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Sister Wives fans thought the Brown family aired out most of their grievances with each other in the last two seasons of the series. As it turns out, there is more drama to recount. For the first time, Meri Brown opens up about her feelings regarding Janelle Brown marrying her husband and her own complicated entrance into the family.

Meri Brown reveals how ‘strange’ it was for Janelle Brown to join her family

Meri Brown and Janelle Brown haven’t gotten along in years. The tension between the sister wives was obvious in their TLC series. While they did discuss their issues vaguely, neither opened up about how Janelle’s first marriage played heavily into the dynamic until now. During an appearance on the Miss Understood podcast, Meri finally discussed how Janelle’s first marriage complicated things.

Janelle Brown, Kody Brown, and Meri Brown on their wedding day in 1993 as shown on 'Sister Wives' on TLC.
Janelle Brown, Kody Brown, Meri Brown, ‘Sister Wives’ | TLC

Meri said Janelle married her brother, Adam Barber, in the late ’80s. They divorced a few years later. She married Kody Brown in 1993, following her divorce from Adam. Meri revealed that there were a lot of emotions around the spiritual union. She said Janelle and Kody’s marriage made things weird within the family. She said the community isn’t “that” small, and most people found the pairing a bit strange. She didn’t dive into how Adam felt about the situation. But an awkward chuckle suggests things were probably rather tense. Meri pointed out that Janelle and Adam were a monogamous couple.

Adam Barber never spoke about his marriage to Janelle Brown

Meri’s Brother, Adam Barber, never spoke about the odd family dynamic caused by Kody and Janelle Brown’s marriage. He shied away from the public eye despite his connection to Sister Wives. Whatever his feelings on the dynamic were will remain secret. Adam died in October 2023 from pancreatic cancer. Meri paid tribute to her late brother on Instagram following his death. Janelle Brown did not publicly acknowledge his passing.

TLC's 'Sister Wives' will debut Season 19 in 2024.
TLC’s ‘Sister Wives’ will debut Season 19 in 2024 | TLC
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Kody Brown Subtly Badmouthed Meri Brown’s Brother in ‘Sister Wives’ Tell-All Episode While Defending His Marriage to Robyn Brown

By the time Adam died, the Brown family had decided to dissolve their unions. Christine Brown announced her split from Kody Brown in November 2021. Janelle Brown followed in 2022. Meri acknowledged the end of her marriage in January 2023 despite living mostly estranged from the rest of the family for years.

In her Miss Understood appearance, Meri admitted that she has almost no contact with her former sister wives or ex-husband. She said that while they can have cordial conversations when in the same room with each other, there is no regular communication.