Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears

[Scarlett45]

2 hours ago, ReadMeLattice said:

Yeah, it’s a very unpopular opinion (and I do know Mariah isn’t perfect and comes across sanctimonious on social media) but I also didn’t blame Mariah for being mad at Meri about the whole catfish thing at first.

First of all, Mariah was just around 18-19 when this was all happening, and had just come out or was just about to, so was probably going through some growing pains and self-consciousness herself. Her mom gets a legal divorce from her dad, which was probably weird. It’s also televised and public. Her parents have had her on a show about their polygamous relationship and how great it is since before she was an adult. Then suddenly her mom, who claims she’s still Very Married to her dad, is clearly getting catfished. She warns Meri - and by the way, knows that her mom getting catfished will probably be televised, publicized, written about in tabloids, and become fodder for gossip at her college when she goes back - but her mom ignores her.

Then Mariah comes home for the summer during college and probably expects to spend time with Meri, but she’s holed up in her room talking to a catfish (I know that was one of Mariah’s complaints, that she was constantly on the phone and on the computer all summer with some strange “man” who was clearly not real). Then her mom takes her to Disneyland TO MEET THE CATFISH in person, which is creepy and could have been dangerous for both Mariah and Meri. Again, the whole time Mariah knows this is fake and will probably end up on TV and likely humiliate both of them and the family online. 

Then when it does fall apart, her mom plays victim, pretends she was basically forced into the situation even though she was warned a million times, and pretends that everyone is being “so mean” to her by not immediately running to her side to support her. 

Mariah is certainly not perfect and she seems to have gotten over it since then. But I’d have been super pissed too, frankly, and wanted to distance myself for a while. Especially as a late teens/early 20-something trying to build my own life. She was probably asked about the catfish by fellow college kids. And taking her young adult daughter to meet the catfish in person was absolutely inappropriate and weird, borderline reckless. 

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.

[ReadMeLattice]

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. 😬 😬 

Edited April 29, 2021 by ReadMeLattice

[Art Of Noiz]

6 hours ago, ReadMeLattice said:

Yeah, it’s a very unpopular opinion (and I do know Mariah isn’t perfect and comes across sanctimonious on social media) but I also didn’t blame Mariah for being mad at Meri about the whole catfish thing at first.

First of all, Mariah was just around 18-19 when this was all happening, and had just come out or was just about to, so was probably going through some growing pains and self-consciousness herself. Her mom gets a legal divorce from her dad, which was probably weird. It’s also televised and public. Her parents have had her on a show about their polygamous relationship and how great it is since before she was an adult. Then suddenly her mom, who claims she’s still Very Married to her dad, is clearly getting catfished. She warns Meri - and by the way, knows that her mom getting catfished will probably be televised, publicized, written about in tabloids, and become fodder for gossip at her college when she goes back - but her mom ignores her.

Then Mariah comes home for the summer during college and probably expects to spend time with Meri, but she’s holed up in her room talking to a catfish (I know that was one of Mariah’s complaints, that she was constantly on the phone and on the computer all summer with some strange “man” who was clearly not real). Then her mom takes her to Disneyland TO MEET THE CATFISH in person, which is creepy and could have been dangerous for both Mariah and Meri. Again, the whole time Mariah knows this is fake and will probably end up on TV and likely humiliate both of them and the family online. 

Then when it does fall apart, her mom plays victim, pretends she was basically forced into the situation even though she was warned a million times, and pretends that everyone is being “so mean” to her by not immediately running to her side to support her. 

Mariah is certainly not perfect and she seems to have gotten over it since then. But I’d have been super pissed too, frankly, and wanted to distance myself for a while. Especially as a late teens/early 20-something trying to build my own life. She was probably asked about the catfish by fellow college kids. And taking her young adult daughter to meet the catfish in person was absolutely inappropriate and weird, borderline reckless. 

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. 

[deirdra]

Mariah never blurted it out but probably was thinking that her mother was cheating (in her heart) on her father and the fact that it was a female catfisher, not a real vegan catholic millionaire male doesn't change that.

[ReadMeLattice]

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. 

[Roslyn]

2 hours ago, ReadMeLattice said:

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. 

I think this had a huge potential to bite her in the ass. Every single other "victim" she brought on camera to tell their story had the same beginning.  I was lonely and opened an online dating site. My first question to Meri would have been "hey...how did you get "reeled" in? They were all looking to hook up, but you are married!?"

She wanted the family to see ONLY what she wanted them to.  That she was "tricked" by someone online.  But to me it stands out loud and clear that the other women were lonely and looking for a relationship.  I hope that someone would have said that to her off camera, but I'm not holding my breath.

Kody pushed her once on a group couch talk because she always said that she was forced to put those voicemails out there, that she was threatened.  He point blank asked her "HOW were you threatened, WHAT did they say?" She immediately got very irritated, stammered, and then started crying. She refused to clarify anything.  Just like with Kody who wants to bark orders and be obeyed.  She just wants the family to accept her superficial explanation of "I was a victim just like these other women, don't ask any more questions than that".

Meri will never come clean.  She has worked hard to put her alternate reality of how it all went down into her memories with every brick in her wall.

[Twopper]

18 hours ago, ReadMeLattice said:

Mariah is certainly not perfect and she seems to have gotten over it since then. But I’d have been super pissed too, frankly, and wanted to distance myself for a while. Especially as a late teens/early 20-something trying to build my own life. She was probably asked about the catfish by fellow college kids. And taking her young adult daughter to meet the catfish in person was absolutely inappropriate and weird, borderline reckless. 

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.

 

2 hours ago, ReadMeLattice said:

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. 

The catfishery bought this show extra episodes---if not seasons.  I am sure that trip to Atlanta was producer-driven as was bringing the other "victim" to LV.   I  think Meri probably did keep bringing it up with Mariah in private, but I think bringing it up on the show was the price to keep the series on the air.

[ReadMeLattice]

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.

Edited April 30, 2021 by ReadMeLattice

[Sandy W]

32 minutes ago, Roslyn said:

I think this had a huge potential to bite her in the ass. Every single other "victim" she brought on camera to tell their story had the same beginning.  I was lonely and opened an online dating site. My first question to Meri would have been "hey...how did you get "reeled" in? They were all looking to hook up, but you are married!?"

She wanted the family to see ONLY what she wanted them to.  That she was "tricked" by someone online.  But to me it stands out loud and clear that the other women were lonely and looking for a relationship.  I hope that someone would have said that to her off camera, but I'm not holding my breath.

Kody pushed her once on a group couch talk because she always said that she was forced to put those voicemails out there, that she was threatened.  He point blank asked her "HOW were you threatened, WHAT did they say?" She immediately got very irritated, stammered, and then started crying. She refused to clarify anything.  Just like with Kody who wants to bark orders and be obeyed.  She just wants the family to accept her superficial explanation of "I was a victim just like these other women, don't ask any more questions than that".

Meri will never come clean.  She has worked hard to put her alternate reality of how it all went down into her memories with every brick in her wall.

Meri no doubt lay awake nights when news of the catfish broke, writing scripts in her head of how she could come across with as little impact on herself as possible.  When Kody & Kompany didn't buy her sketchy rationale holus bolus she became defensive.  The best case scenario that would put her in the most favorable light in her mind was that she continued the escapade to "save the family" from some vague threats.  When pressed about these threats, the best she could come up with was something about extracting family personal business by the CF placing her phone atop Meri's.  She didn't think it through and became flustered and confounded when her version of events was put to the test.

If what she says is true, (and I don't buy it), Meri was at fault for not calling the family together and coming clean with something like..."Hey guys, I've been feeling neglected and lonely and engaged in a mild flirtation online, that has now become out of my control, what can we do about this?".  Instead, she continued as Martyr Meri, force feeding herself bananas and languishing in bubble baths to appease the demands? of the CF.  Meri was reveling in the attention and the prospect of escape to a life of luxury.  If she was truly an innocent victim, this could have been nipped in the bud as soon as the texts and phone calls crossed the line.  She even became indignant when someone in the family tried to give her an "out" by offering the suggestion that she had been victimized, loudly proclaiming "I am NOT a victim!".  Which is it Meri?

[Adiba]

Sure, Mariah had a right to her feelings— cause after all, it’s always all about Mariah. The problem I had with Mariah was her seeming lack of empathy for anything that her mother was going through. And I don’t even like Meri.

Meri did say that she apologized to Mariah (more than once, if I recall) but apparently that wasn’t good enough for Mariah. Did Meri derserve an “I told you so” and Mariah’s anger? Sure. But Meri was publicly humiliated, too. She’s was and continues to be shunned and humiliated by Kody, even years later. If it were my mother, I’d have felt many of the emotions expressed by Mariah, but I’d also feel some compassion for a woman so lonely and desperate for any romantic attention that she fell for such an obvious con.

If Mariah is going to hold Meri to AUB standards of behavior without even believing in them herself, she is a bigger judgmental asshole thanI already thought.

Edited to add: Not defending Meri or her actions—I just can’t stand sanctimonious Mariah

Edited April 30, 2021 by Adiba

[Sandy W]

10 minutes ago, Adiba said:

Sure, Mariah had a right to her feelings— cause after all, it’s always all about Mariah. The problem I had with Mariah was her seeming lack of empathy for anything that her mother was going through. And I don’t even like Meri.

Meri did say that she apologized to Mariah (more than once, if I recall) but apparently that wasn’t good enough for Mariah. Did Meri derserve an “I told you so” and Mariah’s anger? Sure. But Meri was publicly humiliated, too. She’s was and continues to be shunned and humiliated by Kody, even years later. If it were my mother, I’d have felt many of the emotions expressed by Mariah, but I’d also feel some compassion for a woman so lonely and desperate for any romantic attention that she fell for such an obvious con.

If Mariah is going to hold Meri to AUB standards of behavior without even believing in them herself, she is a bigger judgmental asshole thanI already thought.

Yep, Mariah has been a judgmental asshole, but let us never forget where she learned her value system.  Meri was without doubt, the single greatest influence on Mariah in her formative years.  I believe that Meri used Mariah as a substitute partner and a sounding board for all the ills that she perceived were visited upon her by everyone else.  At a tender age, Mariah would absorb this like a sponge, where an adult audience for Meri's miseries may have countered her complaints with thoughtful responses such as "what did you do to predicate this?".  Compassion for others has never been an attribute of Meri and it's just possible that Meri did not instill this value in her daughter and it came back and bit her large in her ass.

[LilyD]

On 4/30/2021 at 7:25 PM, Adiba said:

Meri did say that she apologized to Mariah (more than once, if I recall) but apparently that wasn’t good enough for Mariah.

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!

[Adiba]

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!

Sorry to hear about your experience with your mother. I hope you have some healing from that. I guess we all see situations with our own filters. 

[ReadMeLattice]

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. 

Edited April 30, 2021 by ReadMeLattice

[ReadMeLattice]

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. 

[Sandy W]

14 minutes ago, ReadMeLattice said:

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. 

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

Edited April 30, 2021 by Sandy W

[NoWhammies]

6 hours ago, ReadMeLattice said:

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.

I believe two seemingly contradictory things can be true at the same time. Mariah is a pain in the butt, and she had every right to her feelings after her moms catfishing. Meri was complicit in her catfishing and has never been 100% honest about her role in it - she has justified her behavior at every turn.

At the same time, I totally see why Meri wound up where she did to be catfished. And Mariah is a sanctimonious asshole because she was raised by another sanctimonious asshole who was married to a raging narcissist. 

There are no heroes and not really any victims in this story. Well actually, if there are innocent victims, it's the kids who didn't ask to come into such a messed up situation and who have had their lives laid bare on television because their parents were a bunch of fame whores. 

It's just fucked up all around, and I can't imagine having the added element of it being such public fodder. I suppose squeezing extra seasons out of it for the show is making lemonade out of lemons...(although I really like lemons, so I never really saw the point of that expression). 

Edited April 30, 2021 by NoWhammies

[WhatAmIWatching]

I can kinda see why Mariah was such a pill to her mom. I was imagining if it were one of my folks, and started cringing and had to push the thoughts away. I would have been mortified and humiliated, but there's also the EW factor of seeing my parents as sexual beings. (nope uh-uh, I was magicked out of thin air! No sexy times involved ha!)
THEN adding the very public airing, and the fact that it just. won't. go. away. after all these years, the fact that Meri is firmly entrenched in the victim role, with so much internet evidence to the contrary, and I think that even if I could get over the anger, it would be harder to get over the loss of respect.

 That said, I wouldn't have treated either of my parents, or talked to them, like she did Meri, but my parents weren't anything like Meri, in any shape or form. I can't imagine what it was like to grow up in her house, and then add the dumb-ass that is her father, and woof, it's a lot to handle. They're not exactly healthy role models.

 

My dad is a widower of 3 years, and a few months ago, my BFF told me that he asked one of her (adult) nieces out for a date. I'm cringing as I type this because it's just embarrassing.  (Yes, he is an adult and can date or do whatever he wishes, and more power to him! I'm so glad he's finding his way after losing his spouse of 55 years!) It's just sometimes hard to separate the dad from the man for me, and I'm a heck of a lot older than Mariah.

 

ETA:

Now that I'm thinking about it more, I wonder if Mariah had to get a bit harsh with Meri, because Meri can't ever seem to hear what people are really telling her?

  Look at how Kody has said to her face that he's done, that there's no salvaging their relationship at all, and maybe not even a friendship; that he doesn't miss it/her, and they never should have married at all. With all of that bluntness, it's telling that Meri hears "So...you're saying there's a chance we can get the spark back?" 
 (When she does that stuff, all I can hear is Chris Tucker in Rush Hour screeching: "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?!")

Edited April 30, 2021 by WhatAmIWatching
Added a thought

[ReadMeLattice]

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.

Edited April 30, 2021 by ReadMeLattice

[MakingBacon]

I just find it fascinating that Meri and Christine are the only two in this family, other than the kids, who are actually trying to make money. We make fun of their MLMs but at least they are doing something. Where are Janelle, Kody and Robin? I am throwing Janelle in with these two as I doubt Strive is making any type of money. I don’t believe Kody has some secret business that makes any money. Why is Robin always sitting on her butt doing nothing? She has not done anything since she married into this family. I don’t count My Sister Wives Closet as that was obviously always going to be a failure. 

[Cetacean]

6 hours ago, MakingBacon said:

Why is Robin always sitting on her butt doing nothing? She has not done anything since she married into this family.

That's what she signed up for.  The first thing she did was throw her pile of bills on the table.  I believe she understood that she came onboard as the plot point to keep the show on the air so nothing more was required.

[Pickleinthemiddle]

7 hours ago, MakingBacon said:

I just find it fascinating that Meri and Christine are the only two in this family, other than the kids, who are actually trying to make money. We make fun of their MLMs but at least they are doing something. Where are Janelle, Kody and Robin? I am throwing Janelle in with these two as I doubt Strive is making any type of money. I don’t believe Kody has some secret business that makes any money. Why is Robin always sitting on her butt doing nothing? She has not done anything since she married into this family. I don’t count My Sister Wives Closet as that was obviously always going to be a failure. 

Doesn't Janelle do strive?  Plus she is selling that drink Maddie is selling.  I'm pretty sure Kody is doing something, but he doesn't want to tell anyone.  Plus several times he said something about Christine was working in Phoenix.  True, as far as we know Robyn is not doing anything except being a stay at home mom, which there is nothing wrong with that.  That is one thing I admire about the Darger's, each wife took turns being the stay at home mom, while the other two went out to work.  Same with the Williams.  I believe at some point all of them have worked.

[ginger90]

[TurtlePower]

12 hours ago, Pickleinthemiddle said:

Doesn't Janelle do strive?  Plus she is selling that drink Maddie is selling.  I'm pretty sure Kody is doing something, but he doesn't want to tell anyone.  Plus several times he said something about Christine was working in Phoenix.  True, as far as we know Robyn is not doing anything except being a stay at home mom, which there is nothing wrong with that.  That is one thing I admire about the Darger's, each wife took turns being the stay at home mom, while the other two went out to work.  Same with the Williams.  I believe at some point all of them have worked.

Not to digress too much, but Janelle can’t be making boo from strive and it’s hardly “work” for her. She hasn’t demonstrated enough competence (or confidence) to make a living from it. It’s all a sham—it would be like someone saying they’re a piano coach but they haven’t mastered chopsticks. Who would want to pay for that?

[Persnickety1]

On 5/2/2021 at 5:09 AM, Pickleinthemiddle said:

Doesn't Janelle do strive?  Plus she is selling that drink Maddie is selling.  I'm pretty sure Kody is doing something, but he doesn't want to tell anyone.  Plus several times he said something about Christine was working in Phoenix.  True, as far as we know Robyn is not doing anything except being a stay at home mom, which there is nothing wrong with that.  That is one thing I admire about the Darger's, each wife took turns being the stay at home mom, while the other two went out to work.  Same with the Williams.  I believe at some point all of them have worked.

I believe it was posted on this forum (either in this thread or Christine's thread) that "working in Phoenix" means Christine has traveled to some minion's home to do "live" sales of their LLR inventory.  So, whilst she is traveling and it is work, it's in essence just added LLR activity.  

-----

On another note, regarding Mariah, I've always found Mariah to be an insufferable self-absorbed asshole even in her teenage years.  

Even a blind squirrel can find an acorn, and thus Mariah can also be an asshole who made a correct assessment of a situation.  Being correct and being an unmitigated asshole are not mutually exclusive.    

She's always had a shit attitude towards Meri.  I didn't notice it was particularly any worse after the catfishing fuckery than it was pre-catfishing fuckery.  

But she was raised by an insufferable self-absorbed asshole, so it's that apple/tree situation.  

I hope I worded that coherently.  I need another trip to the Keurig.  STAT.

[Rabbit Hutch]

I don't know who I loathe and despise more, Robyn or Mariah.  I guess with them it really just comes down to "nature versus nuture". I think that Robyn's psychosis is biological while Mariah's is environmental.  Anyone born to such narcissistic parents as Kootie and Meri would have pyschological probmems, so I guess I'll give Robyn the win.

[Grifter Lives]

On 5/2/2021 at 5:02 PM, ginger90 said:

Meri said that her bed is easy to make, because she sleeps alone.   There's the silver lining.

[deirdra]

So why are the granddogs in Meri's bed?

[WhatAmIWatching]

3 hours ago, deirdra said:

So why are the granddogs in Meri's bed?

Because otherwise they'll pee on the carpet?? 😆 

They do seem to visit a lot, I wonder if that's prompted by Meri or M&A?

Edited May 6, 2021 by WhatAmIWatching
Autocucumber hates me

[Gramto6]

11 minutes ago, WhatAmIWatching said:

Because otherwise they'll pee on the carpet?? 😆 

They do seem to visit a lot, I wonder if that's prompted by Meri or M&A?

My guess, Meri to keep the $$ flowing their way...

[WhatAmIWatching]

You know what? I was just reading some of the older catfish threads here, (because I wish I was here from day 1, as I've spent all this time snarking by myself, since no one I know watches this this train wreck), and it reminded me there was a similar thing on the Ravelry forums. Is anyone here on ravelry? Do you remember the Ryan eejit family?

There was an entire Irish family that was created by a woman and she reeled in a whole lot of forum users. I saw so many inconsistencies and falsehoods in her bs, that I thought it was a joke so ignored it, and didn't realize, until after the fact, exactly how deep it went. This woman had handfuls of characters and infiltrated quite a lot of the forum threads.

When it came out that it was a grand-scale catfish, there were a couple of people who insisted they'd met members of the 'family' but it was lies. (I still don't understand why they did that) There were some people who were enraged that the veil was yanked off, because they wanted to believe in the stories so badly, which I found heartbreaking. The woman actually got arrested for selling charity knitting patterns (and not giving any), family calendars (that of course were never made)and idk what else, making 'raffles' with very expensive (donated by the Rav members!) prizes and not giving anything to the winners, and much etc, via Ravelry (looks like it was a lot of money, too!) but was let out on probation or some such. I believe people also sent her funds and items to help fund the family's other charity venues. (All not real) --this is actually how some of the sleuths were able to track down and show proof that this family was one shady-ass person--I admire internet sleuths, they are so good at teasing out info and finding truths, and use their powers for good!

 Reading it all afterward blew my mind. The scale of the entire thing was incredible. I did feel awful for not speaking up, but I had no idea all that was really going on. (And those that were in it and spoke up got shunned or piled on anyway, and Ravelry tptb just ignored it all, though people were pleading with them to step in and shut it down)Iirc, a couple of the 'marks' gave out their and their children's identifying info like names, bday, ssn, because this 'big Irish family' was going to help them with legal stuff, or supposedly going to employ them. I'm not quite sure, because I'm old and my brain is mashed potatoes, but I believe this went on for a couple of years.

   It's kind of fascinating, yet very sad, how the anonymity of the internet, overly trusting humans, and really vile people can make such a large, destructive mess.  

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by WhatAmIWatching
Forgot some stuff and need more coffee

[deirdra]

1 hour ago, WhatAmIWatching said:

It's kind of fascinating, yet very sad, how the anonymity of the internet, overly trusting humans, and really vile people can make such a large, destructive mess.  

That is why I like snark forums. Like-minded people and the humour is free.

[Persnickety1]

8 hours ago, WhatAmIWatching said:

You know what? I was just reading some of the older catfish threads here, (because I wish I was here from day 1, as I've spent all this time snarking by myself, since no one I know watches this this train wreck), and it reminded me there was a similar thing on the Ravelry forums. Is anyone here on ravelry? Do you remember the Ryan eejit family?

There was an entire Irish family that was created by a woman and she reeled in a whole lot of forum users. I saw so many inconsistencies and falsehoods in her bs, that I thought it was a joke so ignored it, and didn't realize, until after the fact, exactly how deep it went. This woman had handfuls of characters and infiltrated quite a lot of the forum threads.

When it came out that it was a grand-scale catfish, there were a couple of people who insisted they'd met members of the 'family' but it was lies. (I still don't understand why they did that) There were some people who were enraged that the veil was yanked off, because they wanted to believe in the stories so badly, which I found heartbreaking. The woman actually got arrested for selling charity knitting patterns (and not giving any), family calendars (that of course were never made)and idk what else, making 'raffles' with very expensive (donated by the Rav members!) prizes and not giving anything to the winners, and much etc, via Ravelry (looks like it was a lot of money, too!) but was let out on probation or some such. I believe people also sent her funds and items to help fund the family's other charity venues. (All not real) --this is actually how some of the sleuths were able to track down and show proof that this family was one shady-ass person--I admire internet sleuths, they are so good at teasing out info and finding truths, and use their powers for good!

 Reading it all afterward blew my mind. The scale of the entire thing was incredible. I did feel awful for not speaking up, but I had no idea all that was really going on. (And those that were in it and spoke up got shunned or piled on anyway, and Ravelry tptb just ignored it all, though people were pleading with them to step in and shut it down)Iirc, a couple of the 'marks' gave out their and their children's identifying info like names, bday, ssn, because this 'big Irish family' was going to help them with legal stuff, or supposedly going to employ them. I'm not quite sure, because I'm old and my brain is mashed potatoes, but I believe this went on for a couple of years.

   It's kind of fascinating, yet very sad, how the anonymity of the internet, overly trusting humans, and really vile people can make such a large, destructive mess.  

 

Ravelry, as in the crafting website?  I'm on Ravelry but had no idea there was a section like this.  I want to read more about this story.  I just go there for patterns and now I'm thinking I might be missing a whole new world at that site. 

Can you message me with a link to the story on Ravelry if it's not allowed to be posted here?  It sounds fascinating.  Grazi :D  

[WhatAmIWatching]

12 hours ago, deirdra said:

That is why I like snark forums. Like-minded people and the humour is free.

Agree! I'm having a blast reading the past-season snark, everyone here is so funny and have such great insights!

 

6 hours ago, Persnickety1 said:

Ravelry, as in the crafting website?  I'm on Ravelry but had no idea there was a section like this.  I want to read more about this story.  I just go there for patterns and now I'm thinking I might be missing a whole new world at that site. 

Can you message me with a link to the story on Ravelry if it's not allowed to be posted here?  It sounds fascinating.  Grazi :D  

Just sent you the longest pm known to man, with links! There's a lot of stuff that goes down on Rav, it's eye-opening, and yes absolutely fascinating!

[monagatuna]

12 hours ago, WhatAmIWatching said:

Agree! I'm having a blast reading the past-season snark, everyone here is so funny and have such great insights!

 

Just sent you the longest pm known to man, with links! There's a lot of stuff that goes down on Rav, it's eye-opening, and yes absolutely fascinating!

Would you be willing to post some info in the small talk thread? I am so curious but I wasn't able to find anything!

[WhatAmIWatching]

3 hours ago, monagatuna said:

Would you be willing to post some info in the small talk thread? I am so curious but I wasn't able to find anything!

Sure thing!

[TurtlePower]

Major eye rolls happening here. Meri is not a “good person”, she’s mean—she snarks her LuLaRoe customers, for starters. Then she tells Christine she “doesn’t get to quit” when Meri herself pretty much had her bags packed for a cat-fishing trip. 

I’m no fan of Kody and think he’s an insensitive jerk, but he’s the easiest scapegoat for Meri to point her finger at so the attention is drawn away from her and the fact that she’s cruel herself. 
 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2021/05/meri-brown-im-a-fighter-and-a-good-person/amp/

[Sandy W]

37 minutes ago, TurtlePower said:

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2021/05/meri-brown-im-a-fighter-and-a-good-person/amp/

And the award for "Most Devoted Fan of Sister Wives Gossip" goes to anyone who had the tenacity to read this blurb through to the end.  I got about one third of the way in and then started scrolling as fast as I could, pausing periodically to see if any new insights were revealed.  It was longer than their book and offered nothing but a rehash of this past season.  A casual reader on THIS site would come away better informed and with a better perspective about what this family is all about.  What a waste of time, but thank you Turtlepower for bringing this epic to our attention, the writer must have had an obligation to their editor to submit a 100,000 word essay to wrap up the Sister Wives season.

[ginger90]

[Sandy W]

20 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

Yep, we all saw how you brought the "Shine" to your sister wife Christine when she was in need of comfort and compassion.  Just look that those mountains!

Sidenote:  Is the apparent rash on her neck from wearing MSWCloset joolrey?

Edited May 17, 2021 by Sandy W

[Absolom]

Who is that person?  There's almost no resemblance to the actual Meri left.

[Cetacean]

"Let's be honest"???????  Seriously?  This one wouldn't know honest if it hit her over the head with a mallet.

[TurtlePower]

14 hours ago, Cetacean said:

"Let's be honest"???????  Seriously?  This one wouldn't know honest if it hit her over the head with a mallet.

Meri is a terrible actor. She’s trying to play the part of someone who’s genuinely kind and she’s not very good at it. The fact that she needs to keep reminding us and is consistently showing off is the first clue. 

The kindest, sweetest people I know are quiet on social media. They’re too busy living their lives being happy, not fishing for compliments on insta. 

Edited May 18, 2021 by TurtlePower

[Sandy W]

1 hour ago, TurtlePower said:

Meri is a terrible actor. She’s trying to play the part of someone who’s genuinely kind and she’s not very good at it. The fact that she needs to keep reminding us and is consistently showing off is the first clue. 

The kindest, sweetest people I know are quiet on social media. They’re too busy living their lives being happy, not fishing for compliments on insta. 

Meri has the unique ability to create her own reality in her head.  She perceives it, therefore it is. 

She envisioned herself as an ideal legal first wife, guiding and mentoring subsequent others and was shocked when she was usurped from this position by someone able to convince Kody she was better suited for the role.

She applied balm to her wounded ego by convincing herself that a wealthy, handsome, younger man would sweep her away to a life where she would be adored and appreciated.  When that didn't work out, she changed course and tried to portray herself as a hero, saving the family from some vague threats she could not fully explain.

As a mother, she had her only child's life pre-ordained.  Mariah would become a doctor and embrace the polygamist life.  It hit Meri at her very core when she came to the realization that Mariah did not conform to the idealized path Meri had decided her daughters life should take.  By default, and to her credit, Meri has chosen to embrace Mariah for who she is.  She weighed her options and decided acceptance of Mariah for who she is had more merit than rejecting her and risking any future mother/daughter bond.

In her present state of mind, she sees herself as a noble, loyal, long-suffering woman who has risen above adversity and is now able to cast her light and Shine upon all others.  She may have convinced herself that this is reality.

#StrongWoman #LivingMyWhy #BecauseICan. 

 

 

[iwantcookies]

Is that Meri’s much younger sister? Lol I know it’s Meri photoshopped to death. Will the real 250 pound Meri please stand up? 

[Rabbit Hutch]

I see that she's got Kootie's dogtag, er, I mean "Fidelis" necklace on...keep on trying, Meri.  He may actually acknowledge you, someday.  🙄

[iwantcookies]

I bet Meri and Janelle are the same size by now. Not fat shaming but Meri is lying on what she looks like IRL.

[TurtlePower]

25 minutes ago, iwantcookies said:

I bet Meri and Janelle are the same size by now. Not fat shaming but Meri is lying on what she looks like IRL.

How Meri sets up her shots and how she filters looks nothing like the real Meri. Those cleverly edited shots always make people believe she’s lost a ton of weight, but then an unedited photo of her emerges where she still appears to be over 220 lb (with sagging jowls and puffy face). 

[iwantcookies]

5 hours ago, TurtlePower said:

How Meri sets up her shots and how she filters looks nothing like the real Meri. Those cleverly edited shots always make people believe she’s lost a ton of weight, but then an unedited photo of her emerges where she still appears to be over 220 lb (with sagging jowls and puffy face). 

Yep the funeral photos! That’s the real Meri. 

[Sweetpea4Utoo]