Meri Brown Opens Up About Agoraphobia
Meri Brown might have spent the last 15 years on TV, but it feels like Sister Wives fans are only now really getting to know her. She’s been more open and honest than ever, and that extends beyond the moments when TLC’s cameras are rolling. In a recent interview, Meri opened up about the toll being in the public eye has taken on her, including a period when she struggled with agoraphobia.
Meri Brown reveals she battled agoraphobia
In an interview with Utah’s KSL News published October 18, 2026, Meri opened up about a battle with agoraphobia that left her too scared to leave the house. The candid admission came just weeks after the show’s 21st season premiered.
Meri acknowledged that viewers have watched her go through some of her darkest moments on screen, but fans didn’t pick up on any serious anxiety while the cameras were rolling in years past, at least none that wasn’t directly caused by Kody and Robyn Brown. Meri didn’t say exactly when her agoraphobia began, but she did say she has put in a lot of work over the past few years to pull herself out of it.
What is agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that leaves sufferers uncomfortable in situations they feel they cannot escape. Each case looks a bit different. Some sufferers fear traveling far from home, while others feel panicky as soon as they leave their safe space.
It affects roughly 1.7% of adults, and without treatment, it rarely goes away on its own. But it is treatable, most often with cognitive behavioral therapy, which typically includes exposure therapy. While Meri admitted she never had an official diagnosis, the way she regained her ability to move freely in the world mirrors the exposure therapy often recommended for sufferers.
Where is Meri Brown today?
Meri was Kody’s first wife, marrying him at 19. Their marriage lasted 32 years before the pair announced their split in January 2023, though their relationship had been strained for years before that.
Today, the 55-year-old lives in Parowan, Utah, in a family home built in 1870 by her great-great-grandparents. Fans watched Meri buy the home back in 2017, much to the chagrin of her former family. For several years, it operated as a bed-and-breakfast, with Meri’s mother, Bonnie Ahlstrom, as innkeeper. After Bonnie’s sudden death in 2021, Meri took over the business, and she moved to Utah full-time after leaving Flagstaff. Now she’s renovating the home and reimagining it as an event space.
Season 21 of Sister Wives is now airing on TLC. It’s the first season without Kody and his only remaining wife, Robyn. Fans don’t seem to miss the pair much. Instead, they’re enjoying a more honest look at polygamy through the eyes of three women who left it all behind.
