Sister Wives’ Christine and Janelle Say They’re ‘Happy’ Meri Got Her ‘Spiritual Release’ From Kody

Sister Wives stars Christine Brown and Janelle Brown had supportive reactions to learning that Meri Brown got a “spiritual release” from ex-husband Kody Brown.

In a teaser clip shared via TLC’s Instagram account on Thursday, October 17, Janelle, 55, recalled Kody, 55, calling her and saying that Meri, 53, “got a spiritual release” from him after the request was granted by their church.

“Good for her. I didn’t know you could do that. I didn’t know we were eligible cause we’re no longer part of the community,” Janelle said. “I’m like, ‘Good. All right, cool.’”

Janelle added that she didn’t know who she would ask in order to be released from her spiritual marriage to Kody in the eyes of the church, stating that she doesn’t “know anybody at the church over there anymore.”

“I just don’t feel inclined to because I’m just not … I don’t know,” Janelle continued, saying it’s “not an issue” for her.

Meanwhile, Christine, 52, said that she wasn’t interested in having her marriage to Kody released because she’s not “even part of that church” and she doesn’t “respect” its leaders. “I don’t think they have any say over my life,” she said. “But Meri did, and I’m really glad that she did.”

She reiterated that she’s happy Meri got the release. “I think that’s really, really cool,” the mother of six said.

Christine was Kody’s first wife to end their spiritual marriage in November 2021, while Janelle and the businessman called it quits in December 2022. Just one month later, Meri and Kody confirmed their split in January 2023 by issuing a joint statement. Robyn Brown – whom he legally married in 2014 – remains his only wife.

Meri previously reflected on her decision to ask the church to be released from their marriage during the October 13 episode.

“It’s been an interesting year,” she said in a confessional. “I really, really felt like that he was just doing everything he could to have me be the one to leave so that he could say, ‘My hands are clean. She’s the one who left.’”

She then explained her decision to “move forward with the official termination through the church where we had gotten married,” stating that she reached out to her ex to see if he had “any input.” Despite giving him the option to weigh in on the decision, Meri said that Kody “never responded to [her] text.”

Meri drove to Utah to meet with the church leaders, where she got a “release” from the marriage. “[It’s] basically the equivalent of a divorce,” the reality star explained. “It was a very, very hard conversation. … This is not what I wanted to do. This is not what I intended when I married Kody.”

The church granted the release “on the grounds of abandonment,” which Meri said she agreed with. However, she guessed that Kody wouldn’t be happy with the church’s reasoning.

Later on in the episode, Kody reflected on the end of his marriage to Meri and said that Robyn, 45, encouraged him to give it time to work through their issues. After noting that their marriage was “never really going to work,” Kody said he was “sorry to Meri for that” and he wished he “would’ve figured it out sooner.”