"I've never seen it work"— Sister Wives star Meri's friend shares her perspective on polygamous relationships

Sister Wives season 19 episode 13 was released on December 8 on TLC. Titled Give Up the Ghost, the episode focused on Christine preparing for her upcoming wedding ceremony, while Robyn’s daughters, Aurora and Breanna, expressed their desire to return to church.

Elsewhere, Meri sat down with her friends Hilaree and Andreah for an open discussion about polygamous relationships and her divorce from Kody. Hilaree shared her struggle growing up in a polygamous family and explained how difficult it was for everyone to be happy at the same time.

Hilaree spoke about the constant jealousy and worry that often plague the minds of the wives. She added:

"I've never seen it work. I don't know anyone happily married in polygamy."

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"You're constantly in survival"— Sister Wives star Meri's friend Hilaree explains the struggles of polygamy

In Sister Wives season 19 episode 13, Meri met with two of her close friends as she grappled with the challenges of adjusting to her new reality following her breakup.

During their discussion, Meri wondered if there might be a way for everyone to be happy in a plural marriage. However, her friend Hilaree pointed out that she has never seen a plural relationship work and doesn't know anyone "happily married in polygamy."

Although Hilaree wasn’t raised in a polygamist marriage, she was surrounded by the culture growing up. She humorously remarked that she was her grandfather’s “85th grandchild,” an exaggeration meant to underscore the extensive size of her extended family and the prolific nature of polygamist households.

"When you're trying to manage 2 marriages and 13 kids and let's say three of them had bad dreams in one night and one of them is sick and one of the wives has to go to work early in the morning. But you also have a job to do and you have to be gone at six. Like I don't remember my dad ever having a full night's sleep," Hilaree continued.

The Sister Wives star's friend further added that she is yet to see a couple who's proved to her that they loved polygamy, everyone was happy and wanted to spend eternity together with all the wives.

Meri pondered whether any monogamous couples were ever entirely happy all the time, highlighting her skepticism about the idea of constant happiness.

Hilaree highlighted one of the central challenges of polygamy: the jealousy it often fosters. She explained that in a plural marriage, a wife might constantly wonder if her husband is enjoying his time more with another wife or if he is prioritizing another wife’s needs over hers, creating ongoing feelings of insecurity and rivalry.

"There's so much survival that's not met, that it's hard to find and connect with each other because you're constantly in survival. Survival isn't the way to happiness. If you're playing survival for your entire married life, I don't think you're going to be happy," she added.

After considering Hilaree's "weird perspective," Meri reflected on her 33-year marriage and admitted that, despite all that had transpired, she had reached a point in her life where she wondered if her family still could work together.

Andreah told the Sister Wives star that she couldn’t fix her family on her own, emphasizing that efforts had to come from both sides. She pointed out that Kody wasn’t willing to work on their relationship, and that Meri alone couldn’t change the situation.

"You don't have the tools to allow that to happen, and it takes both. Clearly, Kody didn't want it to work out, so how can it work?" Andreah told Meri.

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Sister Wives season 19 episodes air every Sunday on TLC.