'Sister Wives' Star Kody Brown Could Lose Another Wife Following Christine Brown Breakup

Kody Brown could be down to two wives sooner rather than later after wife Christine Brown announced earlier this week she had decided to leave her husband after more than 25 years. The Sister Wives star is reportedly on the brink of also losing wife Meri Brown, an insider told Us Weekly Wednesday, after more than 30 years together.

Kody and Meri's marital problems have played out on the TLC show for years, but Meri has "become very independent" recently and the couple "have had zero relationship" that isn't "fake" for the cameras: "They're together for TV, essentially," the insider claimed. Kody and Meri have been together the longest, marrying in 1990 — just three years before Kody welcomed his second wife, Janelle Brown. In 1994, he married third wife Christine, and in 2010, he added fourth wife Robyn Brown to the family.

In order to adopt Robyn's three children, Kody had to legally divorce Meri, and the two have had several ups and downs since, including Meri's catfishing scandal. The insider source said Christine leaving Kody may have given Meri a path out of the family. "Publicly, Meri will be the next one to split from Kody. She's already been out with other men publicly," they explained. "Now that's Christine's gone, it might be something that's able to happen without the contract ending."

Kody and Christine announced their split on Tuesday, just weeks prior to the Season 16 premiere on Thursday, Nov. 21. "After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave," Christine wrote on Instagram. "We will continue to be a strong presence in each other's lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family. At this time, we ask for your grace and kindness as we navigate through this stage within our family."

Kody added in his own statement, "Christine's decision to leave comes with a great deal of sadness. We enjoyed many years together and I have a large amount of respect and admiration for her. Although we are moving forward on different paths, we will always remain committed parents." The two exes share children Aspyn, 26, Mykelti, 25, Paedon, 23, Gwendlyn, 20, Ysabel, 18, and Truely, 11.