Watch ‘Sister Wives’ Kody Brown And Family Question Meri’s Commitment

Her catfishing scandal happened nearly four years ago, but it appears that the fallout from it is still affecting Meri Brown when it comes to how her family sees her on “Sister Wives.”

In a pair of preview clips for the Season 8 premiere, Meri’s past seems to color much of what’s going on with her and her relationship with Kody, Janelle, Christine and Robyn. In the first look, Meri is still trying to connect with others who were also victimized by the same woman who pretended to be a man named “Sam,” and as she introduces Kristie, a fellow victim, to her family, the stories seem to be eerily similar.

“She catfished us all with this male character named Sam,” Meri says in the clip after Kristie shares her story with the group. “Sam always had a very strong female character, but that person, her name was different. It was Jackson with Kristie, but it was Lindsay with me.”

“It’s like, what is the motivation?” she adds. “Why does she do this? I mean, is she just evil? Is she lonely? I don’t know.”

However, in a second clip, it appears her sister wives and Kody haven’t forgotten that Meri was only available to be catfished because she had sought an outside relationship. As she asks them for the money for a down payment on the bed and breakfast she wants to buy, it becomes clear the family doesn’t quite trust why she wants to do it on her own, as they give her conditions for their help.

Naturally, Meri is taken aback by the fact that the family is only interested in helping if they can partner with her.

“I need to tell you, I feel like you guys are saying, ‘Well, why can’t we be part of your business?’ Because this is something that I was just not understanding,” Meri says in the clip. “This is all new to me so I’m just kind of doing what I can and trying to figure it out by myself.”

However, Kody, at least, seems insistent on the venture being a partnership for everyone, which makes the situation even more difficult because he’s clearly questioning her intentions.

“The family’s always tried to be where we go one, we go all. Everybody is contributing, we contribute as a whole,” Kody says. “I’ve always felt like we are all involved in bringing our efforts to the table to support the family.”

“Sister Wives” Season 8 premiere Sunday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. EST on TLC.