"She was leaving me for a better, richer man": Kody Brown bares it all in controversial 'Sister Wives' reunion

TLC's 'Sister Wives' finale episode saw Meri and Kody Brown talk about the shift in their relationship over the years. Both were interviewed separately by host Sukanya Krishnan where they opened up about their fractured relationship.

Sister Wives star Meri was the first to marry Kody in 1990. Kody then married Janelle in 1993, Christine in 1994, and then legally married Robyn in 2014. Meri revealed her struggles with Kody getting married to the other wives.

For Kody, the catfishing incident was a wake-up call that determined the fate of the relationship. He said:

"She was deceived. She found something better. She was leaving me for a better, richer man.”

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Sister Wives stars Meri and Kody's rocky relationship brought to light

Kody had "nothing to talk" about his relationship with Meri on the Sister Wives' episode. For Kody, his relationship with Meri during their thirty years of marriage was "antagonistic" and full of "hardness." Kody, however, wants Meri to be part of the family and wishes for them to be friends.

With regards to the catfishing incident, Meri revealed in Sister Wives' tell-all that during her dark times, she began chatting with a friend who provided comfort with his kind words. The friend turned out to be a woman impersonating a man which shocked them.

Kody took offense when the host mentioned that he had abandoned his wives. He said:

“Abandoned? Please. Take the word back. I take offense to that word of abandonment. Meri had an affair. She made it clear to everybody that she was getting out of there. She was done with us. She can’t admit it now."

He said the family had done their best to protect her when they realized she had been duped. Meri revealed that she thought they had a conversation about the catfishing incident. She confessed that she was in a dark place and needed a friend. Kody took it as a betrayal but she had no plans of leaving him or the larger family.

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Meri and Kody discuss their relationship dynamics with intimacy

Meri confirmed in the first part of Sister Wives' final episode that she and Kody hadn't been intimate in a decade. She said:

"That’s definitely something that I miss. I miss emotional intimacy with him. I miss conversations with him. I miss physical intimacy with him."

"I would love it if he would hold my hand. I have hope that he will come back and also if he never does then I’m going to create my own peace and happiness within the family relationships that I do have. This is my family."

For Kodi, Meri could still be a part of the family but that was how far their relationship could get:

“There’s a point where intimacy is just damage. It’s misleading to have intimacy in a relationship where there’s no real safety. I’m not going there. No, and I never will again. I will be her friend. I will do what I can to protect her. I’m never going to feel safe in an intimate place.”

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Christine talks about Kody's equation with other wives

Other women from the Brown family did see bumps in the relationship. In the Sister Wives' finale episode, Janelle said that they did not think like they were caught in the middle but they could feel the waves. The women could feel the tension in Meri and Kody's relationship and watch it deteriorate, but couldn't help but feel hurt about them.

Christine, after reflecting on her decision to move away from the marriage on Sister Wives finale episode, said:

“Oh, my heart breaks when I think about their marriage. I don’t want that. I don’t want to be in a loveless marriage. I don’t know how she does it. I guess she’s more fine with it than I am.”

Despite the relationship not being a smooth sail, having no intimacy, Meri now still wants to be with her husband and the larger family. She has made a choice and feels the most comfortable when she is with the family.

Sister Wives airs on Sundays at 10.00 PM ET on TLC.