Mykelti

[Libby]

2 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Yikes, Tony mentioned Hitler!?

Yes, something about he didn't die in Germany, he escaped to Argentina. I didn't see the video, but I read about it, so take it for what it's worth.

Why would he bring that up in an Ysabel interview? It's very strange.

[LilyD]

On 1/22/2023 at 6:13 AM, Ms.Lulu said:

Plyg perk: 4 moms to plan and prep so recovery time between weddings is only two months.

Technically four, yes. But I doubt anyone could have worked with Meri as she’s all “my way or the highway”. And then there is Robyn who wouldn’t have taken part anyway. So that would have been just Janelle and Christine.

 

 

 

[Libby]

11 minutes ago, LilyD said:

Technically four, yes. But I doubt anyone could have worked with Meri as she’s all “my way or the highway”. And then there is Robyn who wouldn’t have taken part anyway. So that would have been just Janelle and Christine.

 

 

 

This is so true. Stupid Mykelti and Tony love Robyn because she was nice when they announced their engagement.

I think that she could afford to be nice because she didn't care about Mykelti at all.

The parents that truly cared about Mykelti were a little more concerned. They needed to learn more about Tony.

Someone on this board said that if one of Robyn's daughters announced an engagement to Tony, they would be peeling Robyn off of the ceiling. Truer words were never spoken.

[Tuxcat]

Well breaking news... Tony and Mykelti are going to interview Aspyn next. I am still there until my month expires and I am not giving them another three dollars so they better get that video up quick. I may need moral support. I die a little each time I listen to Tony and Mykelti. I am so surprised Aspyn is agreeing to this.

I will report back.

And yes, he did bring up Hitler. It was because Ysabel is studying History at the Univ. of Utah. And of course Tony wanted to demonstrate his "knowledge" on the subject. He's an azz.

[65mickey]

Robyn cultivated that friendship with Tony and Mykelti so as to have allies against the rest of the wives.  When they were voting on which porperty to purchase in Arizona, almost all of the family voted for the one that Robyn didn't want. Tony voted against that property and he was standing right next to Robyn.  He said something like you don't want this either. Robyn looked a little ticked off that he blurted this out.  

[Cetacean]

32 minutes ago, Tuxcat said:

Well breaking news... Tony and Mykelti are going to interview Aspyn next

They already did and the transcript (from Reddit) is in the Social Media section.

Or are you saying they will interview her again?  I am getting confuse what with interview from people not capable of interviewing anyone and non-interviewees (Gwen) demanding that interview summaries (Ysabel's) being deleted.

[Tuxcat]

32 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

They already did and the transcript (from Reddit) is in the Social Media section.

Or are you saying they will interview her again?  I am getting confuse what with interview from people not capable of interviewing anyone and non-interviewees (Gwen) demanding that interview summaries (Ysabel's) being deleted.

Tony and Mykelti interviewed Ysabel. That recap was posted in Reddit.

Tony and Mykelti are now taking questions in their plan to interview Aspyn. They haven't done it yet. They are asking for viewer questions and will interview her "next."

Gwen didn't interview Ysabel - Gwen does her own thing.

[Cetacean]

Thanks. All of this "interview" crap is confusing.  All of the kids kind of run together for me.

[Teafortwo]

20 hours ago, Tuxcat said:

Agreed. And the only reason he was sharing his "knowledge" (false conspiracy theory) was to show his tail feathers to Ysabel. As if he was saying "Oh you're studying history at the University of Utah? Well, hahahaha, I know way more than those professors and you - young woman." He is very much like Kody.

Exactly.

[Art Of Noiz]

5 hours ago, Libby said:

This is so true. Stupid Mykelti and Tony love Robyn because she was nice when they announced their engagement.

I think that she could afford to be nice because she didn't care about Mykelti at all.

The parents that truly cared about Mykelti were a little more concerned. They needed to learn more about Tony.

Someone on this board said that if one of Robyn's daughters announced an engagement to Tony, they would be peeling Robyn off of the ceiling. Truer words were never spoken.

I always thought Robyn was glad to get Mykelti married off, because chances were she wouldn't finish college. No more tuition.

[CalicoKitty]

10 hours ago, Libby said:

I honestly can't believe how dumb Mykelti and Tony are.

As though just talking about their family isn't causing enough drama, Tony has to bring Hitler into the conversation?

I really think that it would be best if Christine's children stop talking on line.

There are things that are more important than money. Privacy, family, reputation...

I've lost all respect for Christine. I think that a good mother would stop all of this to protect her kids.

Christine always says that her kids are the most important thing to her. Obviously not, it's looking like money is more important than her kids.

Well, Christine did encourage Ysable (however you spell it) to run full speed across the room and jump into the Christmas tree--and posted the video.  So, I would agree that her mothering skills need some work.

[laurakaye]

Unpopular opinion - watching the planning for the Weddingk of the Century, I recall being distinctly Team Mykelti during the entire thing.  I realize Mykelti and Tony are not the sharpest crayons in the box, but I found both of them to be cluelessly hilarious with their stupid demands (effigy pinatas, 5,000 street tacos, outdoor wedding in December or whenever).  

Caleb was welcomed into the Brown family with open arms because he was known to the family.  Then along comes this chucklehead who no one knew, asking for Mykelti's hand in marriage.  Tony came across as a doofus goofball, asking if Kody wouldn't just mind getting a quick second mortgage on his house to pay for the wedding.  Meanwhile, Mykelti had just watched Madison have this beautiful wedding with a very involved Kody (because he had a massive man-crush on Caleb).  I think Mykelti's demands stemmed from wanting to test Kody to see if he'd give her the ceremony that she watched him give to Madison, and Tony followed her lead, probably thinking this dude is on television, surely he's got some cash squirreled away.  And then there was Kody, staring into the beady marble eyes of a guy who was so similar to him (Doofus?  Goofball?  Dumb ideas?  Check), it probably sent chills down his spine, and I was there for all of it.

Edited January 24, 2023 by laurakaye

[Sandy W]

23 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

Unpopular opinion - watching the planning for the Weddingk of the Century, I recall being distinctly Team Mykelti during the entire thing.  I realize Mykelti and Tony are not the sharpest crayons in the box, but I found both of them to be cluelessly hilarious with their stupid demands (effigy pinatas, 5,000 street tacos, outdoor wedding in December or whenever).  

Caleb was welcomed into the Brown family with open arms because he was known to the family.  Then along comes this chucklehead who no one knew, asking for Mykelti's hand in marriage.  Tony came across as a doofus goofball, asking if Kody wouldn't just mind getting a quick second mortgage on his house to pay for the wedding.  Meanwhile, Mykelti had just watched Madison have this beautiful wedding with a very involved Kody (because he had a massive man-crush on Caleb).  I think Mykelti's demands stemmed from wanting to test Kody to see if he'd give her the ceremony that she watched him give to Madison, and Tony followed her lead, probably thinking this dude is on television, surely he's got some cash squirreled away.  And then there was Kody, staring into the beady marble eyes of a guy who was so similar to him (Doofus?  Goofball?  Dumb ideas?  Check), it probably sent chills down his spine, and I was there for all of it.

I thought at the time the producers must have been clapping their hands in glee when they found Tony as Mykelti's fiance. In contrast to "steady Eddie" Caleb, they uncovered a diamond in the rough willing to go along with any suggestion they made including accompanying the women into the women's washroom to make stupid comments about the sanitary supply dispenser.

They created a character people loved to hate...more outrage=higher interest in the show.

[Kellyee]

Quote

I always thought Robyn was glad to get Mykelti married off, because chances were she wouldn't finish college. No more tuition.

Mykelti wasn't going to finish college anyway. Neither was Maddie. You could tell neither of them was focused or dedicated to their higher education. And both of them became MLM grifters, just like their mothers. 

Quote

I thought at the time the producers must have been clapping their hands in glee when they found Tony as Mykelti's fiance. In contrast to "steady Eddie" Caleb, they uncovered a diamond in the rough willing to go along with any suggestion they made including accompanying the women into the women's washroom to make stupid comments about the sanitary supply dispenser.

All I remember about that time is how they needed a million tacos to feed wedding guests.

[Scarlett45]

Mykelti and Tony have been known for saying ignorant things, but they were married 4(ish) years before their first child (I think, someone correct me- I looked it up, she got married in 2016 and had Avalon in 2021); chances are they know how to use contraceptives effectively. If Mykelti doesn’t want any more children I don’t think anyone could blame her with three, close together. Three little kids is a lot. If she does want more later on that wouldn’t surprise me either. But I couldn’t see any of the Brown kids having 6 kids like Christine and Janelle did. Or 5 like Robyn. 

[65mickey]

I guess that Tony never volunteered to cough up any taco money to help out. Did he or his family host a rehearsal dinner or party?  I can't remember. 

[Cetacean]

56 minutes ago, Sandy W said:

They created a character people loved to hate...more outrage=higher interest in the show.

That's the TLC business model.

[OldWiseOne]

3 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Caleb was welcomed into the Brown family with open arms because he was known to the family.  Then along comes this chucklehead who no one knew, asking for Mykelti's hand in marriage.  

I thought that was part of the problem, Tony didn't ask Kody if he could marry Mykelti, he asked Mykelti if she wanted to marry him. Like a normal person in the 21st century would.

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

But I couldn’t see any of the Brown kids having 6 kids like Christine and Janelle did. Or 5 like Robyn. 

To be fair, Robyn also has that dark haired spirit baby so that makes six for her too.

[Irate Panda]

31 minutes ago, OldWiseOne said:

I thought that was part of the problem, Tony didn't ask Kody if he could marry Mykelti, he asked Mykelti if she wanted to marry him. Like a normal person in the 21st century would.

To be fair, Robyn also has that dark haired spirit baby so that makes six for her too.

Plus Kody, so that’s 7!

[Tuxcat]

Mykelti just released a video "thoughts on Meri."

She does not remember Meri being physically abusive. However she states that Meri was verbally and emotionally abusive to all the kids, and she got the brunt of it (note Gwen still says she did not experience this so I guess not "all" as Mykelti says). She said that Meri stopped when they became older because "Idk, maybe we could fight back more?" She has cut Meri out of her family's life but remains cordial at Lularoe events. "I don't think she's a terrible person but I don't necessarily think she's a nice person."

Tony commented and said that although he never really interacted with her much -  he believes Meri is not a nice person and he doesn't like people who hurt his wife.

 

[GeeGolly]

I really don't want to think 3 parents allowed their kids to be abused in any way. I'm going to continue to hold out hope that Meri was a harsh, strict parent who appeared even harsher and more strict when compared to the other parents.

Meri is not warm and fuzzy and she is easy not to like. I'm hoping Paedon and Mykelti's Meri bashing stems from misdirected anger and not abuse.

[65mickey]

I think some of this talk about Meri comes from trying to bring up as much dirt as they can to increase their subscribers. People want to hear about conflict and secrets in the family not how much they all got along. 

If Meri was so horrible to all of the kids then I hold their mothers equally responsible for allowing the abuse to go on for years. And for what it's worth I don't always put a lot of stock in verbal and emotional abuse claims. I thought that Christine was pretty much single handedly in charge of all of Janelle and Christine's kids when they were young so I have a hard time buying Mykelti's claims. Like others I can see Meri being harsh and not warm and caring. And I can also see her favoring her child about the others. But being violent, and abusive for years?  Where were Christine and Janelle while this was going on?

[laurakaye]

So I'm confused - was the Toxicictea (?) Tik Tok page actually Tony and Mykelti all along?  I landed on that page yesterday and saw several videos of Tony and Mykelti interviewing Ysabel.  I didn't watch them all but I am perplexed as to why all of Christine's kids except Truely seem to be suddenly speaking out so strongly and spilling secrets about their family dysfunction.  It feels a little bit like a competition.  While these are the backstories some of us have been waiting for all along, it seems messy and weird that there's so much of it all at once...like maybe the kids see the writing on the wall about the show coming to an end so they want to milk every last dime from it before they become ZZZ list celebrities?

[65mickey]

28 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

While these are the backstories some of us have been waiting for all along, it seems messy and weird that there's so much of it all at once...like maybe the kids see the writing on the wall about the show coming to an end so they want to milk every last dime from it before they become ZZZ list celebrities?

 Exactly right and you get an A+ today for spelling this out. 

[Meow Mix]

While I'm no Meri fan, I am cringing on her behalf about all these public statements about her.  I would be devastated if people were publicly trashing me like this.  No matter what she says, Meri will lose if she responds.  

I've always felt that a big part of the issue was that Meri was left to do the disciplining by the other parents.  Kody may have done some once in a while, but I doubt Janelle and Christine disciplined the kids at all.  Christine particularly seems to want to be her kids' friends rather than their parent.  So of course Meri is going to look like the mean one.  And as I have said before, Robyn had no problem using Meri as enforcer when Robyn's kids were being bullied.

[Cetacean]

29 minutes ago, Meow Mix said:

While I'm no Meri fan, I am cringing on her behalf about all these public statements about her.  I would be devastated if people were publicly trashing me like this.  No matter what she says, Meri will lose if she responds.  

And I have to side eye the liberal use of "abuse".  To a young teen, being denied pretty much anything they want triggers a "I hate you, I wish you were dead" response and labeled as abuse. 

And when there is a monetary reward for spewing all kinds of gossip, it's no-holds-barred with this group.  They were raised to think that lies and hyperbole are normal (think "run, run, the police are coming for us, we are being persecuted") so exaggeration is not at all unexpected.

With Kootie's disdain for Meri, he certainly isn't going to defend her. I would hope that at least Janelle might speak up in her defense but Meri siding with Sobbyn won't win her any favors from Christine.

I cannot stand Meri but I do find this campaign extremely distasteful.

[Kellyee]

I find it interesting that certain kids are suddenly trying to cash in on their "fame". I always believed Meri was likely a bitch to live with, but I don't believe she was physically abusive. If she was and Janelle and Christine stayed and kept making babies, then they are just as guilty as Meri.

I'm liking this entire family less and less.

Edited January 25, 2023 by Kellyee

[Tuxcat]

More in the comments from Patreon:

Was the very mean treatment of all the kids one of the main reasons your dad’s marriage with Meri was irreparably fractured years ago, in your opinion?

Mykelti --- Yes I would think so. My parents weren’t aware of Meri’s abuse until years later and I believe it started the crumble of my dads and Meri’s relationship. I don’t know how you could live or trust someone that hurt your kids emotionally or physically

-------

Then on Gwen's comments:

You said your dad hit you guys (I’m assuming you mean spanking and not beating) but I was curious if he disciplined Robyn’s children the same way or the youngest children in the same way (Truly, Sol & Ari) ?

Gwen ---i was the last kid he hit so the younger kids are fortunately safe!

 

_____________

These two are contradicting each other now.  

[Joan of Argh]

I think the dam gates have burst because Christine and Janelle finally left.

They probably didn’t want to say anything while Christine and to some extent Janelle were still dealing with Kody or trying to make it work.

I hope all the kids start talking especially Maddie since she referred to Meri as a monster who terrorized her her whole life, no wonder she didn’t want Meri in the room while giving birth to Axel.

I have no problem believing that Meri was a total bitch to those kids.

[Tuxcat]

14 minutes ago, Joan of Argh said:

I have no problem believing that Meri was a total bitch to those kids.

I agree. Though I find it really interesting that it was Robyn who came into the family and "recognized and labeled it" verbal and emotional abuse. Yet she seemingly failed to recognize Kody hitting them as abusive?

I don't know what happened but at some point the family narrative coalesced to become "Meri is the toxic bitch and the root of all our problems." And while she contributed, I think some of those kids are overlooking other problems which to me seems very obvious. All the parents failed here.

[GeeGolly]

How could Kody, Janelle and Christine not know their kids were being abused (if they were abused)? They lived in the same house. How often was Meri alone with any of the kids?

Meri and Kody's marriage broke down due to "past child abuse" that he "just found out about"? And here I was thinking their marriage fell apart because of Robyn, the divorce and the catfish. 

The more they keep talking (and backtracking) the more I lean into it all being bullshit.

 

[GeeGolly]

We've had many opinions and ideas on how Sister Wives should move forward, so now I'm thinking maybe Mykelti has her own ideas as well. Maybe Mykelti wants to push Meri out because she doesn't like her and because then the $$ pot would be split among less people.

Mykelti can't push the ex-wife reason, because, well, they're all ex-wives, so the quickest and surest way to get rid of Meri is to call her an abuser. Of course that little complication of implicating the other parents is now biting her in the butt.

[Harry Wails]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

How could Kody, Janelle and Christine not know their kids were being abused (if they were abused)? They lived in the same house. How often was Meri alone with any of the kids?

Meri and Kody's marriage broke down due to "past child abuse" that he "just found out about"? And here I was thinking their marriage fell apart because of Robyn, the divorce and the catfish. 

The more they keep talking (and backtracking) the more I lean into it all being bullshit.

 

ok not saying this is what happened but I had an aunt who was mean as a rattlesnake to us kids when we were little and no one knew.

She would pinch and TWIST our skin, she's crack you in the back of the head with a wooden spoon and it hurt like hell, she'd offer to help us dress us and it was torture, she'd cram your foot into a shoe and then twist, pinch your ankles until you wanted to scream, she'd pull your hair like a bastard while pretending to comb it, I can't list all the ways she tortured us and she also told us if we told anyone or went crying like a baby to our parents she'd give us something to CRY ABOUT!

We never told our parents, we were terrified, she said they'd never believe us and that she'd make sure we paid for telling on her.

We finally told out parents after the old bitch died and we were adults.

Abusive people can be very clever and hide their abuse.

[Teafortwo]

12 hours ago, 65mickey said:

I think some of this talk about Meri comes from trying to bring up as much dirt as they can to increase their subscribers. People want to hear about conflict and secrets in the family not how much they all got along. 

If Meri was so horrible to all of the kids then I hold their mothers equally responsible for allowing the abuse to go on for years. And for what it's worth I don't always put a lot of stock in verbal and emotional abuse claims. I thought that Christine was pretty much single handedly in charge of all of Janelle and Christine's kids when they were young so I have a hard time buying Mykelti's claims. Like others I can see Meri being harsh and not warm and caring. And I can also see her favoring her child about the others. But being violent, and abusive for years?  Where were Christine and Janelle while this was going on?

Meri is easy to bash as well, since she's been out of favor with Kody for years and years. Hoping these claims are exaggerations, otherwise you are right - their other mothers and their father are equally responsible for not putting a stop to it.

[Cetacean]

35 minutes ago, Munchkin said:

Abusive people can be very clever and hide their abuse.

I think it might be more difficult to hide from all eleventy-seven kids.  Surely they talked amongst themselves especially since they were all so close in age.  

[Harry Wails]

6 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

I think it might be more difficult to hide from all eleventy-seven kids.  Surely they talked amongst themselves especially since they were all so close in age.  

Just speaking from my own situation, of course all us kids knew we were being abused and we talked about it but we never went to our parents because she had us terrified of what would happen if we did.

I'm just saying, abusers can be very clever and kids often don't tell until they're adults and no longer fear the abuser, don't be too quick to discount it when they say they've been abused because chances are that's exactly what they were told by their abuser would happen, no one would believe them if they spoke up.

I'm not saying Meri is an abuser but I also don't want to paint the kids as liars just because i don't want to think that Meri could do such a thing, my wife is a social worker it happens all the time.

[Tuxcat]

46 minutes ago, Munchkin said:

'm not saying Meri is an abuser but I also don't want to paint the kids as liars just because i don't want to think that Meri could do such a thing, my wife is a social worker it happens all the time.

I think the problem is that the stories are fuzzy. Mykelti says she does not recall physical abuse AND she and Paedon have indicated that it was Robyn who recognized and labeled the behavior as abuse.

To me that means that the behavior was just not previously seen as abusive. It does not mean that Meri was secretly hiding heinous acts. It was seemingly out in the open - but Robyn labeled it and "saved their lives" according to Paedon.

Gwen is saying that Kody hit children, yet no one is talking about him. It's Meri the kids are focused on.

I don't doubt that Meri was problematic and even emotionally and verbally abusive. I just think the kids have a very convenient singular target - and that is interesting to me. Could it be that Meri was actually the Brown family scapegoat all along? They just seem to always blame everything on her. She's been on the outside of this family for a long time. And conveniently she was also the disciplinarian - easy to hate.

After watching Kody and Robyn try to spin the narrative this season - that Christine was in fact the evil no good sister wife...

Well it makes me wonder - Meri was perhaps a victim of this purposeful spin for a few decades before. And now, this is the last final push to get her the heck out of there (and yes, off tv as a main character?).

[Joan of Argh]

In my opinion Mykelti, Paedon and any of the others that claim Meri was abusive need to step up and lay down some details and facts concerning the abuse.

They're adults so quit dancing around and start putting your money where your mouth is, vague references like “she was verbally and emotionally abusive” but not giving any details is just dumb as usual.

What did she say? 
Did she belittle children, call them names, threaten them? Make fun of their appearance? 
If she’s telling kids that they’re fat or ugly or stupid or whatever then say so! And I also want to know where the other adults were when this abuse was going?

I want the receipts!!!

[65mickey]

Yes especially from Maddie who claimed that Meri was a monster who terrorized her her entire life. I find it suspect that there are 2 grown kids who all of a sudden have come out with this and credit Robyn for saving their lives, but they have given no details on what monster Meri did to them.  Also if Robyn was so astute to be able to see Meri's behavior as abuse why was she almost begging Meri to stay with the family? 

[65mickey]

I wonder if Kody planted the idea in Mykelti's head about Meri's abuse being the reason for the breakup of the marriage?  It will be interesting if there is a next season if Kody and Robyn push this narrative to try and gain sympathy and support from the viewers. 

[Tuxcat]

56 minutes ago, 65mickey said:

Also if Robyn was so astute to be able to see Meri's behavior as abuse why was she almost begging Meri to stay with the family? 

All the adults were saying they wanted her to stay. Why not just cut Meri loose? They didn't need her for the show.

And yes, if the abuse was uncovered by Robyn, then all the adults are complicit in hiding an abuser and forcing their children to play nice on tv. That's abuse as well.

This family!

[Elodia]

2 hours ago, 65mickey said:

especially from Maddie who claimed that Meri was a monster who terrorized her her entire life.

Yet ist was Meri who was asked by Maddie to "run" her wedding. Meri was the one who organized everything, while Janelle preferred to go fishing. 

[GeeGolly]

Mykelti was 13 by the time Robyn came along. She had 7 younger siblings (prior to Truely's birth). Logan and Aspyn were 15 and 14. Ysabel and Savannah were 7 and 6. I find it hard to believe the 5 older kids would allow Meri to abuse their younger siblings without telling someone. 

The way I see it Meri was the mean mom, Christine the fun mom and Janelle the disinterested mom. But I also don't believe Meri was always mean, nor Christine always fun, nor Janelle always disinterested.

And the way the story has always been told is Meri was either working or busy alphabetizing her pantry, so it seems to me she wasn't alone with any of the kids all that much, if ever.

I also find it interesting that Maddie, Mykelti and Paedon were arguably the most outspoken kids growing up. They were the attention seekers and non-conformers prior to Robyn coming along. They were likely the ones who required more redirection.

If what Mykelti and Paedon are saying is anywhere near close to the truth, then every Brown parent is equally guilty.

 

[Kellyee]

Do you think Mykelti is bashing Meri because Kody told her to? Maybe Kody thinks this is a way to redirect people from bashing him and Robyn. Just a thought. Mykelti does use part of this to try to justify why Kody dumped Meri. 

[GeeGolly]

17 minutes ago, Kellyee said:

Do you think Mykelti is bashing Meri because Kody told her to? Maybe Kody thinks this is a way to redirect people from bashing him and Robyn. Just a thought. Mykelti does use part of this to try to justify why Kody dumped Meri. 

I thought about that too, because Kody had said he didn't want the backlash from leaving Meri. It seems to me though, Kody has come full circle with her and isn't angry with Meri anymore. 

I'm guessing the bashing is due to a lot of things. Revenge for being harshly punished, Meri has no alliances and as someone upthread mentioned, for the tantalizing drama.

[TurtlePower]

10 hours ago, Munchkin said:

Just speaking from my own situation, of course all us kids knew we were being abused and we talked about it but we never went to our parents because she had us terrified of what would happen if we did.

I'm just saying, abusers can be very clever and kids often don't tell until they're adults and no longer fear the abuser, don't be too quick to discount it when they say they've been abused because chances are that's exactly what they were told by their abuser would happen, no one would believe them if they spoke up.

I'm not saying Meri is an abuser but I also don't want to paint the kids as liars just because i don't want to think that Meri could do such a thing, my wife is a social worker it happens all the time.

All of this, I’ve seen it too in law enforcement. Kids will even lie and say the abuser is “nice” to avoid more abuse in the future. 

I see Meri as (likely) emotionally abusive with occasional crossover into physical.  She tries to hide her dark side, but I’ve always seen it. It comes out now and then in hurtful, snarky comments to her own customers. Meri’s awful personality — and the fact that she tries to hide it instead of change — is why I can’t stand her.

I still think Mykelti is being careful what she says about Meri, maybe she thinks Meri can somehow hurt her LuLaRoe business. Tony had it right IMO in what he said about Meri.

Meri is a mean, bitter person.

Edited January 26, 2023 by TurtlePower

[laurakaye]

Last night I came upon another Tik Tok of Mykelti speaking about how her siblings had informed her that of all of Christine's kids, Mykelti got the worst verbal and emotional abuse from Meri, and that Mykelti didn't even realize at the time that she was the subject of most of Meri's abuse.

I can see this being true.  Mykelti was labeled as the "wild one" by the adults - I seem to recall even Robyn chiming in once about Mykelti's personality and thinking, how would she know?  She wasn't there from Day One no matter how many pencil sketches she provided.  But with that label, and how Mykelti tended to push the rules, I can see Meri thinking that she was somehow justified in targeting Mykelti specifically.

We know Meri was no angel (no one is).  But Meri likely had a lot of her own rage stored up - living plyg even though it was pretty clear that it was not a good lifestyle for her, watching her Lover spreading his prolific seed with the other two wives, and probably being pressed into helping raise Kody's kids that weren't hers.  None of this is what she wanted, but she chose that life and she could've cultivated a relationship with kids that weren't Leon or Robyn's kids - and she chose not to.  Now we're starting to see how things really went down.  Christine's kids are talking and while their stories might conflict, I think they are remembering what they remember so it's going to be different.

 

Edited January 26, 2023 by laurakaye

[Tuxcat]

9 hours ago, TurtlePower said:

I still think Mykelti is being careful what she says about Meri, maybe she thinks Meri can somehow hurt her LuLaRoe business.

And they are also in direct competition with each other. If Meri is discredited, that means more buyers from Mykelti/Christine.

---

For me, I don't doubt what they kids are saying. I am sure Meri was scary and not emotionally regulated. She has a lot of issues and I can see a case for emotional and verbal abuse. It's not hard to believe. 

 My problem with this particular narrative though - is that the public finger pointing of their trauma is directed solely at Meri. And I do not for a moment think that their trauma and trouble stems from just one person. We can find evidence of profound failure for every adult in that house. 

Mykelti laughing about throwing knives at her sister growing up and breaking multiple phones. The boys constantly bloodying each other. Paedon bullying the younger children. Gwen and Paedon still not talking to this day.

I know abused kids can act like this - but I just refuse to believe that Meri is the one evil source of all that went wrong. It just seems like the entire family was one giant dysfunctional mess. I also think that families create stories which they tell themselves over and over again. And while Meri may have been a monster - it's that singular story that they use to heal their dissonance. To me, that does not seem fair given that this is all being played out in public. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by Tuxcat

[Twopper]

I think birth order plus temperament put Mykelti in the role of rebel. Maddie, Leon, and Aspen are all bunched up—almost like triplets. Then along comes Mykelti. The three older girls all seemed pretty well mannered.  On the trip to Wyoming she rides the horse that the kids were supposed to avoid, and she is thrown off. In one of the older episodes she talks about not wanting biological children because she wants to adopt. I think she needs to stand apart from the mob.

There were several boys in the Duggar family that are called the “lost boys “ in the Duggar forum. Maybe this is almost inevitable in such a large group of kids. 
 

I hope she is not prominent in whatever follow up seasons TLC shows. 

[TurtlePower]

2 hours ago, HeyDougieHowser said:

I don't think there's anything suspect about the recent revelations about Meri which aren't that surprising.

Christine said in their book she had a huge blow up with Meri before the show started because she felt Meri was taking out her frustrations on some of her kids who were wary of her and scared to cross her.

Madison said on Twitter years ago that Meri was an abusive monster she'd been scared of all her life and was happy she was now an adult who could choose not to have her in her life. Which made sense why no-one went to efforts to invite Meri to Axels birth, though Maddies Twitter comments came after that. But then there were vague excuses as to why Meri wasn't given a Grandma name and wasn't at the family gathering when most of the family met Evie. And even before that I just remembered, when Garrison came back from basic training to the cul de sac and it waa communicated beforehand that he was going to be earlier than expected and no-one told Meri so she missed it whereas everyone else seemed to be there. During covid it was obvious Janelle, Christine and their kids were hanging out but no-one went to see or even called Meri. 

Kody said in a therapy session Meri should fix her relationships with some of the older kids. Meri admitted she didn't have good relationships with some of the older kids. He also said Meri had been abusive to some family members and Meri played dumb and said she didn't know who she was supposed to habe been abusive to.

So for years there's been lots of people saying Meri was likely abusive to some of the kids. With lots of Meri stans speculating she wasn't at all, that the whole family bullied her or she was scapegoated or was the only one who disciplined the kids or whatever.

Paedon started doing interviews and tik toks last year and when asked about Meri said he didn't have a relationship with her and never had. And that Christine had told him talking about Meri publicly was off limits.

FF to now. Gwen realised she could make 10s of thousands of dollars a month spilling lukewarm tea about the family. She took a few swipes at Paedon which probably aren't undeserved but she was also asked about Meri. And Gwen said she loved her, she was cool and she talks to her on the 'phone but it's hard to see her as she's soooo popular with friends and sooo busy. And felt Meri got undeserved hate on the Internet.

So a lot of Meri stans were posting all over the Internet about how Meri can't have been abusive, can't be that bad because otherwise why would Gwen like her? They were sure their previous dismissal of Madison as a drama queen bitch and the other wives just being inadequate duscilpinarians was now proved correct and they felt Meri was vindicated.

That probably pissed off some of the siblings that felt they'd suffered at Meris treatment. As though Gwen was denying or minimising that. So Paedon did an interview and basically spilled more than he had before. Which meant Gwen was asked about it and had to give a response. And reiterated that she hates Paedon and doesn't think he should be given a platform amf people should take what he says with a pinch of salt as he was the *most* violent member of the family but said yes Meri was rude and scary at times but she didn't attack *me* (Gwen) but I did see her being physical with Mykelti, not Paedon. But Meri deserved a second chance.

Paedon and Gwen had both mentioned Mykelti being targeted by Meri so Mykelti had little choice but to make some kind of statement about it as she was constantly being asked about it on her social media.

Now Gwen is saying that she regrets endorsing Meri and that after speaking to Mykelti she knows more and is upset by it.

So my take is that this isn't a suspicious series of events. It was all started by Gwens comments about how cool Meri is on Patreon. And if she didn't know the extent of things that Meri did which is likely, she did know that some of her siblings wanted nothing to do with Meri now and Madison at least had said Meri was an abusive monster. Plus, according to Gwens later statement she admitted Meri was scary at times when they were kids and she had seen her be physical with Mykelti.

The posters saying when could this have happened? In the book the Browns spoke about how Janelle always worked full time but for years Meri and Christine shared child care and home schooling and working part-time. Both Janelle and Christine had issues with how Meri treated some of the kids and Meri in the book said some of the kids behaviour 'got her Irish up' which means getting angry or outraged.

Meri admitted on the show that she had anger issues. In one episode she said it started when Janelle got pregnant so quickly with Logan when she'd been trying but not conceived. 

At some point before the show started, Christine was given the singular role of stay at home Mom. Meri made a comment in the first series about how she was envious because she wanted to be home more.

As to why the alleged victims aren't giving details? I think there are several reasons. One is that they shouldn't be expected to give details of their personal trauma for public consumption to make their abuse valid. There is no such thing as a perfect victim and a lot of people seem to be dismissing their accounts of being abused because they don't like them as people. 

Another is that they probably want to protect other family members from distress and don't want to damage their relationships with other family members. It's not simple in a family with 5 parents and 18 kids to tell your truth and disregard how it effects the other people. Gwen seemed to think it would just be a fun money making exercise and not that the public would take her accounts as absolute truth and use it to attack or defend her family members online. And since she said she'd read Reddit, that was incredibly naive. Or she didn't care. 

And another is exactly what Paedon said. All the parents and some of the adult siblings are reliant on the show for income. Whether directly through pay for the show or indirectly through their fame making them MLM top sellers and successful patreon creators.

TLC has been accused quite rightly, of promoting and paying several families where child abuse was occurring. The Duggars, Gosselins, Honey Boo boo to name a few. There have even been allegations that a TLC producer was sexually abusing a child on Little People Big World. TLC let too many things go in the past with other shows and so if there's explicit child abuse allegations publicly made, there's a real chance the Brown's show would be cancelled. And allegations will effect their other businesses they have as a result of the show.

And morally, that may be correct. But I wouldn't want to be the kid in that family that made that happen. 

 

 

 

All of this but especially the bolded bits. And of course Meri is playing dumb, she knew which kids she targeted.

All of this makes sense, every last bit. Especially when Meri is left out and not invited to things and left they’re feeling “hurt” — well that’s what happens when you yell at and frighten children — no one wants you around. That’s Meri’s karmic payback, not being included. I suspect she was an ugly, scary monster and that she deserves every bit of that karma.