From left to right: Meri, Christine, Janelle and Robyn
Everyone’s favorite polygamist family, the Brown family of Lehi, Utah were on Oprah last week. It was pretty much a recap of their TLC reality show which had its first season finale over the weekend. One new thing I learned was that Kody’s first wife Meri, whose job was never disclosed on the show, lost her position in the mental health field as a result of her family’s new reality show. Meri is also studying psychology online and Janelle and Robyn work out of the home. Christine is a homemaker and cooks and cares for the children. On Oprah, Meri called her job loss “heartbreaking” but said it was understandable.
Kody, who works in advertising sales, says going public about his personal life has not affected his professional relationships.
“I’ve been in this career for about 10 years, and I’ve been fairly private about it,” he says. “I had good friends. They understood me, and I was their token polygamist friend.” Eventually, the entire company found out that I was [a polygamist], and the tolerance and acceptance has been beautiful.”
On the other hand, Meri’s former employer wasn’t as accepting. After Sister Wives premiered, Meri says she was terminated from her position in the mental health industry.
“They felt that they needed to protect the company, I think,” Meri says. “It actually makes me really sad because I loved my job. It breaks my heart, definitely. … But I understand where they’re coming from.”
While some wives have jobs outside the home, Christine is the designated stay-at-home mom. “It’s beyond me to not like it,” she says. “I love it.”
[From Oprah.com]
I haven’t yet seen the final two episodes of this show as they just aired last night but I’m looking forward to it. Apparently Kody’s “wedding” with Robyn was featured, and that took place about five months ago. Kody said on Oprah that there’s no sex before “marriage” in polygamy and implied that he didn’t sleep with Robyn before they had the non-legally binding wedding ceremony. Robyn, who has three children of her own, said that she’ll try for more with Kody. Of course she will, on the show Kody can be seen pressuring all but one of his wives, Janelle, to have more children despite infertility issues, health concerns, and the fact that he already has 13 biological children.
While the Browns are attempting to skirt around the law by only making one of Kody’s four marriage’s official, what they’re doing is still technically illegal. They’re of course being investigation for felony bigamy, and Kody said on Oprah that he found it “scary.” Oprah’s website also had more information on how the Browns can be charged with a crime even if only one of their marriages is legal:
Since the first episode aired, police in their home state of Utah have launched an investigation into this polygamist family. If they are charged and convicted of felony bigamy, Kody could face a maximum of 15 to 20 years in prison. His wives could face up to five years.
According to Utah’s bigamy statute, “A person is guilty of bigamy when, knowing he has a husband or wife, the person purports to marry another person or cohabits with another person.” This law applies to people who obtain multiple marriage licenses, as well as people who are legally married to only one person while also engaging in other marriage-like relationships.
“It’s scary,” Kody says. “I didn’t [expect it].”
[From Oprah]
There’s a good reason why this is the first polygamist family to go public. One of the wives just lost her job and now they’re all facing jail time.
Here’s video from the show of the first three wives giving fourth wife Robyn a claddagh ring on her wedding day. Robyn cries like constantly on that show. (AOL Video via Radar Online. Photos from TLC via Oprah.com)
These photos are of Kody with his wives and their kids from last to first wife. (Robyn’s kids in the first photo below are from her first marriage but all the other wives have kids with Kody.)
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