Has Meri Brown received a poor portrayal on television?
TLC’s Sister Wives is a reality show. However, all production teams add a scripted element now and then.
And in the editing room, crew members can piece together footage to tell a story that doesn’t quite line up with the truth.
See what viewers had to say in a recent online thread.
A Redditor Accuses Meri Brown Of Receiving Special Treatment
For years, Meri Brown has been a hot topic of debate among Sister Wives viewers. Some believe she was cruel and standoffish, while others maintain she was a victim of the polygamist system.
In all likelihood, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. But until Meri publishes her own memoir, fans will speculate online.
“Meri and Kody BOTH drove convertibles,” a Redditor posted on the platform this week. “Rewatching the early seasons. While Kody has rightly gotten a ton of sh*t for driving a 2-door convertible, I notice that Meri also drives a 2-door convertible! … Meanwhile the other moms are driving beat up minivans. This really does support the narrative that Meri was separate from the rest of the family. She obviously wasn’t driving the other kids or carpooling.”
Another Viewer Steps In To Defend Meri Brown
However, the OP’s post didn’t resonate with other Sister Wives fans. Others quickly offered counterevidence to disprove their claims.
“According to their book Meri split childcare evenly with Christine,” another Redditor replied. “She took care of the children, made meals, sewed clothes, helped with homeschool and even breastfed Maddie. Once they moved to ‘one home’ in Lehi, she worked more (and gave them her money) and ‘mothered’ less. But I don’t think it’s fair to erase her parental contributions prior to the show.”
The Redditor added that the church largely played a role in Meri’s poor relationships with Janelle and Christine. And on top of that, they mentioned that the family eventually did trade down cars and Meri never had a convertible of her own.
Sister Wives Fans Add Their Own Thoughts
Other Sister Wives fans readily agreed with this response, citing passages from the book. Comments included:
- “Janelle mentions it in the book too. Production really did Meri dirty in the beginning. The fact that Meri was transitioning to having a career after years of being co-SAHM is a million times more interesting than the empty nest or IVF storyline we got.”
- “It really is a shame because apparently Meri had friends and hobbies in Vegas. I get that her MLMs were hard for them to film but they should have figured out a way to incorporate the fact that Meri was working all that time. Instead, we got contrived drama between her and Kody or her and Robyn.”
- “I’ll be honest, the biggest disservice this show has done to Meri is downplaying her contribution to raising the kids before Lehi. Meri was equally eligible as Christine for being seen as motherly and it would have changed people’s perception of her.”
What do you make of this Sister Wives discussion? What have you noticed about Meri Brown’s portrayal on the show? Add your own thoughts in the comments below.
