‘Sister Wives’: Meri Brown’s Decision Creates Anxiety Within Family

While the Brown family is preparing to move to Arizona, Meri Brown is planning to stay behind. Her decision has not sat well with Kody Brown and his other wives, as viewers saw in Sunday night’s episode.

“I’m just anxious that we stay together as a family,” Jenelle Brown, Kody’s second wife, said in the episode. “I think it becomes problematic when we separate. I’m just anxious that Meri feels that she’s… That we really want her to come, so I’m trying to reinforce that. That we want her to come as soon as possible. It is important to us to stay together.”

During a sit-down with Kody, Jenelle and his other wives Robyn and Christine, Meri tried to make it clear that she was only staying behind because she had prior commitments. She did not plan on staying in Arizona forever.

“I don’t anticipate… I mean, that I’m going to be here forever!” Meri said, later adding that it is “not like I’m sitting her twiddling my thumbs watching you all go.”

Christine suggested it might be a good idea for her to stay behind in case their house does not sell right away, but Kody was concerned that Meri might not have a place to live once their Las Vegas properties sell.

Again, Meri assured him that she has things under control and was looking for a new place to live.

“I’m afraid that they all think my plan is to stay behind,” Meri told producers. “That’s what it sounds like. That’s not what my plan is.” However, it has been hard for her to find a rental home.

Kody said he wants Meri to be more enthusiastic about the move so it does not feel like “on a psychic level, we’re still dragging her with us.”

“I’m just wanting her to get a connection,” Kody said. “So we feel she’s onboard with us and not just being dragged, kicking and screaming… but there’s this emotional reservation she’s had that has made us doubt her commitment to it.”

Meri and Kody were married from 1990 to 2014, when they divorced so Kody could legally marry Robyn and Kody could adopt Robyn’s children from a previous marriage. On Thursday, Radar Online reported that it obtained a warranty deed from Iron County, Utah for Meri’s bed and breakfast Lizzie’s Heritage Inn, which listed her as an “unmarried woman.”

The bed and breakfast has proved to be a point of contention this season. In the premiere episode, Meri received no support from her family and ended up doing it on her own. At one point, she told her fellow wives she felt like she was “being attacked” over her business. In another episode, Kody told Meri the endeavour seemed “selfish” because she wanted to run the business on her own.

Sister Wives airs on TLC at 8 p.m. ET Sundays.

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