September 11, 2025 • 23 mins
After over 30 years of marriage, getting a legal and spiritual divorce, and sharing her plural marriage with the world..."Sister Wives" star Meri Brown is ready to take control of her dating life for the first time!
Amy & TJ are finding out how she tells prospective dates about her unique relationship history, and if she's ever been out with someone who's a fan of the show.
Plus, now that she's single, will she change her last name?
Email us at: IDOPOD@iheartradio.com or call us at 844-4-I Do Pod (844-443-6763)
Follow I Do, Part 2 on Instagram and TikTok
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Welcome everyone to I do Part two and well you
get two of your hosts today. I'm Ami Robots alongside TJ.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Holmes. Ready for this, babe.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I have questions for our guests today.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
I have.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I'm curious, and I have a couple of major major
just I think, just normal questions for someone who is
about to date for the first time since she was nineteen, Yes,
so thirty something years ago. So getting back into the
dating pool, and what's it like to share someone that
you're married to? And most people can't relate to that necessarily,
(00:52):
but our next guest can't.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
That's right because not only is our next guest getting
into the dating world after a very long marriage, a
marriage of over thirty years, but her marriage is probably
not like yours or not like one you're used to seeing,
because today we are diving into the world of polygamy
plural marriages. So, yes, what does your life look like
(01:15):
after you've been married for over thirty years, you've shared
your husband with sister wives, and you've done it all
in front of the world. Actually, so yes, you navigate.
You've got a million things going on here, navigating dating
at this point in your life and navigating it with
the world watching. So we're talking about all of this
with one of the stars of Sister Wives, Mary Brown,
(01:39):
is joining us today. Mary, Welcome to the podcast and
how are you feeling. How you doing I'm.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Doing so good. Thank you so much for inviting me
on to have a conversation with you guys. I'm really
excited about it.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Andy Keith, Can you do we have it right? Give
us the official count? How many seasons has the show
actually been on and do we have it right? Have
you done just a you've done every season?
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Yeah, I've done every season. It's been officially nineteen seasons,
but it's about fifteen years. But yeah, nineteen seasons.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Well, congratulations to anybody who can last on a TV
show for that long. First and foremost, so congratulations the
drama that we bring.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
Drama. They did not us like a bad happen.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
So we said you were married to your ex Cody
for anyone who's a fan of the show for thirty years.
But you were clear this up for us because I
was trying to get my head around this. You actually
legally were divorced in twenty fourteen, but you were spiritually
divorced just last season. Correct, Can you explain what happened
to or if I got that right.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Yeah, So in polygamy and the religious culture that we
came from, well not just a religious culture anywhere polygamy
is not legal, but in our culture that we came from,
we had what we called spiritual marriages, right, and so
all of those were valid to us. So for me,
(03:06):
when I did the legal divorce, it was for the
purpose of Robin or sorry Cody, adopting Robin's kids, and
in order to do that, he needed to be legally
married to her, or at least not legally married to me.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
How did that feel?
Speaker 4 (03:25):
It was? It was hard. It was. It was definitely hard,
just because like and a lot of people just I mean,
you can't get your head wrapped around it unless you're
in it. Right. Even my sister Wrives, I don't think,
really understood it because when they got married, they got
spiritually marriage, which was hund of percent valid. We considered
all of us equals on that level. But when I
(03:48):
got married, the person who who married us did the
legal and the spiritual at the same time. Right, he
was authorized for the for the legal and the state,
and then also the ecclesiastical authority in the church, right,
So he did both of them at the same time
as one marriage. Right. It wasn't like a legal one
(04:10):
and then a separate spiritual one. And so when I
went through and had that legal divorce, it felt emotionally
like it was the marriage, even though logically I'm like,
I know that it's not the spiritual part of it.
We're just doing the legal part of it, you know.
So so it was it was a mind game for sure.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Would the spiritual part have held up? Do you think
if you didn't have to go through that emotional trauma
of the legal divorce, I'm saying, did it precipitate you
certainly go in that direction.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Yeah. We talked about it, you know, and our plan
and our intention was that that spiritual aspect of the
marriage was going to continue. I mean that that was
the plan and we did. We'd continue that for a
while to a couple of.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
So how did the plan go off the rails?
Speaker 4 (05:04):
I think that Cody and I just had some issues,
you know, like many marriages do you know, you just
have issues and are you going to work through them
or are you're going to not? And he and I
were already having some of those. I mean, ours was
a roller coaster marriage from the beginning, Like we had
high highs on lo lows. You know, I've got so
(05:25):
many good memories, but also there's also, you know, not
so good memories. And I think that's normal, And I
think it just came down to the fact that both
of us weren't willing to work on it. And if
you're not both willing to work on it, it's not
going to work.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Well, didn't mar it anybody listening right? You just said
a very something that everybody's ever been in a relationship
or said. Marriages go through things, you go through issues,
you have these conflicts. However, Mary, not everybody had some
of the issues in your house that you did. When
you're talking about multiple spouses, how much do you think
(06:08):
the multiple spouses worthy thing that played into ule's dynamic?
And if the other spouses weren't there, could you and
your husband have lived happily ever after?
Speaker 4 (06:20):
No, I don't think we would have. I don't think
that we would have because it was, you know, like
he and he said it on the show, so I'm
not It's not like I'm throwing him under the bus.
He's saying it himself that he just he didn't let
me like he needed to love me right, his soulmate
is somebody else. And I think that it became hard
(06:40):
for him to manage and to carry like four relationships.
I think I think he was just tired of it.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Honestly, it's sounds difficult, exhausting, and to not be attempted
but to each his own.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Mary, were you raised in polygamy? Did your parents have
plural marriages? Yes, so this was nothing foreign to you.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
No, it was not foreign to me. I my dad
had five wives. I've got twenty five siblings, some of
them I'm closer to than others. And I think that's
just the normal human dynamic that you know some people
you're going to connect with more than others. And when
you've got twenty five siblings, you know some of them
I'm really close to, and some of them some of
(07:29):
them I'm not so. But yeah, it was not foreign
to me at all.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Have you ever had a relationship where it's just been
one on one, there are no other women involved in
your relationship, And is that something you're interested in seeking?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
I am one going monogamous from hair on app I'm
not going to go into a plural situation anymore. So,
and people ask me why I would have changed my
mind on that, and I'll tell you why. I was
raised in a religious culture where I believe that that
was something necessary for my spiritual growth, spiritual exaltation, whatever
(08:18):
it was that they try to teach you, and I
don't believe in that. I don't subscribe to that religious
culture anymore. Therefore, I'm not going to live that aspect
of it. I'm religious, I have a relationship with God.
I'm well, let me correct myself. I'm spiritual. I'm not religious.
(08:40):
I don't subscribe to a religious culture, culture or structure.
But yeah, so the reason why I did it in
the first place was because it was part of my
religious belief which I now don't believe in.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
So I'm not going to How long does it take
on a date with someone before all that comes up?
Speaker 4 (09:04):
It depends. It depends on the date, and it depends
on the person.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Okay, do some go forward even before your drink order
is in some way till dessert? When does that come up?
Speaker 4 (09:16):
Very It's been a very interesting process. You know, you
kind of have to like, Okay, there's lots of things
about me that we need to talk about and want
to about it, you know what I mean. It's like,
not only is there the polygamy, Let's be clear, I'm
not doing that again, so don't make funny jokes about like, oh,
you're open to that. No, no, I'm not actually, And
(09:40):
then there's also oh and then by the way, there's
this TV show you know what I mean, And like,
I've been on dates with people where like I can't tell,
like I try to read the people. It's like do
you know who I am? Do you not? And it's
very awkward and uncomfortable. Halfway through the date when when
they're like, oh, yeah, I know who you are, it's like, well,
(10:01):
lead with that. But they're like, I to be normal too.
You know.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Have you ever thought about just saying, like, google me before.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You want to go on the date and then let
me know if you still feel the same way.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
Interesting. I was talking to a guy one time. It
was through one of the dating apps, and I hadn't
we hadn't got to the point yet like that we're
going to share deep dark secrets, right, and so I
had never said anything yet. We're just chatting and getting
(10:33):
to know each other a little bit. Well, then the
show was advertised because it was about to start airing
for that season. It must have been last season, and
he sent me a message. He's like, so, I'm all
about honesty and I just need to just be upfront
(10:53):
with you. I saw this advertisement for the show and
you're on it, and so he was like, I can't.
I'm not interested, basically, Like he was very kind and
he was very respectful, but he was just like, Nope,
not interested. You know, with their religious background and stuff,
I'm just not all right, that's fair.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
You have to find out early. And I something you
said a moment ago. I wasn't sure if you were
completely joking, but kind of it seems like maybe some
guys who find out about your background, do they get
kind of excited and say, hey, she's open to whatever.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Oh yeah. I definitely ross men that are like, ooh,
can I have my five minutes minutes of fame? Oh oh.
It's a very weird thing because you know, I have
to navigate, you know, the public part of it, because
some people do not want to have any publicity at all,
(11:50):
and some people they're all for it. You know. It's
not like I can go on a date and be like, oh,
and by the way, can we bring cameras along for
my TV show? You know what I mean? Like, so
it's like it's you have to be careful with it.
But then you've got the polygamy thing too, and you
know all the history, and it's.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Like, oh, it's complicated a lot.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
I'm a lot.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
So now that your divorce has been finalized legally, have
you given any thought to changing your last name, to
maybe owning who you were at eighteen?
Speaker 2 (12:25):
In your path forward?
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Legally and spiritually it's done, right, So let's be clear.
Legally it was done in twenty fourteen, but spiritually so
like it is done. I have had the conversation many
times with my best friend and in some other people too,
you know, like are you get to change your name?
And right now I'm not going to, And you know,
(12:51):
people are like, why are you giving him that? You know,
like you still have his name. It's like, but also
I have the name that I've had for thirty five years,
you know what I mean, Like I only had my
other name, my dad's name, you know, for nineteen years.
And also there's a lot of rs in it, and
it's really hard to say. So brown is a hell
(13:11):
a lot easier.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
What's your maiden name?
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Barber? And I've got an R in my name, so
it's Mary Barber And it's really hard.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
To say Mary Brown just flows better.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Me and one of my sisters we joke about all
the time, is like, yeah, because she's also divorced. For like, no,
we're just not gonna love your dad, but we're not
going to go back to the maiden name.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
I have one more thing on your current dating status.
Is there anybody that's a real possibility right now? Are
you actually dating in one in a relationship right now?
I mean, I guess how many dates have you gone?
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Like?
Speaker 3 (13:50):
How how long has one guy lasted? And he make
it the three dates? Five dates?
Speaker 4 (13:54):
I guess.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
I'm asking what your status is.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Okay, my current status is I am not dating anybody exclusively.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
No.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Single and ready to mingle.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Wait, she said I'm not dating anybody exclusively. She didn't
say she's not dating anybody?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Correct?
Speaker 4 (14:08):
Correct?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Yeah, I mean in the in the trailer for this
next season, it sounds like you're dating a lot.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
I mean, I am, I have. I mean, that sounds
really bad. It's not like I'm dating around it.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
I'm sorry. I didn't mean I was like, good for you.
I meant that so positively.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Okay, Yeah, yeah, I do date when I find somebody
that matches my energy. I think there's a lot more
men that would want to date me or whatever it
is that they want to do, and I'm not interested,
you know, like that, I'm very selective about who I date.
I'm very selective about who I bring into my world.
(14:49):
And it's a privilege to be in my world and
not just anybody gets to be. So, you know, Plus,
I am a lot, you know, I'm a business owner.
I travel a lot, you know, and I'm building businesses
and doing all these things. And can they handle that,
because some men just can't. They need do there all
(15:09):
the time? They want to text you all the time,
and I don't need that.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Do you believe in having or finding a soulmate in
Do you believe that there's that one person out there
for you who you could exclusively spend the rest of
your life with.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Oh yeah I do. I do. But I also I
remember being in a sociology class in college years ago,
and I remember the professor saying, and coming from a
scientific standpoint, that there's not just one person for everybody, Like, scientifically,
(15:58):
it's like eight people in the world or fifteen people
in the world that could be or one person. It's
just a matter of finding that person at the right
time for both of you. So I don't necessarily believe
there's only one person and where in the world am
I going to find him? You know what I mean?
But I do believe that there is somebody that I
can find that our values align, our morals align, our
(16:22):
energies align, our laughter aligns, you know, and we want
to spend the rest of our lives together.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Would you seriously consider exclusively dating someone who is very religious?
Speaker 4 (16:38):
I would consider it. Not everything is off the table,
but I would prefer somebody who is very spiritual rather
than very religious. I'm just not into the cult following.
Let's put it that way.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Would you describe the life you lived in terms of
the one you grew up in and the one you
chose at nineteen?
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Was that cult like?
Speaker 4 (17:03):
Yes? Yeah, I think any structured religion is very cult like.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
And what was the point in which you said I
want out?
Speaker 4 (17:12):
It was gradual for me, It was really gradual. I
think that it was even before we moved to Las Vegas,
like even you know, maybe around the time that we're
talking about doing the sell, you know, fifteen sixteen s Wow.
I think that I found myself like questioning. But I
(17:35):
never talked to anybody about it. I never talked to
Cody about it. I didn't talk to my sisteries about it.
It was just something that I was like processing within
myself because there were so many things up until that
point in my life that I was always wrong for.
I was wrong for how I handled marriage. I was
(17:56):
wrong for you know, my body, was wrong for not
being able to have more babies. I was wrong when
I would have jealousy issues with you know, when when
wives would come into the family. And now I'm questioning
my religion. So you can bet I'm not talking to
anybody about it because I'm also going to be wrong
for that, and I knew that would be the case.
(18:17):
So I didn't talk to anybody about it. I just
kind of like went along and did what I was
supposed to do and went to church if I needed to,
but was totally happy to work on a Sunday as well,
so I didn't have to go to church, you know
what I mean. And so it was just kind of
that little excuse for me, and so I think it
was a gradual thing for me once we did finally
(18:40):
move to Las Vegas and we were kind of separated
from it. You know, we had the intention of, well,
let's take our kids back and do different things within
in the church structure, and we never did, and I
was okay with it. I was good with it. So
it was for me that it was gradual until the
(19:02):
point that I finally was like, no, I'm not doing this.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
I'm not doing The trailer for the the new season
has a clip. It is a short, didn't have full context,
but you're talking to Cody and you're saying, we will
never be together. You were saying that to him, But
how are you all right now?
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Me and Cody in particular, Yeah, we still have a
very rollercoaster relationship.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
But you can laugh about it.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
I guess I can't, just because it is what it is.
You know, Like, I wish him the best. I think
he's a great person. He's very charismatic. I think that
there's you know, there's things that I wish he would improve.
But that's just my perspective, and I'm sure he thinks
that there's things in me that could improve, and this
is why we are split, right. But I don't think
(19:54):
he's a bad person. I think that our values just
don't line and when we try to push those on
each other, that's when we have conflict. And so we will,
like literally within the same week, we yelled at each
other and we told each other to leave me the
f alone, and then we hugged each other. It's like,
(20:17):
I don't wish you any ill, will just leave me
the f alone, you know what I mean. So it's
it's very rollercoaster.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
But are you that's uh, that's fascinating. Yeah, but are
you well normal though? I feel like this is normal
within that you know what it might actually be. There
are so many people we talk about this all the time,
folks who will look from the outside and they want
to judge you, or judge your relationship, or judge what
you're doing. And so many other people right now if
they started listening now, all they're hearing you talk about
(20:47):
is a normal relationship and the same stuff that they
are dealing with, even though yours might have looked a
little different and might have been on TV. But yes,
we can relate to what you're saying, because trust me,
this one here, who Lord have mercy, Lordy.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Lordy, It's never boring.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Let's just say that I'm curious, Mary, would you say,
over the thirty three years that you and Cody were together,
you've obviously changed, and you've talked about your evolution.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Has Cody changed? Who is he now?
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Or the man you ended up leaving or separating from
versus the man who you fell in love with and married.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
I think that it would be foolish for either of
us to say that we haven't changed in some way,
shape or form, because that is the point of life
is to change. The point is to improve, and I
hope that we can always improve. And I'm also not
going to put any judgment on him. And also there
(21:46):
are things that I think that he did better in
his younger years than he does now, as like what parenting.
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,
(22:09):
and he's not putting in the I don't see. I
can't say he's not, but I don't see effort being
put in where some of his kids really need it.
And knowing him as a young dad. I mean, he
was all about his kids, all about his kids, and
(22:32):
like they were they were his world. And so it's
really sad to see the challenges that he and his
kids are going through right now.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
But Mary, what happened from his younger days to now?
He's the same guy, still a dad.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
I guess what. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
You don't know.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
I don't know. I don't And it wouldn't be fair
for me to put any you know, place, any judgment
or you know, I can't say exactly what happened because
that just wouldn't be fair for me to do.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
How many kids does Cody have now? I've eight, eighteen, eighteen?
Speaker 4 (23:10):
Wow?
Speaker 1 (23:11):
And they arrange in age, I'm sure, from.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
The youngest I think is eight or nine and then
the oldest is thirty one. Wow.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Wow, that's a lot.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
We have so much more we want to talk about
with Mary Brown, So stay tuned because we'll have part
two of our conversation up next
Welcome everyone to I do Part two and well you
get two of your hosts today. I'm Ami Robots alongside TJ.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Holmes. Ready for this, babe.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I have questions for our guests today.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
I have.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I'm curious, and I have a couple of major major
just I think, just normal questions for someone who is
about to date for the first time since she was nineteen, Yes,
so thirty something years ago. So getting back into the
dating pool, and what's it like to share someone that
you're married to? And most people can't relate to that necessarily,
(00:52):
but our next guest can't.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
That's right because not only is our next guest getting
into the dating world after a very long marriage, a
marriage of over thirty years, but her marriage is probably
not like yours or not like one you're used to seeing,
because today we are diving into the world of polygamy
plural marriages. So, yes, what does your life look like
(01:15):
after you've been married for over thirty years, you've shared
your husband with sister wives, and you've done it all
in front of the world. Actually, so yes, you navigate.
You've got a million things going on here, navigating dating
at this point in your life and navigating it with
the world watching. So we're talking about all of this
with one of the stars of Sister Wives, Mary Brown,
(01:39):
is joining us today. Mary, Welcome to the podcast and
how are you feeling. How you doing I'm.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Doing so good. Thank you so much for inviting me
on to have a conversation with you guys. I'm really
excited about it.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Andy Keith, Can you do we have it right? Give
us the official count? How many seasons has the show
actually been on and do we have it right? Have
you done just a you've done every season?
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Yeah, I've done every season. It's been officially nineteen seasons,
but it's about fifteen years. But yeah, nineteen seasons.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Well, congratulations to anybody who can last on a TV
show for that long. First and foremost, so congratulations the
drama that we bring.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
Drama. They did not us like a bad happen.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
So we said you were married to your ex Cody
for anyone who's a fan of the show for thirty years.
But you were clear this up for us because I
was trying to get my head around this. You actually
legally were divorced in twenty fourteen, but you were spiritually
divorced just last season. Correct, Can you explain what happened
to or if I got that right.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Yeah, So in polygamy and the religious culture that we
came from, well not just a religious culture anywhere polygamy
is not legal, but in our culture that we came from,
we had what we called spiritual marriages, right, and so
all of those were valid to us. So for me,
(03:06):
when I did the legal divorce, it was for the
purpose of Robin or sorry Cody, adopting Robin's kids, and
in order to do that, he needed to be legally
married to her, or at least not legally married to me.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
How did that feel?
Speaker 4 (03:25):
It was? It was hard. It was. It was definitely hard,
just because like and a lot of people just I mean,
you can't get your head wrapped around it unless you're
in it. Right. Even my sister Wrives, I don't think,
really understood it because when they got married, they got
spiritually marriage, which was hund of percent valid. We considered
all of us equals on that level. But when I
(03:48):
got married, the person who who married us did the
legal and the spiritual at the same time. Right, he
was authorized for the for the legal and the state,
and then also the ecclesiastical authority in the church, right,
So he did both of them at the same time
as one marriage. Right. It wasn't like a legal one
(04:10):
and then a separate spiritual one. And so when I
went through and had that legal divorce, it felt emotionally
like it was the marriage, even though logically I'm like,
I know that it's not the spiritual part of it.
We're just doing the legal part of it, you know.
So so it was it was a mind game for sure.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Would the spiritual part have held up? Do you think
if you didn't have to go through that emotional trauma
of the legal divorce, I'm saying, did it precipitate you
certainly go in that direction.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Yeah. We talked about it, you know, and our plan
and our intention was that that spiritual aspect of the
marriage was going to continue. I mean that that was
the plan and we did. We'd continue that for a
while to a couple of.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
So how did the plan go off the rails?
Speaker 4 (05:04):
I think that Cody and I just had some issues,
you know, like many marriages do you know, you just
have issues and are you going to work through them
or are you're going to not? And he and I
were already having some of those. I mean, ours was
a roller coaster marriage from the beginning, Like we had
high highs on lo lows. You know, I've got so
(05:25):
many good memories, but also there's also, you know, not
so good memories. And I think that's normal, And I
think it just came down to the fact that both
of us weren't willing to work on it. And if
you're not both willing to work on it, it's not
going to work.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Well, didn't mar it anybody listening right? You just said
a very something that everybody's ever been in a relationship
or said. Marriages go through things, you go through issues,
you have these conflicts. However, Mary, not everybody had some
of the issues in your house that you did. When
you're talking about multiple spouses, how much do you think
(06:08):
the multiple spouses worthy thing that played into ule's dynamic?
And if the other spouses weren't there, could you and
your husband have lived happily ever after?
Speaker 4 (06:20):
No, I don't think we would have. I don't think
that we would have because it was, you know, like
he and he said it on the show, so I'm
not It's not like I'm throwing him under the bus.
He's saying it himself that he just he didn't let
me like he needed to love me right, his soulmate
is somebody else. And I think that it became hard
(06:40):
for him to manage and to carry like four relationships.
I think I think he was just tired of it.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Honestly, it's sounds difficult, exhausting, and to not be attempted
but to each his own.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Mary, were you raised in polygamy? Did your parents have
plural marriages? Yes, so this was nothing foreign to you.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
No, it was not foreign to me. I my dad
had five wives. I've got twenty five siblings, some of
them I'm closer to than others. And I think that's
just the normal human dynamic that you know some people
you're going to connect with more than others. And when
you've got twenty five siblings, you know some of them
I'm really close to, and some of them some of
(07:29):
them I'm not so. But yeah, it was not foreign
to me at all.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Have you ever had a relationship where it's just been
one on one, there are no other women involved in
your relationship, And is that something you're interested in seeking?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
I am one going monogamous from hair on app I'm
not going to go into a plural situation anymore. So,
and people ask me why I would have changed my
mind on that, and I'll tell you why. I was
raised in a religious culture where I believe that that
was something necessary for my spiritual growth, spiritual exaltation, whatever
(08:18):
it was that they try to teach you, and I
don't believe in that. I don't subscribe to that religious
culture anymore. Therefore, I'm not going to live that aspect
of it. I'm religious, I have a relationship with God.
I'm well, let me correct myself. I'm spiritual. I'm not religious.
(08:40):
I don't subscribe to a religious culture, culture or structure.
But yeah, so the reason why I did it in
the first place was because it was part of my
religious belief which I now don't believe in.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
So I'm not going to How long does it take
on a date with someone before all that comes up?
Speaker 4 (09:04):
It depends. It depends on the date, and it depends
on the person.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Okay, do some go forward even before your drink order
is in some way till dessert? When does that come up?
Speaker 4 (09:16):
Very It's been a very interesting process. You know, you
kind of have to like, Okay, there's lots of things
about me that we need to talk about and want
to about it, you know what I mean. It's like,
not only is there the polygamy, Let's be clear, I'm
not doing that again, so don't make funny jokes about like, oh,
you're open to that. No, no, I'm not actually, And
(09:40):
then there's also oh and then by the way, there's
this TV show you know what I mean, And like,
I've been on dates with people where like I can't tell,
like I try to read the people. It's like do
you know who I am? Do you not? And it's
very awkward and uncomfortable. Halfway through the date when when
they're like, oh, yeah, I know who you are, it's like, well,
(10:01):
lead with that. But they're like, I to be normal too.
You know.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Have you ever thought about just saying, like, google me before.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You want to go on the date and then let
me know if you still feel the same way.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
Interesting. I was talking to a guy one time. It
was through one of the dating apps, and I hadn't
we hadn't got to the point yet like that we're
going to share deep dark secrets, right, and so I
had never said anything yet. We're just chatting and getting
(10:33):
to know each other a little bit. Well, then the
show was advertised because it was about to start airing
for that season. It must have been last season, and
he sent me a message. He's like, so, I'm all
about honesty and I just need to just be upfront
(10:53):
with you. I saw this advertisement for the show and
you're on it, and so he was like, I can't.
I'm not interested, basically, Like he was very kind and
he was very respectful, but he was just like, Nope,
not interested. You know, with their religious background and stuff,
I'm just not all right, that's fair.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
You have to find out early. And I something you
said a moment ago. I wasn't sure if you were
completely joking, but kind of it seems like maybe some
guys who find out about your background, do they get
kind of excited and say, hey, she's open to whatever.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Oh yeah. I definitely ross men that are like, ooh,
can I have my five minutes minutes of fame? Oh oh.
It's a very weird thing because you know, I have
to navigate, you know, the public part of it, because
some people do not want to have any publicity at all,
(11:50):
and some people they're all for it. You know. It's
not like I can go on a date and be like, oh,
and by the way, can we bring cameras along for
my TV show? You know what I mean? Like, so
it's like it's you have to be careful with it.
But then you've got the polygamy thing too, and you
know all the history, and it's.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Like, oh, it's complicated a lot.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
I'm a lot.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
So now that your divorce has been finalized legally, have
you given any thought to changing your last name, to
maybe owning who you were at eighteen?
Speaker 2 (12:25):
In your path forward?
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Legally and spiritually it's done, right, So let's be clear.
Legally it was done in twenty fourteen, but spiritually so
like it is done. I have had the conversation many
times with my best friend and in some other people too,
you know, like are you get to change your name?
And right now I'm not going to, And you know,
(12:51):
people are like, why are you giving him that? You know,
like you still have his name. It's like, but also
I have the name that I've had for thirty five years,
you know what I mean, Like I only had my
other name, my dad's name, you know, for nineteen years.
And also there's a lot of rs in it, and
it's really hard to say. So brown is a hell
(13:11):
a lot easier.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
What's your maiden name?
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Barber? And I've got an R in my name, so
it's Mary Barber And it's really hard.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
To say Mary Brown just flows better.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Me and one of my sisters we joke about all
the time, is like, yeah, because she's also divorced. For like, no,
we're just not gonna love your dad, but we're not
going to go back to the maiden name.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
I have one more thing on your current dating status.
Is there anybody that's a real possibility right now? Are
you actually dating in one in a relationship right now?
I mean, I guess how many dates have you gone?
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Like?
Speaker 3 (13:50):
How how long has one guy lasted? And he make
it the three dates? Five dates?
Speaker 4 (13:54):
I guess.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
I'm asking what your status is.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Okay, my current status is I am not dating anybody exclusively.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
No.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Single and ready to mingle.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Wait, she said I'm not dating anybody exclusively. She didn't
say she's not dating anybody?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Correct?
Speaker 4 (14:08):
Correct?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Yeah, I mean in the in the trailer for this
next season, it sounds like you're dating a lot.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
I mean, I am, I have. I mean, that sounds
really bad. It's not like I'm dating around it.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
I'm sorry. I didn't mean I was like, good for you.
I meant that so positively.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Okay, Yeah, yeah, I do date when I find somebody
that matches my energy. I think there's a lot more
men that would want to date me or whatever it
is that they want to do, and I'm not interested,
you know, like that, I'm very selective about who I date.
I'm very selective about who I bring into my world.
(14:49):
And it's a privilege to be in my world and
not just anybody gets to be. So, you know, Plus,
I am a lot, you know, I'm a business owner.
I travel a lot, you know, and I'm building businesses
and doing all these things. And can they handle that,
because some men just can't. They need do there all
(15:09):
the time? They want to text you all the time,
and I don't need that.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Do you believe in having or finding a soulmate in
Do you believe that there's that one person out there
for you who you could exclusively spend the rest of
your life with.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Oh yeah I do. I do. But I also I
remember being in a sociology class in college years ago,
and I remember the professor saying, and coming from a
scientific standpoint, that there's not just one person for everybody, Like, scientifically,
(15:58):
it's like eight people in the world or fifteen people
in the world that could be or one person. It's
just a matter of finding that person at the right
time for both of you. So I don't necessarily believe
there's only one person and where in the world am
I going to find him? You know what I mean?
But I do believe that there is somebody that I
can find that our values align, our morals align, our
(16:22):
energies align, our laughter aligns, you know, and we want
to spend the rest of our lives together.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Would you seriously consider exclusively dating someone who is very religious?
Speaker 4 (16:38):
I would consider it. Not everything is off the table,
but I would prefer somebody who is very spiritual rather
than very religious. I'm just not into the cult following.
Let's put it that way.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Would you describe the life you lived in terms of
the one you grew up in and the one you
chose at nineteen?
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Was that cult like?
Speaker 4 (17:03):
Yes? Yeah, I think any structured religion is very cult like.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
And what was the point in which you said I
want out?
Speaker 4 (17:12):
It was gradual for me, It was really gradual. I
think that it was even before we moved to Las Vegas,
like even you know, maybe around the time that we're
talking about doing the sell, you know, fifteen sixteen s Wow.
I think that I found myself like questioning. But I
(17:35):
never talked to anybody about it. I never talked to
Cody about it. I didn't talk to my sisteries about it.
It was just something that I was like processing within
myself because there were so many things up until that
point in my life that I was always wrong for.
I was wrong for how I handled marriage. I was
(17:56):
wrong for you know, my body, was wrong for not
being able to have more babies. I was wrong when
I would have jealousy issues with you know, when when
wives would come into the family. And now I'm questioning
my religion. So you can bet I'm not talking to
anybody about it because I'm also going to be wrong
for that, and I knew that would be the case.
(18:17):
So I didn't talk to anybody about it. I just
kind of like went along and did what I was
supposed to do and went to church if I needed to,
but was totally happy to work on a Sunday as well,
so I didn't have to go to church, you know
what I mean. And so it was just kind of
that little excuse for me, and so I think it
was a gradual thing for me once we did finally
(18:40):
move to Las Vegas and we were kind of separated
from it. You know, we had the intention of, well,
let's take our kids back and do different things within
in the church structure, and we never did, and I
was okay with it. I was good with it. So
it was for me that it was gradual until the
(19:02):
point that I finally was like, no, I'm not doing this.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
I'm not doing The trailer for the the new season
has a clip. It is a short, didn't have full context,
but you're talking to Cody and you're saying, we will
never be together. You were saying that to him, But
how are you all right now?
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Me and Cody in particular, Yeah, we still have a
very rollercoaster relationship.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
But you can laugh about it.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
I guess I can't, just because it is what it is.
You know, Like, I wish him the best. I think
he's a great person. He's very charismatic. I think that
there's you know, there's things that I wish he would improve.
But that's just my perspective, and I'm sure he thinks
that there's things in me that could improve, and this
is why we are split, right. But I don't think
(19:54):
he's a bad person. I think that our values just
don't line and when we try to push those on
each other, that's when we have conflict. And so we will,
like literally within the same week, we yelled at each
other and we told each other to leave me the
f alone, and then we hugged each other. It's like,
(20:17):
I don't wish you any ill, will just leave me
the f alone, you know what I mean. So it's
it's very rollercoaster.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
But are you that's uh, that's fascinating. Yeah, but are
you well normal though? I feel like this is normal
within that you know what it might actually be. There
are so many people we talk about this all the time,
folks who will look from the outside and they want
to judge you, or judge your relationship, or judge what
you're doing. And so many other people right now if
they started listening now, all they're hearing you talk about
(20:47):
is a normal relationship and the same stuff that they
are dealing with, even though yours might have looked a
little different and might have been on TV. But yes,
we can relate to what you're saying, because trust me,
this one here, who Lord have mercy, Lordy.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Lordy, It's never boring.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Let's just say that I'm curious, Mary, would you say,
over the thirty three years that you and Cody were together,
you've obviously changed, and you've talked about your evolution.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Has Cody changed? Who is he now?
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Or the man you ended up leaving or separating from
versus the man who you fell in love with and married.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
I think that it would be foolish for either of
us to say that we haven't changed in some way,
shape or form, because that is the point of life
is to change. The point is to improve, and I
hope that we can always improve. And I'm also not
going to put any judgment on him. And also there
(21:46):
are things that I think that he did better in
his younger years than he does now, as like what parenting.
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,
(22:09):
and he's not putting in the I don't see. I
can't say he's not, but I don't see effort being
put in where some of his kids really need it.
And knowing him as a young dad. I mean, he
was all about his kids, all about his kids, and
(22:32):
like they were they were his world. And so it's
really sad to see the challenges that he and his
kids are going through right now.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
But Mary, what happened from his younger days to now?
He's the same guy, still a dad.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
I guess what. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
You don't know.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
I don't know. I don't And it wouldn't be fair
for me to put any you know, place, any judgment
or you know, I can't say exactly what happened because
that just wouldn't be fair for me to do.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
How many kids does Cody have now? I've eight, eighteen, eighteen?
Speaker 4 (23:10):
Wow?
Speaker 1 (23:11):
And they arrange in age, I'm sure, from.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
The youngest I think is eight or nine and then
the oldest is thirty one. Wow.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Wow, that's a lot.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
We have so much more we want to talk about
with Mary Brown, So stay tuned because we'll have part
two of our conversation up next
Host
Jennie Garth
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Charlie is America's hardest working grassroots activist who has your inside scoop on the biggest news of the day and what's really going on behind the headlines. The founder of Turning Point USA and one of social media's most engaged personalities, Charlie is on the front lines of America’s culture war, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of students on over 3,500 college and high school campuses across the country, bringing you your daily dose of clarity in a sea of chaos all from his signature no-holds-barred, unapologetically conservative, freedom-loving point of view. You can also watch Charlie Kirk on Salem News Channel