Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears

[Roslyn]

18 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

I read somewhere? that the man is her sister's husband.  Nathan?  The one that Kootie drove around with in one of this season's episodes, that had a wife leave him. 

These men that collect wives as trophies, UGH!  They deserve to be left in the dust.

That guy does not look like Nathan to me. When he did his talking head about "the wives who stay with Kody will have a wild ride" quote he had dark hair and was...well...creepy.

[goofygirl]

Plus, his eyes were kinda wanky?

[surfgirl]

15 hours ago, goofygirl said:

Plus, his eyes were kinda wanky?

I think you mean 'wonky'?? 'Wanky' is something quite different. 😉 

[General Days]

On 11/29/2023 at 6:26 PM, xwordfanatik said:

I read somewhere? that the man is her sister's husband.  Nathan?  The one that Kootie drove around with in one of this season's episodes, that had a wife leave him. 

These men that collect wives as trophies, UGH!  They deserve to be left in the dust.

That's not Nathan. We've seen Nathan enough times on the show (long ago and more recently) to tell. 

Also, I don't necessarily think Meri's dating that guy. She just lost her brother, whom I believe lived in Lehi. Their cult is headquartered right near Lehi, and the whole family is related to a lot of people in the area. 

I know whoever said Meri and the man had been holding hands at some point, but I've taken a friend's hand (regardless of gender) during serious conversation. I don't think that necessarily means anything romantic. It could be one of Meri's brothers from another mother.

[CSunshine76]

Meri is PISSED Christine spilled some tea!

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0X9-5RAmxa/?igshid=ODhhZWM5NmIwOQ==

[Orcinus orca]

IF Meri ever writes a book ("I will not be silent" and "My story will be told" spoken in an ominous voice) you can bet there will not be two words of truth in it.  She has a known history as a liar on all fronts. 

It will all be from her perspective her and her refusal to accept the truth that Kootie despises her (even having been told that umpteen times in umpteen ways) makes her a totally unreliable source for anything.  Throw in the ridiculous spin she put on the catfishing story ("I feared for my family") and it will be a total waste of time and money.

[General Days]

Importing from S18.E16 episode thread.

40 minutes ago, lgandkihei said:

Does anyone besides me remember the story arc some years back where Meri supposedly wanted another baby, and she and Kody were exploring all kinds of fertility etc. treatments?  Even at the time, it seemed so off to me, because Meri just seemed too old to be starting over with another baby, and Kody seemed to mainly be going through the motions just to make her happy.  But, I get that she's always felt inferior to the other wives because she hadn't produced as many precious offspring to make Kody look super virile and manly.  To sire that many kids, you must be a  real stud, right?  Just look at Jim-Bob Duggar!

...

I admit that I don't remember the exact timeline on the baby-hungry storyline (I'm sure one of the many experts on here will!), but if Kody was already way over Meri, lovewise, wouldn't it have been handy for him to mention that before contemplating bringing yet one more kid into the mix?

 

What's even crueler still is that Meri wasn't the one who initiated it. Kody pushed Meri into the exploration, then pulled the rug out from under her. It was the first time I really let myself realize that he got off, not just on having four wives, but on being subtly cruel to them and effing with their heads.

There'd been plenty of talk in the first season or so about Meri's secondary infertility, but Meri had already gotten to a place where she had accepted that a big bio family wasn't in the cards for her. She was sad, but okay about it, because Leon was going to be going away to uni soon, and Meri knew she'd be entering a new stage of life.

Then, when Robyn gave birth to Solomon, she offered to be Meri's surrogate. Meri didn't know what to make of it.

Kody started pressing Meri to make a decision. Robyn pressed Meri to accept her offer.

Meri and Kody went to see a fertility doc to look into their options (fertility treatments, IVF, etc.), before deciding whether to accept or decline Robyn's offer.

Meri is an annoyingly indecisive person (particularly, as far as I can tell, when Kody and the family are pressing her on something). Kody kept hounding Meri to make up her mind whether she wanted to pursue conception or surrogacy. He made it sound like he gave a toss whether Meri had a baby, but I think he just wanted to knock up Robyn again with a baby of their (R+K) own, so he wanted Meri's decision.

Meri asked him to wait until they got into their Vegas cul-de-sac houses. Finally, Meri decided to tell Kody she wanted to try to to have another baby with him, and Kody twisted the words as they came out of her mouth, and pretended right on our screens that she didn't want to do that. 

I still remember the look on her face, as she sat with him and tried to act like she agreed with him.

My pet Sister Wives conspiracy theory is that the whole conversation was also Kody's code for letting Meri know he was shutting her off sexually. 

[BnJJ]

I think that Meri over-reacted to the wedding ring story.  Sure, maybe it wasn't Christine's story to share but it shows that Kody has been a complete ass and has treated Meri terribly for many, many years.  Be mad at him, not Christine.

[General Days]

1 hour ago, BnJJ said:

I think that Meri over-reacted to the wedding ring story.  Sure, maybe it wasn't Christine's story to share but it shows that Kody has been a complete ass and has treated Meri terribly for many, many years.  Be mad at him, not Christine.

The melting of the ring happened 12-15 years ago or so. Meri has already had her time being hurt/humiliated/angered by that act of emotional abuse. The Browns may have even talked it over in therapy with Pat and/or Nancy. Meri has had a long time with it being a painful fact of her life.

I don't think Christine told the story to be mean to Meri, but I understand why, in the very moment, Meri reacted to the fact that Christine told the story rather than the facts of the story themselves.

Meri was primarily hurt and angered not by the old wound, but by the new wound -- that her one-time friend/sister wife exposed one of Meri's painful, humiliating experiences on national television.

Meri's used to the fact that Kody melted down her ring. It's not shocking to her any more. She already has scar tissue in that spot. Christine's betrayal, if you will, is fresh, so it is what shook her.

My guess is, all five of the Brown adults have some nasty stories they could tell that would humiliate the others. It felt like Christine broke some sort of code under which the parents used to operate.

It also felt though, like the producers used a typical reality TV show producer trick (i.e. making sure Meri found out what Christine said in the moment), in order to set off some fireworks. They don't usually operate that way, but I think it's likely they did here.

[ezzy4]

8 hours ago, General Days said:

Importing from S18.E16 episode thread.

 

What's even crueler still is that Meri wasn't the one who initiated it. Kody pushed Meri into the exploration, then pulled the rug out from under her. It was the first time I really let myself realize that he got off, not just on having four wives, but on being subtly cruel to them and effing with their heads.

There'd been plenty of talk in the first season or so about Meri's secondary infertility, but Meri had already gotten to a place where she had accepted that a big bio family wasn't in the cards for her. She was sad, but okay about it, because Leon was going to be going away to uni soon, and Meri knew she'd be entering a new stage of life.

Then, when Robyn gave birth to Solomon, she offered to be Meri's surrogate. Meri didn't know what to make of it.

Kody started pressing Meri to make a decision. Robyn pressed Meri to accept her offer.

Meri and Kody went to see a fertility doc to look into their options (fertility treatments, IVF, etc.), before deciding whether to accept or decline Robyn's offer.

Meri is an annoyingly indecisive person (particularly, as far as I can tell, when Kody and the family are pressing her on something). Kody kept hounding Meri to make up her mind whether she wanted to pursue conception or surrogacy. He made it sound like he gave a toss whether Meri had a baby, but I think he just wanted to knock up Robyn again with a baby of their (R+K) own, so he wanted Meri's decision.

Meri asked him to wait until they got into their Vegas cul-de-sac houses. Finally, Meri decided to tell Kody she wanted to try to to have another baby with him, and Kody twisted the words as they came out of her mouth, and pretended right on our screens that she didn't want to do that. 

I still remember the look on her face, as she sat with him and tried to act like she agreed with him.

My pet Sister Wives conspiracy theory is that the whole conversation was also Kody's code for letting Meri know he was shutting her off sexually. 

Don't you think it was all just to feed a storyline into the that season?  I suspect Kody and Crybrows would have followed through with it too.  It would have made Crybrows look like a caring, selfless person.  Plus it would have added another child to that important kody/crybrow gene pool.  I wonder if it was just a bridge too far for Meri.  I recall the storyline coming to an strangely abrupt end.

[Teri313]

I don't think Meri was livid that Christine spilled the beans on the melted ring story because it was her private story to tell, but because it was her private story to sell - one of the bombshells she plans to drop in her rumored tell-all book. According to this, we're not the only ones to pick up on the "there's so much more to the story" photo she posted last year.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/sister-wives-meri-brown-started-her-tell-all-book-long-ago/ar-AA1kRPA0

[suomi]

5 hours ago, Teri313 said:

... because it was her private story to sell - 

Yep. There's a cash register where her heart should be.

[65mickey]

I hope she does write a book. Like Bethenny so famously said, "mention it all."  Let us know how Kody and Robyn conspired and got you to agree to a divorce so he could make Robyn the legal wife. Tell us how much much money the golden couple have siphoned off from the family saving account so that Robyn can live in a $900,000 home filled with expensive junk while you an Janelle live in rented abodes. And please give us the complete story of how Kody took the wedding ring that you gave him and used the gold to make rings for which girls. Did Leon get ring? 

[kimaken]

13 hours ago, BnJJ said:

Sure, maybe it wasn't Christine's story to share but it shows that Kody has been a complete ass and has treated Meri terribly for many, many years.  Be mad at him, not Christine.

So any stories regarding Meri's pain throughout the years (infertility, miscarriages, cancer health scare, the real divorce) are fair game for Christine and/or Janelle to share?  

[ginger90]

9 hours ago, Teri313 said:

“there's so much more to the story" photo she posted last year.

What’s interesting to me, if you look at the timeline, she posted that in September of last year, a few weeks before the picnic table scene, and posted it again in December, about 3 weeks before their official announcement in January stating, “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”.

[BnJJ]

29 minutes ago, kimaken said:

So any stories regarding Meri's pain throughout the years (infertility, miscarriages, cancer health scare, the real divorce) are fair game for Christine and/or Janelle to share?  

Yeah, because that's exactly what I said.

Edited December 5, 2023 by BnJJ

[Orcinus orca]

42 minutes ago, kimaken said:

So any stories regarding Meri's pain throughout the years (infertility, miscarriages, cancer health scare, the real divorce) are fair game for Christine and/or Janelle to share?  

Sure.  It's all been on TV or in the tabloids.  Not like any of it was a secret. 

You sign away your lives to be on teevee for big bucks, you take the lumps that come along with it.  You willingly sold your soul so live with the consequences.

Edited December 5, 2023 by Orcinus orca

[ezzy4]

10 hours ago, Teri313 said:

I don't think Meri was livid that Christine spilled the beans on the melted ring story because it was her private story to tell, but because it was her private story to sell - one of the bombshells she plans to drop in her rumored tell-all book. According to this, we're not the only ones to pick up on the "there's so much more to the story" photo she posted last year.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/sister-wives-meri-brown-started-her-tell-all-book-long-ago/ar-AA1kRPA0

Now that they've told us that Meri's  participantion in the show was a scam...and Kody and Meri were only pretending to be in any sort of relationship...and Meri and Crybrows were pretending to have a bond...etc...

...now that we know she's lied to the audience from the very beginning...

Yeah, I not going to believe a word she writes.

[65mickey]

I don't think that Meri's participation in the show was a scam.  We have heard from Christine that she and Kody have not had a real marriage in years and she participated in the show. Was Christine's part in the show a scam? I am pretty sure that we all knew that Meri and Kody have had no marital relationship in years. I do not believe that she was scamming anyone. She hung on hoping things would change. Kody was the one who didn't want to issue a public statement that the "marriage"was over. he told her that he didn't want the criticism.   He even brought up that he was willing to pretend to have a romantic relationship with Meri if that is what she wanted. Meri did nothing different than the other 4 adults in this mess.  They are  all hanging on for as long as the money keeps rolling in.

[Roslyn]

1 hour ago, ezzy4 said:

...and Meri and Crybrows were pretending to have a bond...etc...

...now that we know she's lied to the audience from the very beginning...

I think in the beginning Meri and Robyn did have a bond. I also think it was because Meri was desperate for a buddy within the family. It's more and more obvious that Janelle and Christine worked together as the family unit...Kody buzzed around where ever it was easiest for him and Meri was just there trying to make it work, but primarily focused on Leon.

She wanted the friendship within the family that Robyn offered in the beginning, as well as the favor from Kody in her support of the fourth wife. The issues stem as most of them do...Kody is Kody and he does and gets exactly what he wants every time.

And it's now glaringly obvious that all of them played a role in cleverly crafting a narrative to present to the audience to sell all they had because they were financially under water.

[ezzy4]

36 minutes ago, Roslyn said:

I think in the beginning Meri and Robyn did have a bond. I also think it was because Meri was desperate for a buddy within the family. It's more and more obvious that Janelle and Christine worked together as the family unit...Kody buzzed around where ever it was easiest for him and Meri was just there trying to make it work, but primarily focused on Leon.

She wanted the friendship within the family that Robyn offered in the beginning, as well as the favor from Kody in her support of the fourth wife. The issues stem as most of them do...Kody is Kody and he does and gets exactly what he wants every time.

And it's now glaringly obvious that all of them played a role in cleverly crafting a narrative to present to the audience to sell all they had because they were financially under water.

Oh they are all complicit.  

What if the real story is... Christine & Janelle were done with Meri. Kody saw new shiny Robyn and was "sure we can be done with Meri.  Let's have Robyn instead"

But the tv people were..."uhm...that's a hard sell to the audience.  You can add a wife, but not take one away.  That screws up the entire show".

So Robyn convinces Meri and Kody to keep up their marriage lie.  And Christine and Janella are both "meh...whatev...don't love the idea, but do love the money.  So we'll won't call it out."

That would explain the distance between the wives.  And i do think Robyn and Meri always talk in weird codelike language.

Kody probably didn't love this whole arrangement because like you said "Kody is Kody".  He was probably always on the verge of spilling the beans...unless he got a big house with Robyn...unless he got the bulk of the money...unless they all moved to Flagstaff (cause that's where Robyn wanted to live).

Though he couldn't get the GIANT communal house on Coyote Pass.

So i wonder what the codeword "safe" actually meant?  Did it mean "in danger of spilling the beans on the whole fake Meri/Kody relationship?  Like "it wouldn't be SAFE to have the older boys over for a filmed Christmas scene.  That wouldn't be SAFE."

  

 

[kimaken]

3 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

Sure.  It's all been on TV or in the tabloids.  Not like any of it was a secret. 

You sign away your lives to be on teevee for big bucks, you take the lumps that come along with it.  You willingly sold your soul so live with the consequences.

Not the point. Meri posted a few years ago about a baby she lost that she believes was a son. She didn't go into a lot of details, but that's her personal story to tell, if she wants to share with the public. It is NOT a story that any of the other wives should share while giggling about it.

[General Days]

4 hours ago, kimaken said:

So any stories regarding Meri's pain throughout the years (infertility, miscarriages, cancer health scare, the real divorce) are fair game for Christine and/or Janelle to share?  

 

4 hours ago, BnJJ said:

Yeah, because that's exactly what I said.

 

No, but where is the line? Would it be kosher to you if Meri had been the one to disclose in a talking head, in a lighthearted moment, that Christine didn't like to go back to the Lehi house, because her miscarried baby was buried in the yard? Christine had already disclosed that she had a miscarriage.

 

3 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

Sure.  It's all been on TV or in the tabloids.  Not like any of it was a secret. 

You sign away your lives to be on teevee for big bucks, you take the lumps that come along with it.  You willingly sold your soul so live with the consequences.

 

I had no blessed clue that the catfish told the story about Meri's ring until this past weekend. I had no clue about the ring itself until this past weekend. I suspect most fans who aren't and haven't been involved in online fandom did not know about it.

From what I understand, the catfish wrote about it in that ridiculous book they put out. I'd never heard even one fan mention it. I think most people didn't want to give the catfish any money, and most of those who did read it got their hands on a free download.

The Browns didn't sign their lives away to be on TV. They agreed to let cameras into their home and to otherwise follow them at agreed upon times. They're still human beings. They don't owe us all their grief.

Now when they do tell us a thing, what they tell us should be true. That has not always been the case, and that is wrong of them (and of the producers, to the extent they're complicit).

But owing the audience the truth in any given story presented on the show doesn't mean the Browns owe us every detail about their lives. It doesn't mean full disclosure.

 

3 hours ago, ezzy4 said:

Now that they've told us that Meri's  participantion in the show was a scam...and Kody and Meri were only pretending to be in any sort of relationship...and Meri and Crybrows were pretending to have a bond...etc...

...now that we know she's lied to the audience from the very beginning...

Yeah, I not going to believe a word she writes.

 

How and when did they tell us that Meri's participation in the show was a scam?

We watched the Kody/Meri relationship deteriorate over the years (most acutely since the catfish, but also before). They weren't "only pretending" to be in a relationship. They were in an unhealthy relationship that died over the course of the show. Now they're just finally (belatedly) calling time of death.

For the last however many years, Kody may have been pretending that he still considered Meri a wife (although he dropped that pretense over the past few years), but he was pretending that to her, too.

How did Meri lie to the audience from the beginning?

The AUB doesn't have some secret ritual where you melt a ring and a marriage is unsealed.

Edited December 5, 2023 by General Days

[islandgal140]

17 hours ago, Teri313 said:

I don't think Meri was livid that Christine spilled the beans on the melted ring story because it was her private story to tell, but because it was her private story to sell - one of the bombshells she plans to drop in her rumored tell-all book. According to this, we're not the only ones to pick up on the "there's so much more to the story" photo she posted last year.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/sister-wives-meri-brown-started-her-tell-all-book-long-ago/ar-AA1kRPA0

I know this is being speculated all over the place, but Meri loves to play coy and frankly, she is gonna have to show and prove. I'm gonna need a book on the shelf to even begin to believe it.   

To this day, as far as I know she has still stands firm that the catfish was just a friend and there was no romance or plans to run off with another dude. If she does come out with a book and doesn't admit to this, I won't believe a single word in that book. 

[Orcinus orca]

3 hours ago, General Days said:

But owing the audience the truth in any given story presented on the show doesn't mean the Browns owe us every detail about their lives. It doesn't mean full disclosure.

They may not "owe" us anything but they have signed away any right to privacy by doing multiple interviews for multiple shows and tabloids and by signing up for a reality show.  The minute you deliberately plaster your face all over SM, you have to accept the fact that people will dig up every piece of dirt they can find.  

They have sold their souls to the devil and the devil will have his due.  It's all about the being money grubbing shysters and I have no sympathy for any of them.

[islandgal140]

3 hours ago, General Days said:

I had no blessed clue that the catfish told the story about Meri's ring until this past weekend. I had no clue about the ring itself until this past weekend. I suspect most fans who aren't and haven't been involved in online fandom did not know about it.

It is funny because I have been involved in the online fandom and I vividly recall when the catfish broke in real time, was on this board when it happened and even I don't remember seeing the ring detail at that time. There was so, so much information floating about that it was hard to keep track and given the evil nature of the catfish person, hard to know what was true or not. Also, I will admit that I did draw a line in the sand for myself. I never listened to the voicemails and I didn't see/read many of the pics or texts. That was just too much of an invasion for me.  I read about the banana and tub pictures but I made a point not to look at them. I was embarrassed for Meri and it was really all so cringy. I've always wished that the catfish had been real and that Meri got away but alas .....   

Edited December 5, 2023 by islandgal140

[ginger90]

As far as a book, by any of them: There are 23 people in the family, I’m excluding in-laws. Even if each one of them wrote a book, it’s highly unlikely stories/views would be the same. There’s a wide range of ages, experiences some “know” second hand, living in separate households, the list goes on and on. I have 3 daughters, each 2 1/2 years apart. If they were to write a book their views would vary greatly. I know this just by conversations we’ve had over the years. Our “memories” are influenced by many things.

 

[Texasmom1970]

I have never been a fan of Meri's but hearing and seeing all the shit Kotex has heaped on her has softened my view a bit.

Not sure if she is dating the guy in the photo. If she is I hope she climbs him like a tree, gets her groove back and as a bonus I hope Douche head implodes!

Edited December 7, 2023 by Texasmom1970
Spelling

[kimaken]

19 hours ago, islandgal140 said:

I know this is being speculated all over the place, but Meri loves to play coy and frankly, she is gonna have to show and prove. I'm gonna need a book on the shelf to even begin to believe it.   

To this day, as far as I know she has still stands firm that the catfish was just a friend and there was no romance or plans to run off with another dude. If she does come out with a book and doesn't admit to this, I won't believe a single word in that book. 

It could be that Meri has to toe the line regarding the catfish incident and other storylines due to her TLC contracts. Once she's out of the show (or it becomes the Christine/Janelle After Sister Wives Show), then Meri's free to tell the all the real details. I hope she does write a book and spills all the tea (AND TELLS THE TRUTH) about everything since she dated/married Kody through the entire show (and events that happened but not put on the show). 

[Canadian Girl]

On 12/5/2023 at 5:56 PM, Orcinus orca said:

They may not "owe" us anything but they have signed away any right to privacy by doing multiple interviews for multiple shows and tabloids and by signing up for a reality show.  The minute you deliberately plaster your face all over SM, you have to accept the fact that people will dig up every piece of dirt they can find.  

They have sold their souls to the devil and the devil will have his due.  It's all about the being money grubbing shysters and I have no sympathy for any of them.

I wholeheartedly disagree. People who sign up to be on a reality tv show are still people and do still have a right to privacy. They have not "signed away their right to privacy". That is a really dangerous way of thinking about celebrity, or anyone. 

[Texasmom1970]

On 12/5/2023 at 5:08 PM, Texasmom1970 said:

Double post … sorry

Edited December 7, 2023 by Texasmom1970
I’m a doofus

[laurakaye]

On 12/5/2023 at 11:15 AM, Roslyn said:

And it's now glaringly obvious that all of them played a role in cleverly crafting a narrative to present to the audience to sell all they had because they were financially under water.

If they really did snow us for 18+ seasons to keep the TLC money rolling in, then they're all complicit and disgusting, especially since they involved their kids in it.

The Browns are incredibly lucky that their show has been on for 18 seasons.  That's huge for any show.  I have no idea how much they've earned from SW but in the end, none of them should've been relying on the show's income to support their large family.  A reality show can be canceled at any time, they're a dime a dozen.  I know they all had "real" jobs in season one, but now - other than the questionable MLM's they're all involved in (except Robyn), they're not working.

I know that their Z-list fame has somehow inexplicably allowed Meri, Janelle and Christine to be apparently pretty financially successful.  But those too could go away at any time.  And don't get me started on Queen Robyn who is clearly too pretty to cook and to work.  When this show finally does come to an end, which I think is clearly in the cards now that Kody has managed to push everyone away from him not named Robyn...if they don't all have money socked away from the show to support their kids and themselves, then shame on them, and if they did fabricate things to keep the money rolling in, they'd better hope they can all get good jobs like their kids have managed to do.

TL; DR - see you at the Wendy's drive-thru, Brown adults.  At least it's steady and real money that you don't have to gain via people working under you in your pyramid.

[vibeology]

33 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

The Browns are incredibly lucky that their show has been on for 18 seasons.  That's huge for any show.  I have no idea how much they've earned from SW but in the end, none of them should've been relying on the show's income to support their large family.  A reality show can be canceled at any time, they're a dime a dozen.  I know they all had "real" jobs in season one, but now - other than the questionable MLM's they're all involved in (except Robyn), they're not working.

I would argue that Meri running her B&B is a real job and genuine work. Investing in the B&B without the rest of the family is probably the very best thing Meri has ever done financially. I'm sure a great deal of her B&B success (especially starting out) is tied directly to the fact that she is a famous host and people come to see her but it is an established business and the property itself has a value. If Meri wanted to retire, she could just live in that home. She also shills the MLM leggings but if that went away she has an income stream that she controls.

[Orcinus orca]

1 minute ago, vibeology said:

I'm sure a great deal of her B&B success (especially starting out) is tied directly to the fact that she is a famous host and people come to see her but it is an established business and the property itself has a value.

I highly doubt that inn is even breaking even.  Go into the website and search for a room and there are rarely any bookings, everything is available. Her prices are exorbitant especially when there are tons of other rental properties with loads of amenities nearby.  $300 a night for a old lady room with breakfast when you can get a whole house near the ski slopes for $125 a night?  It's nuts.

And it makes me stabby to see her listing it as a "historical landmark".  It's an old house, not Stonehenge.  

[Yeah No]

On 12/5/2023 at 10:53 AM, 65mickey said:

I don't think that Meri's participation in the show was a scam.  We have heard from Christine that she and Kody have not had a real marriage in years and she participated in the show. Was Christine's part in the show a scam? I am pretty sure that we all knew that Meri and Kody have had no marital relationship in years. I do not believe that she was scamming anyone. She hung on hoping things would change. Kody was the one who didn't want to issue a public statement that the "marriage"was over. he told her that he didn't want the criticism.   He even brought up that he was willing to pretend to have a romantic relationship with Meri if that is what she wanted. Meri did nothing different than the other 4 adults in this mess.  They are  all hanging on for as long as the money keeps rolling in.

I'm not sure how much of what Meri presented on the show was a "scam" but I don't think she is the major source of the "scamming" and her hands were tied into doing it both legally and contractually.  I have so consistently put that blame on Kody and TLC over the years that I am sure I sound like a broken record at this point.

On 12/5/2023 at 11:15 AM, Roslyn said:

And it's now glaringly obvious that all of them played a role in cleverly crafting a narrative to present to the audience to sell all they had because they were financially under water.

If Meri was "scamming" anyone I never forget that Kody and TLC were probably the ones forcing her into it in order to push the narrative that they wanted the public to see.  So I don't think she was "scamming" us voluntarily.  Well, everything is voluntary but I've been saying for years that I think Meri has been under legal contracts to comply with pushing a narrative that either stretched the truth or went against it.  I think to varying degrees many of them have been under those constraints, it's only that in Meri's case she might have been asked to stretch the truth more than the others, leaving the audience to think she was a liar because her stories didn't pass the "sniff test".  

21 hours ago, kimaken said:

It could be that Meri has to toe the line regarding the catfish incident and other storylines due to her TLC contracts. Once she's out of the show (or it becomes the Christine/Janelle After Sister Wives Show), then Meri's free to tell the all the real details. I hope she does write a book and spills all the tea (AND TELLS THE TRUTH) about everything since she dated/married Kody through the entire show (and events that happened but not put on the show). 

Exactly.  She's waiting for the moment she is no longer under those contractual/legal/monetary constraints and can reveal just how much of what was presented on the show was a stretching of the truth or a complete fabrication.  I think she feels the need to clear her name with the public because obviously a lot of people are skeptical about her truthfulness.  Unfortunately I think it may be too late to save herself from that skepticism no matter what she says in her book.  People will just think she's still lying in an attempt to "save face".

33 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

If they really did snow us for 18+ seasons to keep the TLC money rolling in, then they're all complicit and disgusting, especially since they involved their kids in it.

Sure, they are all complicit to varying degrees but I don't forget that Kody is the one that led them into this situation.  They got themselves into this mess by blindly following and deferring to his "wisdom" thinking that he's the head of the family and final decisionmaker for what ALL of them do, but because they were so snowed and brainwashed into accepting that unequal distribution of power I give them a little bit more empathy than I do HIM.  By the time they were being pushed into "snowing" the audience it was something they probably legally and contractually could not get out of without a lot of consequences that they were in no position to fight.  Sure, the wives let themselves get into this situation but the real culprit here is in my opinion Kody, who had dollar signs in his eyes and didn't care what skewing the truth would do to the family, especially the wives, and of course TLC who didn't care if all of them sold their souls to them for ratings.

[Yeah No]

25 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Exactly.  She's waiting for the moment she is no longer under those contractual/legal/monetary constraints and can reveal just how much of what was presented on the show was a stretching of the truth or a complete fabrication.  I think she feels the need to clear her name with the public because obviously a lot of people are skeptical about her truthfulness.  Unfortunately I think it may be too late to save herself from that skepticism no matter what she says in her book.  People will just think she's still lying in an attempt to "save face".

Quoting myself here - I've also had the thought that Meri is wagering on the profits from the book and her business and other accumulated assets separate from the family to help her weather any legal/monetary losses she might face as a result of the tell-all book.  

[Orcinus orca]

50 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Unfortunately I think it may be too late to save herself from that skepticism no matter what she says in her book. 

They tell one story and two interview segments later say the opposite.  None of them even know what the word "truth" means anymore. I wouldn't believe a word that any of them says. 

[kimaken]

24 minutes ago, Orcinus orca said:

They tell one story and two interview segments later say the opposite.  None of them even know what the word "truth" means anymore. I wouldn't believe a word that any of them says. 

True--but they are all under contract to TLC so they have to watch what they say and if necessary, put some additional spin on it. Hopefully once the legal constraints are gone, someone will start talking, give full details. For example, all the tidbits from Paedon, Maddie, and Mykelti about Meri ("abrasive", "abusive", "horror", "scary", "unsafe") seem to be enough to rile up the Meri haters but there are no details as to WHY or HOW Meri was those things. Gwen stated that Meri acted like a parent, dishing out discipline, yelling/scolding--but Kody was the one who spanked (hand, not with anything like a belt, paddle), while Christine and Janelle let the kids pretty much do whatever. So what's the real story? 

My memory may be a bit faulty (old lady here) but I remember seeing an episode or two where Meri yelled at some of the boys (one was hitting Solomon; another was hitting Dayton) so I can believe she yelled/scolded, maybe even threatened with punishment, but anything worse than that (ie, hitting a child), if it happened, it would have been off-screen.

[Orcinus orca]

10 minutes ago, kimaken said:

So what's the real story? 

We will never know.  Lies, spinning the truth, different perspectives from all of them will lead us to absolutely nothing.

[Roslyn]

1 hour ago, kimaken said:

So what's the real story?

At least for me, this is why I am still here. Sittin' in this chair watching the show and discussing it online...since way back to the beginning of Mister Sisters' blog.

For me, Sister Wives is a lesson in emotional manipulation and emotional abuse. Control through misogyny, religious bubbles and above all...double speak. Trying to figure out exactly what they are saying when they talk in circles and their own language of Mormon flavored vague. Piecing it together like a jigsaw puzzle that is all black with all the same shape pieces. Using all the body language, eye rolls, stone faces and the endless tap dance around the topics.

[kimaken]

2 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

We will never know.  Lies, spinning the truth, different perspectives from all of them will lead us to absolutely nothing.

No doubt a lot of sugar-coating, too. I can't see any of these people telling true, hard, complete facts, especially if the truth includes admitting their own foibles, mistakes, and guilt.

[Yeah No]

21 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

They tell one story and two interview segments later say the opposite.  None of them even know what the word "truth" means anymore. I wouldn't believe a word that any of them says. 

I tend to believe the wives (except Robyn) over Kody.  When they talk about each other I realize it's a matter of perception (or misperception/miscommunication) and the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.  But when they talk about Kody, at least right now, most of them seem to be singing the same tune.  That says a lot right there about who the real villain is in all of this.

Even in good marriages/families/relationships you can get two completely different stories from everyone involved.  It's just human nature.  Some of the facts that have come out that none of them seem to deny, though, speak volumes.  Like that story about the ring melting and when it happened.  Those things can help paint a picture of what was really going on.  

ETA:  Also, I think the narrative that Kody and TLC fashioned for Meri made her look like more of a liar than she really was.  I do believe all of them are not seeing reality for what it is when it comes to each other, but their perception is at least an honest one even if not the real truth.  In Meri's case more was added to the narrative that made her look like the villain when in fact it was Kody that was the villain.  I remember when people started to doubt her as a result of the catfish situation.  I think she was to some degree forced to lie and was made to look much worse in that situation than she really was.  She was already fully divorced from this guy and he made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her.  She was only still there due to contractual constraints and her need to make some money off the show.  So that's where it started. 

So when the catfishing thing came out she wasn't technically doing ANYTHING wrong, it just looked that way because of the lie she was mostly forced into living by Kody and the show.  Anyway Kody didn't want the real ugly truth known, that's why he fabricated the BS story about divorcing Meri and marrying Robyn to adopt her kids.  It was a cover to hide the fact that he was replacing Meri with Robyn completely in every way.  That BS about Meri still being a "spiritual" wife was nothing but a lie (which BTW I always knew was a lie).  So the public saw Meri as a liar and "cheater" and lined up to throw stones at her, when the real villain in the story was of course, as usual, KODY.  And he couldn't care less how it made Meri look to the public.  He let her swing in the breeze while she let all of this happen and STILL kept her mouth shut.  It's only now that she feels like she has enough money and power to open her mouth and write a book.  

Edited December 8, 2023 by Yeah No

[Kellyee]

If Meri had been honest about the catfish situation and why she fell for it, and then left Kody and admitted she was lonely and duped into the divorce, she would have beaten Christine as the first sister wife to abandon ship, and she would have gotten the most support and sympathy from the public. Meri handled the situation all wrong, and now she's paying for it. And she still seems to be in a lot of denial about how Kody and Robyn have treated her. I saw a spoiler video where Meri still claims Robyn has her back. She needs a ton of therapy.

I wonder how much Meri and Leon are in contact. They don't seem to spend any holidays together at all. But they appeared to be okay with each other at Gwendolyn's wedding. 

[Granny58]

On 11/15/2023 at 6:23 PM, altopower said:

Maybe she thinks she's edgy. But I agree, "hedgehog" really does fit better.

Hedgey!

On 11/26/2023 at 11:26 AM, 65mickey said:

Kody is as much to blame for this as Meri is. 

Kody is 90% to blame for it.  Meri was effectively abandoned.  

[Orcinus orca]

54 minutes ago, Granny58 said:

Kody is 90% to blame for it.  Meri was effectively abandoned.  

But she chose to stay, probably for the show money.  She's now saying that he ditched her long before Sobbyn turned up so her choice to stay makes her equally culpable.

[Gramto6]

1 hour ago, Orcinus orca said:

But she chose to stay, probably for the show money.  She's now saying that he ditched her long before Sobbyn turned up so her choice to stay makes her equally culpable.

OK now I am a bit confused if Meri says Kootie ditched her long before Crybrows, then why did someone find a photo of Kootie with CB still wearing Meri's wedding band (mentioned here in one of the threads)? Another time twisted up mess of stories??? Why would Meri say that?? Sheesh, they keep my head spinning...

[Granny58]

3 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

But she chose to stay, probably for the show money.  She's now saying that he ditched her long before Sobbyn turned up so her choice to stay makes her equally culpable.

I think she stayed due to the covenant.  

 

[vibeology]

I also think Meri's leaving timed out with her mom passing. I think Meri felt a lot of family pressure to stay in the marriage. With her mom gone, Meri felt there was one less obstacle to leaving. 

[Sandy W]

4 hours ago, Granny58 said:

I think she stayed due to the covenant.  

 

The covenant would have been cast aside if she had the opportunity to scamper off with "Sam" had he been for reals.

 

[Yeah No]

12 hours ago, Kellyee said:

If Meri had been honest about the catfish situation and why she fell for it, and then left Kody and admitted she was lonely and duped into the divorce, she would have beaten Christine as the first sister wife to abandon ship, and she would have gotten the most support and sympathy from the public. Meri handled the situation all wrong, and now she's paying for it. And she still seems to be in a lot of denial about how Kody and Robyn have treated her. I saw a spoiler video where Meri still claims Robyn has her back. She needs a ton of therapy.

I wonder how much Meri and Leon are in contact. They don't seem to spend any holidays together at all. But they appeared to be okay with each other at Gwendolyn's wedding. 

I think Meri made the choice to go with sacrificing her public reputation rather than literally pay the price in terms of money that it probably would have cost her to come clean back then.  But it may have been about more than money.  Maybe she convinced herself it was the right thing to do to fall on her sword and take all the blame rather than blow the family apart or as some have suggested, she was being pressured by the other wives to stay.   

OR Meri was really being lead on and lied to by Kody that he divorced her to marry Robyn to be able to adopt the kids and that he really wanted to stay spiritually married to her.  this fed into her hopes that they might be reconciled and THAT's the main reason she stayed and didn't rock the boat at least in the beginning.  Even if she is being truthful about still thinking there was hope of reconciliation I can't believe she wouldn't have figured out that he was not for real by the time this season was being filmed, though.  She is still acting like she had hopes of reconciliation long past when it was completely obvious he was not interested.  Maybe he was feeding into those hopes and she isn't as delusional as she looks.  I don't know if we'll ever really know the truth about that.

At times I wonder how much of what she has done and not done have come out of a misplaced sense of guilt that she has allowed to be put on her by Kody.  He probably feeds into all of her self doubts and she might have been afraid of any threats he made to her if she did go public with the truth back when all that catfish stuff happened.  Or as I said above, he was stringing her along to still have hope of a reconciliation so she didn't want to do anything to upset him and followed along with the lies to please him.

What really shows Kody's true character as a dirtbag is how he was perfectly willing to let the catfish story go on the show and let Meri take all the blame for that with the public when he knew she wasn't as to blame as she looked.  If people knew he wanted her to live a lie with the public that she was still in some kind of "covenant" or spiritual marriage with him when the truth was that he wanted nothing to do with her and was manipulating her to stick around in a sham marriage with him with or without her knowledge that it was a sham, people might have had more sympathy for her.