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‘Sister Wives’ Season 7 Tell-All Recap: Meri’s Daughter Knew About the Catfisher From the Start

Sister Wives
Sister WivesCourtesy TLC

Ah, yes, the moment all die-hard Sister Wives fans had been waiting for finally arrived: the epic season 7 tell-all special. The Brown family caught up with host Erica Hill on Sunday, June 26, to shed some light on births, engagements, weddings and — most importantly — Meri’s infamous catfishing scandal.

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Kody Brown Says It Might Be Time to ‘Stop Having Children’

Hill kicked off the TLC special by discussing baby Ariella, who made her TV debut when she was born on-camera on the show earlier this year. While the family seemed overjoyed at their new addition, this is likely the last child for the Brown clan. “I’m old enough that I think it’s time for me to grow up and stop having children,” said Kody Brown, 47. The father of 18 continued, “It’s not for me to decide, but there’s certainly no pressure on Robyn from me.”

Kody Says Robyn Was ‘Mouthy’ During Pregnancy

The topic then moved on to Robyn’s pregnancy and how it affected the family dynamic. While her fellow sister wives may have enjoyed Robyn’s newfound short fuse, Kody was not feeling her pregnancy ‘tude and even said “she was mouthy” while carrying Ariella.

Newlyweds Maddie and Caleb Are ‘Not Ready’ to Start a Family

While on the topic of babies, Maddie revealed that she will not be getting pregnant anytime soon, despite her recent marriage to Caleb Brush. The newlywed daughter of Janelle and Kody revealed, “Everyone in my family is baby hungry.… I’m not gonna bring a child into this world when I’m not ready for it.” 

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While everyone seemed excited for this chapter in Maddie’s life, the excitement turned lukewarm when it came to Mykelti’s recently announced engagement to Antonio Padron. Her mother, Christine, voiced some concerns saying, “I didn’t know they were that much of a couple.… He’s only come over a few times.… It’s very concerning to me.”

Kody Does Not Consider Meri’s Online Relationship an ‘Emotional Affair’

How did Meri allow herself to be swept up in a catfishing scandal in the first place? Meri referred to it as a “perfect storm,” while husband Kody chalked it up to their legal divorce that left an “emotional gap” between them. Kody then was quick to blame online critics saying, “We’ve got haters.… They came in and they messed with our marriage and I think this catfish was a hater.”

Related: PHOTOS: Hollywood's Ugliest Divorces

When asked if he considered Meri’s relationship with the fake “Sam Cooper” (a.k.a. Jackie Overton) as an act of infidelity, Kody said, “No. I think that she was in a place where she was having a friendship.… Meri had never met this person.… All it is is talking…. I don’t see it as an emotional affair.” 

Meri Was Bullied Into Leaving Voice Mails on Catfisher’s Phone

Meri then revealed that not only was she being catfished by this person, she was also being blackmailed. “I feel like I was forced into doing insane things … and I did, because I was afraid of what she would do otherwise.” Regarding the voice mails that Meri left, she explained, “She would call me and say, ‘You’ve got to leave a message,’ and if I didn’t then … the male persona would start saying things on social media, bashing Kody … and make it sound like we were meeting up, and I felt like the only way I could make that stop is to leave a message.”

Meri Ignored Her Daughter’s Warnings About the Catfisher

Kody seemed determined to support his first wife throughout this scandal and insisted about the catfisher, “They don’t exist outside of our own minds. If we ignore them, they go away.” While Kody and the rest of the wives appeared supportive and forgiving of Meri, her only biological daughter, Mariah, seemed to be having a tougher time with it. The 21-year-old admitted to knowing this was a catfishing scenario from the get-go and even tried to stop it. Mariah explained, “From the very beginning I knew that was happening.… I tried to tell her and I tried to make it not happen and she just did it anyway.… She didn’t listen to me.” Wow.

Tell Us: Is Meri telling the truth about the platonic nature of her relationship with her catfisher? Why do you think she ignored her daughter’s warnings?

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