'Sister Wives' Star Meri Brown Could Be Next To Leave Husband Kody After Christine: Report

KEY POINTS

Meri Brown has "zero relationship" with Kody Brown and is likely the next one to leave him
Meri has become very independent and she's been spending more time in Utah than in Arizona
The "Sister Wives" stars' interactions in the TLC reality series are allegedly fake and just for show

"Sister Wives" stars Meri Brown and Kody Brown's relationship is not that solid following his split from Christine Brown.

On Tuesday, Christine addressed the split rumors ahead of the premiere of "Sister Wives" Season 16. She confirmed that she and Kody have already decided to call it quits. And now Meri could be the next sister wife to leave Kody, an unnamed source told Us Weekly this week.

"Publicly, Meri will be the next one to split from Kody. She’s already been out with other men publicly," the source said before adding that Christine’s exit may have encouraged Meri to do the same. "Now that Christine’s gone, it might be something that’s able to happen without the contract ending."

The tipster said Meri, 50, "has become very independent" after being married to Kody for over 30 years. She also spends a lot of time with her children and goes wherever they go. Meri shares daughter Mariah with Kody. Meri also owns a small business in Utah that allows her time away from Arizona.

"She and Kody have had zero relationship — it’s all fake," an insider added. "They’re together for TV, essentially."

Kody spoke about his rocky relationship with Meri in a previous interview with Us Weekly earlier this year. According to him, they were in a "very dark place for a very long time."

"It’s been more about trying to get ourselves out of this hole that we dug ourselves into. … I hope that some communication heals things. It’s been a long time and it’s been very difficult," he said of his relationship with Meri.

Meri is Kody's first wife and they have the longest relationship. Technically speaking, Kody was legally married to Meri. His three other marriages with Janelle Brown (1990), Christine (1994) and Robyn (2010) are spiritual unions. However, Kody divorced Meri and married Robyn to legally adopt the latter's children. So, his legally binding marriage at present is with Robyn. Meri and Kody kept their spiritual union.

However, many noticed, especially the "Sister Wives" audience, that Kody has a favorite among his four sister wives. One unnamed tipster even said that his devotion to Robyn in the last five to six years was the reason Christine decided to leave him.

"Sister Wives" Season 16 premieres on Nov. 21 at 10:00 p.m. ET on TLC.