‘Sister Wives’ Meri Brown Slams Kody Critics, ‘I’m Still His First Wife’

“Sister Wives” fans have been critical of Kody Brown’s treatment of his wife Meri for years, and have increased their critiques since a recent episode where he said their relationship was still distant, but now Meri is slamming those who have ridiculed her for sticking around despite her marriage not being great.

As fans took to Twitter during the latest episode of the TLC reality series on March 7, Meri quickly shut down a critic when they blasted Kody during a segment where he and Meri were talking to cameras about their daughter Mariah’s wedding plans, stating that he looked miserable to be sitting next to his wife, whom he legally divorced in 2014 to marry his fourth wife, Robyn and adopt her children from a previous relationship.

When the critic blasted Kody for being miserable while sitting next to someone who was “once his first wife,” Meri seized on the comment to point out that while her legal status changed, her position as the first woman Kody married never did.

However, as she pointed that out, others then took to social media to criticize her further, indicating that she shouldn’t be willing to put up with a bad marriage solely because she was still the one who had the title of first wife, leading to her once again pointing out that she isn’t necessarily saying anything about her relationship, and was just pointing out that regardless of whether she was Kody’s legal wife or a spiritual one, she was always going to be the first one because she was the one who married him first—and that would never change.

Again her comments were criticized by fans, with one reminding her that she was divorced, forcing Meri to once again remind viewers that even though she was divorced, she was still the first wife.

The attempt to set critics straight came after she started tweeting during the episode to pick up on where some of the drama from the prior week’s episode left off, stating that during a visit to their therapist, it was made clear that some of the problems she and Kody have come from their lack of time together, and that they were working on more interaction in order to continue putting their marriage back together.

The problems for the couple came after their divorce when Meri started an online flirtation with someone she believed was a man named Sam—but she was being catfished by a woman named Jackie, who then went public with their conversations. Since then, the two have struggled to reconnect their relationship, though they have remained committed to trying, with Meri often taking to social media to silence critics and cement her devotion to her family.

Kody also took to social media when criticism rolled in during the episode, first telling a fan who said it was hard to watch that dealing with the issues was even harder before he sarcastically called out someone else who lectured him on how to be a good husband as well.

“Sister Wives” airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.