Fact Check: Are Kody and Meri from Sister Wives still married? Details explored

The stars of Sister Wives, Kody and Meri, are no longer married. They legally divorced in 2014 and officially ended their spiritual marriage in January 2023. The announcement of season 19 of Sister Wives has put the ex-couple in the spotlight.

The show began in 2010 and was aired on TLC, focusing on the Brown family. Kody Brown is featured along with his 4 wives - Robyn and ex-wives Meri, Janelle, and Christine, and their 18 children.

Meri who herself belonged to a polygamist family before marriage believed in the idea. Both as a couple were sure that they wanted a polygamist family.

Their intention to participate in the show, Sister Wives, and get their lives documented emerged from the fact that they wanted to make people aware of the concept of a polygamist family.

The show is going to launch its season 19 on September 15, 2024, at 10 pm ET on TLC. The official trailer of the show was released by TLC on August 13, 2024. The trailer starts with Meri claiming that her marriage with Kody is officially over. She said:

"Kody and I are officially done. Our marriage is over."

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The journey of Meri and Kody from Sister Wives

Kody Brown and Meri Brown got married in 1990 when they were just 18. Both were instantly attracted to each other, and Kody even thought that Meri was his soulmate. Meri and Kody had a similar view on polygamist families and decided to have one from very early on. They met in a church when they 18.

In Becoming Sister Wives, a 2012 family book, Meri described her impression of Kody. She said:

"I was a little taken with Kody right off the bat. He was definitely cute, and had a great attitude. He was talkative and engaged me in conversation, and made me feel comfortable around him."

After their marriage, Meri encountered challenges when she had difficulty conceiving, which led to emotional strain between the two. In 1993, Kody entered into a spiritual marriage with Janelle and together they have 6 children. In 1995, Meri also gave birth to a child.

Meanwhile, Kody spiritually married his third wife, Christine, in 1994, and eventually spiritually married his current wife, Robyn, in 2010.

Kody and Meri divorced in 2014 because Kody wanted to legally marry Robyn and officially adopt her children from her first marriage. This was documented in Sister Wives, and it showed that Meri was resentful of the decision. However, they remained spiritually connected.

In 2015, Meri was involved in an online catfishing incident, which further strained her relationship with Kody. Kody expressed his feelings about the incident in a previous season of the show.:

"She made it clear to everybody that she was getting out of there. She was done with us. And she can't admit it now. We circled the wagons as a family to protect her when she realized that she'd been duped."

Kody is now officially only married to Robyn. Christine was the first to leave the marriage and announced the separation in 2021. Following her, Janelle also announced the separation in 2022.

Kody and Meri officially announced the end of their marriage on January 10, 2023, through their respective Instagram accounts. The statement reads:

"In light of a recent unapproved press release, we feel compelled to share our own truth, in our own way, and in our own timing. After more than a decade of working on our relationship in our own unique ways, we have made the decision to permanently terminate our marriage relationship."

The new season of the show will take forward the journey of the Brown family, and how they will navigate through the dynamics of their relationship. The trailer has shown a new face in the show, Christine's love interest, David. The trailer ends with Kody blaming Meri for their failed marriage.

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Fans can tune in to TLC on September 15, 2024, at 10 pm ET to watch the new season of Sister Wives.