‘Sister Wives’: Kody Brown Tells Meri on Their Anniversary He Has ‘No Desire’ to Be With Her

Sister Wives stars Kody and Meri Brown had a very tense and emotional anniversary dinner on the TLC series’ most recent episode, with Kody telling Meri that he has “no desire” to be with her. The couple met to commemorate their 32nd anniversary, which Meri says Kody would have skipped entirely if she hadn’t called him. “He didn’t actually call me or text me. Midway through the day, I thought maybe I should just call him. And so, I did,” Meri recalled, according to PEOPLE. 

Speaking in a confessional, Meri shared, “I called him, I’m like, ‘Hey,’ and he’s like, ‘Hey.’ And I said, ‘Happy Anniversary.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, happy anniversary.’ I’m like, ‘We should go out on a drive or go to dinner or something. What do you think?’ He’s like, ‘I’m watching the kids. Let me check with Robin.’” In a separate confessional, Kody explained that he “needed a minute” and “needed a reason to be able to say no” to Meri. “I just didn’t think it was the right thing for me to do, and I had to think about that,” he added. Eventually, Kody and Meri did make a plan to meet for dinner even though, as Kody noted, they have not been “living as a married couple.”

Things grew more awkward and uncomfortable during the dinner, Meri said, remembering what Kody said to her. “I have no desire, Meri, to have a relationship with you.’ He said, ‘Don’t you understand, Meri? This is never going to happen. Your life is not one that I want to insert myself into.’” She then added, “I’ll never forget those words. This is the first time he’s ever said this to me. That was very, very painful for me. I felt my heart really speeding up because I’m like, but you promised.”

Meri Brown was Kody’s first wife. They were married in 1990 and then legally separated in 2014 but remained together. Janelle Brown was Kody’s second wife, marrying him in 1993. They seemed to have separated in late 2020 and was confirmed in late 2022 that they are also no longer together. Christine became wife number three the next year in 1994. Finally, Robyn married Kody in 2010, making her his fourth wife. Robyn is also Kody’s only remaining wife, though it has been rumored he is still interested in taking another.