3 Times Meri Brown’s Sister Wives Were Horrible to Her

The 'Sister Wives' cast aren't always nice to each other. Actually, they've been pretty awful to each other over the years.

Despite being largely disliked for several seasons before, Meri Brown quietly emerged as a fan favorite in season 18 of Sister Wives. As season 19 gets underway, fans are starting to like the small business owner even more. With a newfound fondness for the former polygamist, some viewers are rethinking how they perceived previous moments in the Brown family’s history. We collected three times that Meri’s sister wives were downright awful to her. The number of times Kody treated her poorly is too numerous to list.

Robyn Brown refused to let Meri Brown make turkey at Thanksgiving

Viewers have always suggested Robyn Brown’s entrance into the Brown family was the catalyst for its collapse. Sister Wives fans have watched the family’s dynamic shift and change for many seasons, and it seems Robyn is always at the center of the negative changes. Robyn is the sister-wife fans think has been the most calculated and mean-spirited over the years, even to Meri Brown, who remained strangely in favor of Kody’s fourth wife.

Just a few years ago, Robyn refused to let Meri Brown prepare the Thanksgiving turkey for a small gathering. In previous years, Meri had always cooked the turkey and appeared to take great pride in the job. Robyn stripping Meri of the job wasn’t simply about the turkey, theorize fans of the series. Several viewers have suggested Robyn took over the job to signal to Meri that she was no longer a family member.

Christine Brown poked fun at Meri’s infertility and told an embarrassing story about her

Christine Brown greatly dislikes Meri Brown and has had no problem making that fact known since she left the plural family. Her distaste for Kody Brown’s first wife has been on full display several times over the years if you look closely enough. Early in the show’s run, Christine joked about the plural family’s size, noting that Meri only contributed one child to their supersized family. Christine tried to pass the comment off as a joke, but Meri’s documented infertility journey and her desire to have more children made the comment pretty cruel.

More recently, Christine Brown sat down for a confessional and recalled how Kody Brown melted down the wedding ring Meri had given him. Christine noted it wasn’t her story but told it anyway, embarrassing Meri. Meri commented on how betrayed she felt. She said she had no intention of ever sharing that piece of her past. Christine didn’t offer an apology.

Janelle Brown wanted to marry Kody Brown on Meri’s birthday

Janelle Brown is largely considered laidback and relaxed. In recent seasons, she has seemed downright reasonable and unproblematic. That doesn’t mean she hasn’t done some thoughtless things over the years, though.

While Janelle has been largely likable while the cameras were rolling, she and Meri Brown admitted they were not friends and had difficulty hanging out together. Sister Wives fans assumed that was Meri’s fault, but the family’s memoir, Becoming Sister Wives, might have clued fans in on where the problems started.

In the book, the family recalled how Janelle and Kody Brown were initially slated to marry on Jan. 16, 1993, Meri’s 22nd birthday. The couple didn’t spiritually wed on that date because Kody Brown’s mother advised them against it. It’s unclear who picked the date, but Janelle certainly signed off on it and was aware of Meri’s birthday prior to asking to marry Kody Brown. While this might have been thoughtless instead of mean-spirited, it does indicate that Meri was never a massive priority in the plural family.