and the sister wives. She was just BEGGING to hear “you are a 100% victim in this and clearly never wanted to leave the family” and Mariah just wouldn’t give in because she knew the truth. I wouldn’t have either. 

[S12.E16: Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace]

12 hours ago, endure said:

It seems like Virginia really took the no drinking break to heart, she has appeared to be drinking water when I've noticed.  I don't know if she has a drinking problem contrary to popular opinion here.  I drank a lot in my 20's too I think it was a big part of my social being but now I seldom ever drink and never excessively.

I thought Virginia’s drinking seemed like a whole lot at first, but I was surprised when she kept being the only one whose drinking was talked about. In several of their arguments, Erik seemed to be a hell of a lot drunker than she was. He seemed to be imbibing quite a bit too. His words were slurring like crazy across like three different episodes. 

Based on the last few episodes, I’m thinking/hoping that they might have just been basically partying their way through their first month of marriage and reality TV? Not what I’d have done, but not necessarily indicative of alcoholism. I do think the drunken fights and the going out drinking every weekend are too much. But they have seemed to calm down and take the drinking break seriously like you said, so I’m hoping (perhaps against hope) that it was a temporary thing. 

[S03.E06: Got To Be Real]

10 hours ago, waterytart said:

What do you all think Roberta meant when she told Garrick to man up? At the time, I thought she was saying that she wanted him to do something about Dannielle's unhappiness, i.e. fix it by treating her better. Sounds like you guys took it as her demanding the he get her in line? I'm curious as to how he could do that.

I actually took it that way too personally. I’m open to being wrong but that’s what I thought her comment was about. I didn’t think she was saying, like, “man up and tell her to stop” - I thought she was saying “man up and actually be a husband to two women like you promised, or you’re going to lose at least one of us.” She came there under the assumption that they would be sister wives. It was Garrick who seemed to not be actually into that idea. 

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

41 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

This is how I saw Mariah's reaction to the catfish situation as well. I am not excusing Mariah's other faults, or her being disrespectful to her Mom (which is not okay), but her initial reaction after everything went down? I absolutely understand where she was coming from. No matter how old we get, there is a certain dynamic with our parents because they will always be the parent and we will always be the child, but Meri deserved a big "I told you so." from Mariah. 

I do also think IF Meri actually had stepped up and said "you know what, I should've listened to my daughter who does love me and has my best interests at heart."(I believe Mariah does love her mom genuinely), I think Mariah wouldn't be so sanctimonious about it all these years later.

Yeah, I remember several years later, Mariah basically said as much. In an interview with the producers she said she was just sick of hearing about it because she knew that her mom had been warned and *did* want to date someone else but refused to admit it. The lack of accountability would bother me too. I’m sure it would have been nice just to hear “you know what, I really should have listened to you. You had my best interests in mind.” 

Plus, it’s not like the kids asked to be public figures or have their parents’ business splashed all over the headlines. Imagine being 18 and your friends at school seeing the banana picture. 😬 😬 

[S03.E06: Got To Be Real]

On 4/28/2021 at 1:17 PM, bichonblitz said:

How do you just leave your city, your apartment, your clothes, furniture, job and never return? Don't you have to give notice to move to your landlord? Who is going to move all of her crap out? What about money, she just walking out on her job?  This is all such bullshit. Unless she was homeless. I think I'm done with this fake show. 

Right, it’s either fake and scripted or it’s giving me Matt and Amber from Teen Mom vibes - he moved in suddenly with her and just never went back home. That’s weird, not flattering.