Sister Wives star Meri Brown has no ill will toward her ex-husband, Kody Brown. But she thinks he could be a better father to his children.

Kody Brown could be a better parent to his kids, Meri Brown says

Meri was a guest on the September 11 episode of the I Do, Part 2 podcast with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes. During their conversation, she opened up about how Kody has changed since they married 35 years ago. 

“I think it would be foolish for either of us to say that we haven’t changed in some way, shape, or form,” she said. “Because that is the point of life is to change. The point is to improve, and I hope we can always improve. And I’m also not going to put any judgment on him.”

That being said, Meri admitted that she felt Kody wasn’t measuring up in some areas. 

“I think there are things that he did better in his younger years than he does now,” she said.

“Like what?” Robach asked. 

“Parenting,” she replied. “Parenting is a big one. The way that he parents breaks my heart. It really does. He’s got children who need him and want to have a relationship with him, and he’s not putting in the effort. I don’t see [it]. I can’t say he’s not, but I do not see effort being put in where some of his kids really need it.”

‘Sister Wives’ star was ‘all about his kids’ when he was younger 

Kody has 17 living children with his three ex-wives and one current wife. Years ago, he was a devoted and engaged father but not anymore, said Meri, who has one child with Kody, Leon Brown. 

“Knowing him as a young dad — he was all about his kids. All about his kids. They were his world. And so it’s really sad to see the challenges that he and his kids are going through right now,” she shared. 

Meri added that she wasn’t sure why Kody’s relationship with his children changed.  

“It wouldn’t be fair for me to place any judgment,” she said. “I can’t say exactly what happened. Because that just wouldn’t be fair for me to do.” 

Meri is far from the first person to call out Kody’s distance from some of his kids. He had a fraught relationship with his late son, Garrison Brown, who died by suicide in March 2024. In her new book, Sister Wife, Christine Brown revealed that Kody initially declined to attend their daughter Gwendlyn’s engagement party. Janelle Brown has also stated that Kody “cut off communication with Caleb and Maddie,” two of the six kids they share together. 

In a 2024 Sister Wives episode, Kody said he wasn’t to blame for the bad relationship with his kids. Some of his offspring had “betrayed” him, he declared, and were “colluding” against him and treating him with “contempt.” He wants them to be the ones to reach out with an olive branch. 

“Some people think that parental-child relationships don’t have to be reciprocal,” he said. “But when they’re adults, yes, they do.”

Sister Wives Season 20 premieres Sunday, September 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on TLC. Episodes stream on HBO Max. 

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