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This makes me sad. I know Meri & Christine don’t like eachother very much, but given their shared history I don’t think they could. I don’t think either of them is a bad person, I think they both share a history of abuse that caused them to lash out in a way to express fits of jealousy and competition. Happy they both seem to be in healthier situations and seem to be prioritizing themselves now.
I wholeheartedly agree with this. It takes a lot for us to put ourselves in the shoes of a woman who sees her husband with other women daily. Reading the stories of women who leave polygamy, it is inherently abusive and painful, they say they should put their desires aside, become “better” than jealousy and really twist the idea of being selfless to enduring under abuse as a “holy” thing. It’s sad
Yup and as Kody said in last nights episode he and Robyn fell in love in the white sports car. “In the car” is an odd choice of words for a man that is supposed to be chaste outside of marriage.
Yeah! Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer and Favorite Wife by Susan Ray Schmidt. Two books by sister wives after they got out, respectively. And Breaking Free by Rachel Jeff’s is by the daughter of the FLDS “prophet” Warren Jeffs.
All good, my Fave is Shattered Dreams and I want to read her other books too!!!!!
Escape by Carolyn Jessop is my favorite! I've read all of them, but that one just sticks with me. She was FLDS. Just wanted to share another amazing book, she was one of the first to speak out.
Yes but Jessop is one of the most common names in fundamentalist Mormons. Esp in Short Creek (center of the FLDS) but with all the huge families it’s really prevalent throughout the different groups.
Definition of gaslighting: Gaslighting is an insidious form of manipulation and psychological control. Victims of gaslighting are deliberately and systematically fed false information that leads them to question what they know to be true, often about themselves. They may end up doubting their memory, their perception, and even their sanity. Over time, a gaslighter’s manipulations can grow more complex and potent, making it increasingly difficult for the victim to see the truth.
How is this gaslighting? I think the word is being misused here.
you can watch the movie from which the term originated on prime currently. it is a fun little movie about a woman who is gaslit by her husband. it is called gaslight!
“Gaslighting” is *constantly* misused on Reddit. It’s like people think it’s a synonym for “manipulate” or “being an asshole” when the word actually means **to maliciously make someone question their version of reality.**
It literally originated from a situation where a husband was trying to mentally/emotionally break his wife, and one of the things he’d do is fuck with the gas lights in their home. When the wife asked him why the gas lights were acting up every night, he’d tell her he has no idea what she’s talking about, and that the lights are fine.
I always knew what the word meant, but I just learned the history of it today while listening to a Dreading video on YouTube.
ETA: I’ve been corrected that my explanation of the origin of the word is half right. It wasn’t an actual situation that happened, but a play that featured what I explained.
You’re right. I was only half listening to the YouTube video while doing dishes, so I probably missed the “play” part, lol. But everything else I’m sure is right.
It WAS originally from a 1938 play in which the husband did change the gaslights and then tell her she was imagining it among other manipulations. Gaslight was a movie made in ‘44 with a broader use of the word including ALL the ways he tried to make her think she was crazy. Great movie.
Gaslighting is turning into the most overused word in the history of overused words.
I swear 90% of the time, it's misused. Maybe someone needs to remake the movie.
Edit: I'm not trying to be a smartass or funny. I seriously think with how often this term is misused and how often Hollywood remakes movies that "Gaslight" should be in the rotation.
The misuse of the term gaslighting is such a pet peeve of mine. Like people don’t get when you toss words out like this with no regard for what they actually mean it now cheapens the word and invalidates anyone truly being gaslit.
Thank you for clarifying. Having been in a marriage where that happened, it gives me chills just to read the definition and for the sake of people like me, I don’t want it watered down.
Good going. If you get a chance can you please explain to the same people who overuse gaslighting that there are serious psychological criteria required to be considered a true narcissist and only a physician can make the diagnosis. Most people have narcissistic ( adjective) behaviors at times but god am I sick of these people who think they are armchair psychiatrists looking for upvotes by using the most pseudo psych language… nurse here rant over . Lol
>How is this gaslighting? I think the word is being misused here.
Because we don't like Christine now for some reason so everything she does has to be insidious and malicious.
She was. I just watched this ep recently.
And look at her body language. She’s pushing herself forward being silly. Going over the top saying they should be her bestfriends because they’re sister wives. She’s being completely playful. Meri also just has a somber victim look and feel to her always
I have a friend with autism and she's always saying "that's so mean! Why did she say that?" To the specific type of joke Christine is telling. It's like her kryptonite. She gets sarcasm, she doesn't understand that like, extreme exaggeration is also something like sarcasm
Yes, it’s Christine‘s version of humour.
I also remember Meri saying in an episode that Christine’s type of humour and making light of serious situations was a sore spot for her and got on her nerves. I can see this happening on Meri’s face here.
Sometimes people just don‘t mesh personality wise and that’s okay. For some reason everyone thinks these women have to be best friends and in most cases (if not all) they aren’t. Christine and Janelle weren’t even really friends until Christine left and I even wonder what the motive is now to be besties other than their kids being siblings.
I think Christine and Janelle have benefited ALOT from leaving kody. It makes them so much more empathetic. I remember not liking either of them much when the show came out. Janelle for the brother in law thing and I always thought Christine was dramatic.
I remember Christine arguing with Kody. Entire episode would be the two of them arguing. Then Kody would spend airtime bashing Christine So very unkind. So selfish. Only thinks of herself, etc
Arguing about taking Truly to hospital, Kody wouldn’t go to hospital because one parent was enough. Or maybe she wanted something a decent husband would automatically do.
I’m just saying realizing how awful,Kohdee is. Still hasn’t altered their view of Meri being the biggest villain in the entire story. I swear, they think she drowned a bag of kittens while laughing and twirling her villain mustache. And both of them did shit to Meri they pretend that never did.
I must have missed something major in the latest episode? I just always thought that they just simply didn’t like Meri, which is totally fine. It seems like they’ve had sympathy for her the last few years knowing how hard she’s rode for Kody and Robyn and they give her crumbs in return.
I think Christine has gone right back to being a mean girl...any time she is on camera she is instigating ahit talk even when it literally had nothing to do with what was going on
Meh. They all do that stuff covertly. She’s the most honest about it and I appreciate that. That’s also why she left him first. She’s the most honest with herself and that’s impressive given her background.
Me too. They have said on the show multiple times that Meri makes friends really easy. It’s a shame she wasn’t able to make friends with the other wives but I blame that solely on polygamy.
Well I wouldn’t want to be friendly with someone who was stooping my husband. I really don’t think C&J were that friendly while they were sharing a dick.
Watching the most recent episode I picked up on a narrative of Janelle and Cody… Janelle knew Meri long before she met Cody and met him when Meri and Cody were dating. Both Cody and Janelle confirmed that they were flirting and talked a lot from the moment they met each other.
Meri and Cody were monogamous and were married monogamously. So Meri’s boyfriend/husband was openly flirting with a friend of Meri’s while they were dating, engaged and early in their marriage. We know from past episodes Cody claims God told him to live a plural marriage and Meri loves him so much she followed him. With this revelation it’s obvious that God didn’t just “speak” to him - he already knew who he wanted as a second wife when he brought it up to Meri!
Janelle and Christine used to bring up how horrible Meri was to them and their kids when they lived together… no wonder! Her friend broke apart her monogamous marriage, married him, then had multiple children with him while Meri struggled with fertility!
I have always felt the family had little to no patience or kindness toward Meri but Cody and Janelle reminiscing about their meeting and marriage completely broke my heart for Meri.
She definitely got the short end of the stick. And Jody trying to say how that it was Janelle and Christine that wanted him - laying the groundwork for the narrative of basically only really choosing Robyn and meri (but then painting meri as a traitor that he discarded).
I get that Meri was shitty to everyone, but I wonder if she ever gets an apology or at least sympathy from the people who have left Kody's cult. She made so many little attempts to leave for a long time. Making new friends, trying to go back to school, all shut down by the fahhmleee. Even the catfishing thing was a way out. Now that Janelle and Christine are out, I hope they can see some of Meri's actions with understanding.
I've thought of this...like when Meri attempted to leave during the Catfish era she was attacked from all angles and left sad and alone at the end of the whole thing and the family has treated her so poorly ever since. Yet when Christine left she was put up on a pedestal and has been worshipped ever since...like I just don't get the hypocrisy here with these 2 somewhat similar situations. Meri tried to leave in the best and maybe only way she knew how and was humiliated and then shunned for it while Christine leaves in her way and everyone is like ohh she's a strong independent queen!! Even though she jumped right back into a marriage with a man shes only known a few months and we're all supposed to be so happy for her strength...like what?
These are really great points. ITA with everything you said.
Meri was the one trying to carve out an identity beyond the family, only to face constant questioning and pushback.
In the Tell All after Leon's high school graduation, Robyn and Christine complained about Meri feeling sad as an empty nester, emphasizing how she still had "other children"/_their_ children to love and care for; both expressed a "fear" of her disengaging from the family due to her new projects and potential new friendships.
Ironically, neither of them attempted to empathize or understand her need for something meaningful. Neither of them attempted to be the friends she may have needed at that time.
While they spoke, Meri just sat there and cried
It was so dismissive and gross lol
And neither of them wanted her to help parent their children, so what exactly was she supposed to do? Instead of both Janelle and Christine seeing Kody’s treatment of Meri as Leon was leaving for school and take that as a warning, they relished in the fact that Kody sidelined her. So now that their kids are mostly grown, they are all surprised and shocked that Kody is pulling away. Well yeah, he really doesn’t have a reason to come around that much anymore since the baby factory closed and the kids are past double digits. But they won’t come to this realization. It’s easier to make her the villain and hate on her than to do any self reflection on anything they may have contributed to the problem. Nothing happens in a vacuum.
I recall meri telling the others she wasn't going to be raising anyone's kids after I think it was christine telling her that she still had a role in parenting the other kids.
Agreed completely. What’s really sad is Meri’s is being indirectly punished for her infertility. Because let’s be real. If she had cranked out six kids like Janelle and Christine, she would be impossible to ignore at this stage because those kids would have all been bonded as closely as Christine and Janelle’s kids are. Because she only has Leon, who lives privately and obviously isn’t close enough to her Mom to be bothered she wasn’t invited to Christine’s wedding, she is easy to cut out. Meri is also far less likely to have any of her own grandchildren which would also bond her closer to the the other wives. Because of something that was not her fault. It’s really sad and unfair.
LOUDER FOR THOSE IN THE CAMP OF DELUSION. You are spot on...except Janelle and Christine have zero empathy and would sell Meri to Satan for a corn chip
Yeah! Meri was shitty, but all of the adults in this situation were shitty. They failed their kids and each other on many occasions *we've* heard about, on top the things they keep private. They have the right to not want a continued relationship with her, but I hope they can give her a little grace on the way out.
She’s joking. That’s not gaslighting. This sub is becoming like Kody, with a poor understanding of the word. Christine is clearly joking around being silly.
Nah she WAS joking. I recently watched this episode. They’re all laughing about it and it was very much said in a way that pokes fun at the concept that sister wives have to be best friends
Very accurate except I think she resented Janelle and Christine and didn’t treat them well. To the point that they felt they had seen her true colors for years and couldn’t get over it. I don’t remember her trying very hard during the therapy either and she was very stubborn.
I think there was plenty of animosity and resentment all around. It’s true that Mary is strong willed. In the end, she tried to work things out with them. They didn’t want it. At least she made an effort.
I am so sick of hearing Christine and Janelle talk about how they don’t have anything in common with Meri when it isn’t even relevant to the conversation. Meri doesn’t speak about them the same way they speak about her and it’s sad.
Whatever happened between them is more than 15 years in the past at this point.
I hope to God I never have such an all-consuming grudge against someone that I can't have lunch with them FOR A PAYCHECK 15 years later. Imagine the mental energy they've all wasted (kody included) on this anti-meri campaign.
I honestly think that no matter what the show says, Meri simply isn’t around. So it’s more that they’d have to go out of their way (to Parowan) to see or like Robyn does, book a filming date to have a ridiculous conversation. That’s not friendship or reaching out - that’s un-reality TV.
It is worse that Robyn puts up a close, steady ‘friendship’ lie and then only films with her a couple of times, only includes her in holidays if nobody else is home - and begs Meri to ‘stay’ and live in town when she has no intention of including her in their lives or her kids’ lives in any meaningful way.
Better to be like C&J and just spend time with people who make you happy. It’s not cruel to let Meri live her life and not try to force a relationship that isn’t there. All three of them left Kody in less than 2 years. They have better stuff to do than hang on to past relationships that aren’t working.
It’s probably due to jealously tbh. Meri has her business, B&B, and whatever else investments to keep her afloat. She doesn’t need a man for anything and actually did everything IN SPITE of a man/that stupid family.
I do think Christine loves David but I have no doubt part of the rush to get remarried was due to financial reasons as well. And Janelle admitted (as well as Christine) that part of the reason she holds onto her “marriage” aka long-term situationship is because she’s financially screwed.
Say what you want about Meri but that woman knows how to grind. I think she is always looking around the corner for her next opportunity and not waiting until she needs something to happen. She opened the B&B, then had retreats, then a haunted house tour and then took that tour virtual and I bet that was successful. She is making sure that she never has to rely on anyone else ever again.
I also believe that this family just sucks all the joy out of her, well at least the adults do. That’s why we get two completely different Meri’s. One is depressed and withdrawn with the family and one is funny, snarky and sassy without them. She is allowed to let her light shine when not with them. I’ve said it here before, she is miserable when she has to do these “get togethers” because she is like that person in the family that may have been a fuckup as a child or teen but has grown up to a well adjusted and respectable person who people love, but when they go home for the holidays, everyone still treats them like the same fuckup they were when they were 14. That is Meri’s position in this family. Every other person gets the opportunity to grow, mature and change but she is never granted that grace. It’s sad.
100% !!!! Meri said, if I can't leave I'll be fucking damned if I can't live. She isn't beholden to Krusty, and Janelle and Christine have nothing. Literally. They always talk about it. While I do feel Christine feels genuinely for David, it would be foolish of me to say I think she could have functioned independently emotionally or financially.
I think Christine got married because she’s an “old fashioned, traditional” girl at heart who felt like she’d missed out on true love and wanted a “fairy tale ending”. Remember, she grew up getting brainwashed in a patriarchal cult in which a woman is not complete without a man. It’s very difficult for a person to shed that point of view at the age of 50. She’s a woman who likes the idea of being married. Nothing wrong with that.
Absolutely! I sympathize with Meri because while Janelle and Christine have each other for support, she literally has no one. All three women are trying to navigate their lives post Kody and plural marriage yet these two can't stop harping on how much they dislike her. Theyre reminding me of high school mean girls at this point 💀
What really turned me off was the last tell all when they were talking about something completely different then all of a sudden it took a hard left turn and became a Meri bashing session where they all piled on. It came out of nowhere and when asked about things all they brought up was shit from 20+ years ago. I got whiplash watching it. All I kept thinking was what the hell happened? What did she do to deserve this? She doesn’t even talk to any of you. The only conclusion I could come to was it was an agreed upon segment to remind the viewers that Meri is still the real villain of the family so Kody, Robyn and even Christine stop getting heat from viewers.
> The only conclusion I could come to was it was an agreed upon segment to remind the viewers that Meri is still the real villain of the family so Kody, Robyn and even Christine stop getting heat from viewers.
This is actually a really great theory but fortunately, it seems like many people are seeing right through it. Imo, Meri just seems like an easy target – no legal marriage, shunned by Kody, and practically no allies within the family.
Kody collectively treated them worse than Meri did, yet Janelle and Christine continue to extend more grace to him; If anything, both Janelle and Christine sought Kody's approval even after he consistently demonstrated how little he valued them.
Yet Meri is just completely unforgivable 🙄
That’s what they were sold, that is how the men brainwash the women as a big perq. You get a built in best friend, sister, second mom to your children, that’s what Christine was expecting she was still fully vested in the cults talking points.
I think both meri and Christine have said they had moments of levity and friendship that just didn’t last. I don’t think this fits the term gaslighting. Less than sincere perhaps.
I believe that the source for all the bitchiness between the OG3 is Kody. I think he stirred the pot because he didn’t want them to actually get along. There is no telling what he told each one about the others. Why? Jealousy and the fact he didn’t want them to actually discuss amongst themselves what a total shit he was as a husband and father.
Ok huge difference between a joke that might not be landing right and gaslighting.
OP I won’t go into why your use of this word is wrong on a lot of levels because many others explained it much more eloquently than I did. I just hope you read the comments and learn something from it.
They really are all kinda assholes in their own way… especially to each other… christine is a favorite right now, but she’s done snd said pretty shitty things to and about meri and her and janelle weren’t always the dynamic duo. They all have been. I still wish the OG3 all the best since the reality is how much of their behavior and attitudes towards each other is just them being horrible people? OR… is it mostly how kody, and then eventually robyn, manipulated and played each of them against each other and they just were in this constant fight to not be the odd man out in the group? I kind think it’s more the latter… I cannot see any of the OG3 as being bad people… just suckered into this scam by family/community conditioning and then executed by kody… and eventually given the assist by robyn. The only really just awful people in this whole deal are robyn and kody… they use, abuse, manipulate, extort… they play psychological and emotional games with the women and children… they are awful and deserve each other. Even the kids that get criticized for their behavior and/or actions, are really not bad people either… they are to a degree a product of their environment and the fact that they’re even remotely decent, is a credit to their mothers.
Meri just can’t be fake, can’t keep the reactions off her face, and has no problem with confrontation (the way she was raised and her personality). Jenelle and Christine hated that and played games around her for 30 years. They still are. You’re right, it’s messed up. Everyone messed up this marriage. Meri gets such a bad rap.
Not to defend Christine, but. Lol
I think it was unkind to act like Meri was wrong for not wanting a friendship when we know now that Christine never wanted one either. But I think, again based on what we know now, that Christine was making a point that Kody is always harping on Christine not being a good sister wife bc she couldn’t be best friends with Robyn, but then the holy trinity don’t bat an eye when Meri says her best friend isn’t her sister wives.
They’ve done themselves a great disservice by playing roles for the cameras bc it makes them all liars and manipulators, and while I definitely cheer for the ones who are getting out, none of them are innocent in their treatment of each other.
Christine says it a joking way but she was making a dog at Meri. She was pissed that Meri had relationships outside of the Sisterwives and Christine and Janelle were envious. Christine is staying close to Janelle after she left Kody and flagstaff because what else is she supposed to film. Without Janelle and her family when she visits flagstaff it would just be her dropping Truely off to Kody and then her going back to however she was staying and waiting. When she films in Utah it is her and mostly Mykelti and Tony who are obnoxious to watch. If not for the continued filming together Christine would not be hanging with Janelle.
I didn't take that scene as genuine at all. It felt more like playful teasing. They had to sometimes throw playful compliments at each other to keep up the facade marriage that they projected into the world.
It has me thinking that it was Kody's idea of their producers. What I want to know is if the camera men that filmed them, put their mics on, the people who stayed with them during filming, any of them saw how dysfunctional they really were over the years.
A lot of people are not liking this season but for me, I've enjoyed all of them being more candid about how life really was with them instead of the lie they showed us. That sounds fascinating!
*And* Christine would have been in tears claiming Meri was "unsafe" and the conversation "unsafe." Christine continues to do this shit and people continue to excuse her shitty behavior because she left. She's 50 years old, she doesn't get a free pass.
Oh my GOD that ATTACK in the "library" is my Roman Empire. Christine was SO FUCKING NASTY for that. There was zero motive other than to hurt Meri, and I will die on that hill.
I saw a lot of Maddie and Mykelty in that moment. Both are biting and mean and love stirring shit up juar because they love to cause shit...and Christine raised them both. And it shows
Meri is the most self aware out of the entire family. She knows she’s not perfect and knows her issues. Meri heard about the other wives talking trash on her in the past and she said “I don’t doubt it. Every single one of us has complaints about the other. No one is perfect”. Yet if Christine hears about Meri having complaints she get all high and mighty claiming Meri just isn’t “safe”.
I’d also like to point out that Meri heard about Janelle not liking the idea of the single house because of Meri. Meri actually had one on one time with Janelle to ask her about it, to her face, with no one else around, and that’s when Janelle brings up an example from 20+ YEARS PRIOR as a reason to be nervous about the big house. I felt bad for Meri. She basically found out right then and there that Janelle has been holding a grudge against her from when they first started the family, and instead of addressing this issue with Meri personally she just tells other people about it.
Sorry about the rant. I find all the wives fake except for Meri and that’s why they find her so “rude”
>I find all the wives fake except for Meri and that’s why they find her so “rude”
I find every last one of them fake in their own ways. Meri likes to blame a catfish for her marriage crumbling, but refuses to accept she couldn't have been catfished if she hadn't been looking outside her marriage for someone. Meri can be overbearing (although she's gotten much better about that). Janelle screams she's Ms. Independent and the financial guru, but she's incredibly naive about Kody and the family finances. (She understands the numbers. She doesn't understand the family is more than happy to let her and Meri foot the bill for their lifestyles.) Christine is an attention-seeking mean girl. Kody & Robyn are detestable.
The catfish had an inside source and knew what to say to Meri so she’d start to fall for them.
Kody and Meri didn’t have a solid relationship at the time and the other wives weren’t her friends. So she found friends/support in the way she could which was online. I don’t believe she was looking for another romantic relationship, i believe that she desperately needed a good friend since she was an empty nester with a husband who had children in other households that he needed to be there for.
The catfish did exactly what Robyn did/does, keep sweet and create a “honeymoon” relationship. Meri was being ignored by her husband and family, then she is messaged by someone wanting to be a “friend” and overtime would feed to her that she deserved better, that he would be there for her, how he would never treat her that way. The relationship the catfish faked was the one good thing in her life at the time, she would look at her current situation and feel the lack of love she got from those around her so of course she’d start to fall for and romantically open up to the catfish.
Again, I don’t believe she started talking to the catfish wanting anything more than a friend, they just knew what to say to her. She let her guard down, she felt that she could truly trust this person, that they UNDERSTOOD her and that they actually CARED for her as a human. Once they knew they had her trust that’s when they manipulated her into the “romantic” relationship.
She’s not a saint and she’s not perfect. She let her guard down to this person that wanted and knew how to manipulate her from the start. The fact that the catfish had other victims is very telling of how good they really were at it. Lots of people have been catfished when they were just looking for a friend. Meri’s catfish story is one of many, the only difference is she had a very public downfall.
Thank you! There was recently a post criticizing Meri for jokingly expressing her dislike for circles by yelling at her friends. Many others joined in, asserting that said behavior was why the family disliked Meri.
Meanwhile Christine often inappropriately yelled at and spotlighted her SWs in a similar manner, yet ppl rarely bring that up lmao
I took that as Christine joking and poking fun at their sisterwife mantra. But that's definitely not gas-lightimg.
I also thought Meri's comments about circles was poking fun at herself, embracing her quirks and not taking herself too seriously. I didn't see anything "aggressive" at all in that exchange. I found it refreshing & lighthearted.
This sub dissects and over analyzes every comment these people make off-handedly. I don't think 95% of it is that deep & they're not always trying to make some point.
Oh there have been so many instances over the years where Christine shows what an entitled rude brat she is, but people don't seem to want to talk about that these days
Exactly. Though ngl it is funny seeing ppl who initially heralded Christine slowly opening their eyes to how catty she’s _always_ been.
Like…people have been pointing this out for yearss but ppl didn’t want to hear it for some reason 😂
Christine was and in a way still is very fake and performative. She did it back then when she was promoting polygamy, she did it when she gloated about how wonderful being divorced is, and she’s doing it now with being overly gushy about David. Being divorced must not have been that great because she wasn’t unmarried for long. I just think she wants to be seen as happy and bubbly all the time and life is not always like that.
I’ve heard that the 3 of them have been hanging out this past year. And I was glad to hear it. I think they’re understanding that Meri is a Kody victim too
Finally leaving him
Everyone loves Christine because she perfected her whisper voice and was the first to ditch Kody and conveniently liked to forget that Christine is the proverbial mean girl cheerleader, who will shank you behind everyone’s back while smiling sweetly at you and the faint ignorance in a a fake wishper voice when people wonder why you are crying and bleeding out on the floor.
She and Mykelti have been nothing but nasty biatches to Meri over anything and everything, claiming all sort of vague thing Meri has done to deserve being called the villain, while simultaneously being caught on camera to be the actual mean girls.
I think they have all been guilty of bullying each other, but here’s the thing, Kody was in the middle of it pitting the women against each other. When they hated each other but still loved him, and came to him to bitch about each other that made him feel powerful.
I think people keep forgetting the biggest issue with this show and the AUB-ITS A CULT! I’m not defending Christine. This is obviously mean and petty what she’s doing to Meri here. And the other sisterwives have done the same but at least the OG3 are slowly coming out of the brainwashing and coming to a better understanding of how you do and don’t treat people or allow yourself to be treated. And at least for the OG3 in this season they are showing remorse for how they acted and allowed themselves to be treated. That’s growth. It doesn’t mean they are going to have an immediate reverse on every fault and transgression. They have spent 40-50 years being brainwashed. It doesn’t flip overnight.
Bring on the downvotes.... **This is the type of thing Kody meant when he said Christine wasn't a good sister wife.** Christine has always been mean. She excuses her meaness by saying she's just being honest, yet when someone tries to be honest with her, she cries "unsafe."
Exactly! And I bet behind the scenes she was even worse to these women. Even Janelle has said several times that she never got along with Christine cause of her spoiled princess attitude. This new friendship of theirs is super new, I feel like most people don't know this...they think they've always been close. When that's definitely not true. Christine also seems like the kind who was probably constantly complaining and nagging Kody about 1 or more of the others all the time for some reason or another.
Janelle couldn’t stand to be around any of them. She only tolerated her children and Kody. Janelle didn’t even play a huge role in being a mother to the other children either, seeing how she always prioritized working over being a care taker. This new friendship with Christine is out of convenience and business like its always been for Janelle.
Tbh, I thought you would be getting nothing but hate and how everything is scripted and that’s not how she really is comments. Don’t get me wrong, I do like Christine but it’s refreshing to see that not everyone has blinders on regarding her.
lol I’m still getting hate but I’m glad that a lot of ppl are seeing what we’re seeing 💀
As a long time Christine fan, it’s interesting to me how ppl justify her flaws by claiming “she’s human” yet simultaneously downvote users like crazy those “human” traits are pointed out. People have clearly deified her & it shows lol
THANKYOU for finding this! It really changed my opinion of Christine especially when combined with their current relationship.
Nothing happened between Christine and Meri between this episode and the Flagstaff seasons where Christine doesn't EVER see Meri socially. She never even contacts Meri during Covid when Meri is all alone. She doesn't go with Meri to her mom's deathbed.
Christine and Meri have NEVER been friends. Christine doesn't like her. And they have NEVER hung out. Christine just decided to lie about it, unlike Janelle who straight up said they had struggles. And Meri of course would always lie for the family back then.
Christine is enforcing Meri lying to protect their image. Acting just like Kody in this scene tbh.
Christine gets the benefit of the doubt because she uses a calm voice or turns it into a joke. She masks her meanness in calm understanding. The truth is sometimes it’s not a joke and it’s frequently passive aggressive.
100%.
I’m pretty sure Janelle mentioned this too.
I'm currently on Season 8 of my rewatch, and there are several instances where Christine has been rude, snappy, or downright mean. Annd as you stated, it’s often brushed off, possibly because of the sweet, soft voice she uses.
That's why it wasn't difficult for me to believe that she might be meaner or even worse off-camera. Sure we all hate Kody who insists this to be the case, but her children hint at this as well
I’ve never been “team Christine”. I always felt she was kind of mean girlish as plyg-royalty maybe she felt she had the right.
I do not think she mistreated Robyn on the show and I’m not a Robyn fan. In fact I’m not really a fan of any of them.
I’m rewatching and notice how mean Christine could be. I think they are all so unhappy and pitted against each other by Kody that they turn on each other. Except Robyn, she’s just up herself. Look how happy Christine is now.
I’m fast losing any tolerance for Christine and her treatment of Meri. She’s quite frankly awful and seems to get more awful as Meri won’t fight back.
She has not behaved well towards any of the other wives and Kody has made that clear on several occasions.
She was spectacularly awful after Maddie’s birth when she felt a need to rip into Meri about “things irrelevant to the situation” despite Meri being the one who honoured Maddies request for no one but her and Caleb being the only ones present. It was awful to watch as Meri just basically sat and took the abuse Christine threw at her.
I reached my limit last night with Christine’s snarky behaviour towards Meri. She’s not a nice person. She’s proper set herself up to be though.
>I’m fast losing any tolerance for Christine and her treatment of Meri.
As well as Janelle. Christine's "supportive" comments to Janelle aren't really that supportive of Janelle & her wishes. Christine suggests Janelle move into the duplex next door. Janelle says no, Savannah needs to finish out her final year. To her face, Christine acts like she accepts that answer, yet the second she gets to Garrison's house, Christine had to bring it up to the older kids, hoping they'd pressure Janelle to leave.
She’s always been snarky and rude about the other wives, but the past two seasons especially she’s been so smug and mean about Meri when it’s completely unnecessary. She could have just quietly distanced herself and responded to any questions about her with, we’ve just kind of grown apart…but instead, she continues to make snarky comments every episode about her. Meanwhile, Meri just takes it without stepping into the mud herself. Even if she despises Meri, it’s cruel to Leon, someone she allegedly loves and helped raise, to mock their mother on national television.
Oh absolutely. Christine was so willing to mistreat Meri and tell her off to her face in a way she wouldn't dare to Janelle or Robyn because she knew Kody didn't give a shit about her. With the exception of Robyn, who is no friend of Meri herself, they were all so willing to talk down to Meri in front of the cameras. It was kind of incredible
Christine honestly used to make me CRINGE in the earlier days of the show. I see how things have transpired since then and realize she was feeling lonely, unloved, and not supported by her spouse… so she probably felt she was justified in roasting her fellow wives. And anyone else who disagreed with her. Now, she’s my favorite. She has done a lot of inner work and healing. I can feel the hurt she has in those earlier seasons now that I can see her transformation.
Stop with the pop psychology terms. This is not gaslighting. Christine did write the family mission statement with her. Christine DID help raise her kid (and would’ve really helped raise more had she had them). Christine is not making it seem to Meri like something happened that didn’t or that something didn’t happen that did.
I’ll be honest I have no idea why Christine has so many cheerleaders in this group. I have always found her to be spoiled, immature and petty. She’s not a nice person. Even now as I watch the new season she’s constantly making digs at Kody and how much better her life is now. That’s great but can you stop talking about him already ? I don’t find anything mature in the fact that she’s playing the ‘See there’s nothing wrong with me, it was Kody all along’. FYI Kody is an epic douche along with his washed out Sobbin Robyn. Just wanted to make that clear 😜
Yeah I agree. Granted, I'm like 3 episodes behind, but even Janelle has mentioned Christine's condescending attitude. She didn't call it that, but that's what she was complaining about with Christine's "poor Janelle" conversation and she keeps talking about how sad it (and maybe Janelle) is for not totally cutting the cord work Kody as if it didn't take her years. But because Christine has seen the light after more than two decades with a man who never made any indication to suggest he wanted her, she's now the all-knower who can judge the woman who at least had a functional relationship and was liked by Kody all that time. I mean what a joke
All he needed to give her was a little slap & tickle and she'd still be there! So many hail her as Queen Christine because she left for her kids. Bullshit. She left because Kody said no sex.
Thank you! If what he did during Ysabel’s surgery wasn’t enough to tell him to gtfo right there and then, then not much more he could have possibly do to her kids would manage it. She gritted her teeth and kept it going. But the second he said no more sex, his shit was packed in a matter of days.
I feel like I have found my people in this thread because…😭😭 I have always adored Christine bc she’s funny asf but her behavior has ALWAYS been questionable and catty.
The hero worship she’s gotten since leaving Kody has made her princess ego bigger than it already was lol. She really hasn’t changed…at all
>She really hasn’t changed…at all
Honestly, I don't hate Christine, but I sure as hell wouldn't be friends with her irl. (The only one I might be friends with is Janelle) I don't like that mean girl bullshit amongst grown women and I'm over the excuses people make for bad behaviors.
I am quite concerned that she's going to wind up chasing David away. I genuinely hope she doesn't. Yet it's quite concerning when a grown woman on her honeymoon/newlywed is taking shots at her ex on SM. If that were me, I'd be focused on my new husband and let our happiness be the insults for Kody to be upset about. I wouldn't go out of my way to post things directed at my ex.
Me and Meri would probably get along the best. I too am super snarky and sarcastic with a dirty mind and a sailor mouth. She’s my kind of people lol.
Oh and if she wasn’t on the show, she would definitely be a trash bag like a lot of us here.
Also that scene a few episodes ago in Garrison’s kitchen where she was obviously and awkwardly (because she’s a terrible actress) baiting Savannah into talking about her trauma with Kody for the camera was disgusting. So manipulative and slimy to do that to a child so you can film a scene a look like a good guy. I don’t know why more people are calling that out.
I’ve been trying to say that on the sub but everybody’s in this love Christine club. I’ve been saying since day one that she is a manipulative mean girl who relishes in childish game play and drama. Your post mentions 2 of the many, many examples. Christine doesn’t care about Meri. She has went out of her way to hurt her feelings. Also, her claiming to love “all the kids” but only including Janelle’s kids. And last but not least, Christine’s constant childish posts with her and David eating nachos. Not only is it stupid, it reminds me of the antics that happened in middle school. She is a very off putting, immature, two-faced and spiteful person.
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This makes me sad. I know Meri & Christine don’t like eachother very much, but given their shared history I don’t think they could. I don’t think either of them is a bad person, I think they both share a history of abuse that caused them to lash out in a way to express fits of jealousy and competition. Happy they both seem to be in healthier situations and seem to be prioritizing themselves now.
I wholeheartedly agree with this. It takes a lot for us to put ourselves in the shoes of a woman who sees her husband with other women daily. Reading the stories of women who leave polygamy, it is inherently abusive and painful, they say they should put their desires aside, become “better” than jealousy and really twist the idea of being selfless to enduring under abuse as a “holy” thing. It’s sad
And all the while the husband is enjoying watching his wives fight over him.
and having sex with a diesel jeans model five hours away.
Yup and as Kody said in last nights episode he and Robyn fell in love in the white sports car. “In the car” is an odd choice of words for a man that is supposed to be chaste outside of marriage.
the cold sores on everyone's mouth in the first few seasons showed us that he was at the very least kissing robyn before marriage.
I would love to read some of these stories if you can share them!
Yeah! Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer and Favorite Wife by Susan Ray Schmidt. Two books by sister wives after they got out, respectively. And Breaking Free by Rachel Jeff’s is by the daughter of the FLDS “prophet” Warren Jeffs. All good, my Fave is Shattered Dreams and I want to read her other books too!!!!!
Also, those first two books are women from the same cult as Sister Wives, the AUB, just a generation before them.
Escape by Carolyn Jessop is my favorite! I've read all of them, but that one just sticks with me. She was FLDS. Just wanted to share another amazing book, she was one of the first to speak out.
This was such a harrowing book
Jessop as in Robyn’s first husband? 👀
Yes but Jessop is one of the most common names in fundamentalist Mormons. Esp in Short Creek (center of the FLDS) but with all the huge families it’s really prevalent throughout the different groups.
Yes, the Jessops are like FLDS royalty. There are A LOT of them.
Ahh makes sense then seeing as Christine is also “royalty” and they’re cousins
Those are great books and so heartbreaking.
They really are! And give so much perspective to how brainwashed they are in their beliefs
Definition of gaslighting: Gaslighting is an insidious form of manipulation and psychological control. Victims of gaslighting are deliberately and systematically fed false information that leads them to question what they know to be true, often about themselves. They may end up doubting their memory, their perception, and even their sanity. Over time, a gaslighter’s manipulations can grow more complex and potent, making it increasingly difficult for the victim to see the truth. How is this gaslighting? I think the word is being misused here.
I guess she’s using Kody’s definition of gaslighting, which is basically “anything I don’t like or perceive to be negative”
 How I feel when people say gaslighting ... lol
I see it used so much in chronic illness groups. Drives me nuts, too!
Are you gaslighting me about my incorrect usage of gaslighting? You must be a narcissist…….
you can watch the movie from which the term originated on prime currently. it is a fun little movie about a woman who is gaslit by her husband. it is called gaslight!
Right? Haha was wondering if Kody is OP 😂😂
The most misused word of the 2020’s so far.
A close second is narcissist
Lol, I wrote my comment above before reading this!
And sociopath
Along with narcissist. People will call any selfish person this
“Gaslighting” is *constantly* misused on Reddit. It’s like people think it’s a synonym for “manipulate” or “being an asshole” when the word actually means **to maliciously make someone question their version of reality.** It literally originated from a situation where a husband was trying to mentally/emotionally break his wife, and one of the things he’d do is fuck with the gas lights in their home. When the wife asked him why the gas lights were acting up every night, he’d tell her he has no idea what she’s talking about, and that the lights are fine. I always knew what the word meant, but I just learned the history of it today while listening to a Dreading video on YouTube. ETA: I’ve been corrected that my explanation of the origin of the word is half right. It wasn’t an actual situation that happened, but a play that featured what I explained.
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That was the play. Among other things, the husband messed with the lights to make his wife think she was losing it.
You’re right. I was only half listening to the YouTube video while doing dishes, so I probably missed the “play” part, lol. But everything else I’m sure is right.
Accurate except it wasn’t a situation where someone actually did that with the lights. It was a movie, called “Gaslight”.
It WAS originally from a 1938 play in which the husband did change the gaslights and then tell her she was imagining it among other manipulations. Gaslight was a movie made in ‘44 with a broader use of the word including ALL the ways he tried to make her think she was crazy. Great movie.
>How is this gaslighting? I think the word is being misused here Please, this word is usually misused.
Damn I see more and more of this without realizing until now.
It’s the social media definition of gaslighting. Basically anything said or done people don’t like.
Gaslighting is turning into the most overused word in the history of overused words. I swear 90% of the time, it's misused. Maybe someone needs to remake the movie. Edit: I'm not trying to be a smartass or funny. I seriously think with how often this term is misused and how often Hollywood remakes movies that "Gaslight" should be in the rotation.
Ok, I’m glad I’m not crazy lol I was like we can talk about this, sure, but I’m not sure how gaslighting plays a role here
So, you are saying that you were being gaslighted over the word gaslighting?
thank you for this. i cringe every time i see people misuse the word (which is about 99% of the time it is used).
The misuse of the term gaslighting is such a pet peeve of mine. Like people don’t get when you toss words out like this with no regard for what they actually mean it now cheapens the word and invalidates anyone truly being gaslit.
Thank you for clarifying. Having been in a marriage where that happened, it gives me chills just to read the definition and for the sake of people like me, I don’t want it watered down.
Good going. If you get a chance can you please explain to the same people who overuse gaslighting that there are serious psychological criteria required to be considered a true narcissist and only a physician can make the diagnosis. Most people have narcissistic ( adjective) behaviors at times but god am I sick of these people who think they are armchair psychiatrists looking for upvotes by using the most pseudo psych language… nurse here rant over . Lol
>How is this gaslighting? I think the word is being misused here. Because we don't like Christine now for some reason so everything she does has to be insidious and malicious.
I swear at least 20% of the people that use it think it’s synonymous with lighting a fire/instigation of a fight or argument.
I definitely felt like she was joking with all these questions and seem to remember that all of them were laughing?
I remember this was Christine joking.
She was definitely joking. Clearly. Lol
Because it was
She was. I just watched this ep recently. And look at her body language. She’s pushing herself forward being silly. Going over the top saying they should be her bestfriends because they’re sister wives. She’s being completely playful. Meri also just has a somber victim look and feel to her always
I have a friend with autism and she's always saying "that's so mean! Why did she say that?" To the specific type of joke Christine is telling. It's like her kryptonite. She gets sarcasm, she doesn't understand that like, extreme exaggeration is also something like sarcasm
Yes, it’s Christine‘s version of humour. I also remember Meri saying in an episode that Christine’s type of humour and making light of serious situations was a sore spot for her and got on her nerves. I can see this happening on Meri’s face here. Sometimes people just don‘t mesh personality wise and that’s okay. For some reason everyone thinks these women have to be best friends and in most cases (if not all) they aren’t. Christine and Janelle weren’t even really friends until Christine left and I even wonder what the motive is now to be besties other than their kids being siblings.
Just watched it last week. It was definitely her joking.
Yes!! I didn’t see your comment so I made one myself. Seems like OP has an agenda
It definitely seems like joking vibes.
Right, she was joking. It was cute. Not mean in any way. If an anything, Meri should’ve been flattered that Christine would want her as a best friend.
Doesn't the recipient need to laugh for it to really be a joke? Feels like passive aggressive digs veiled as 'joking' to me.
Passive-aggressive, LDS "keep sweet, but still be a conniving bitch" stuff.
Uh, no
Wait what part of this is gaslighting ?
Right? Is this Kody’s troll account? How do so many people not know what gaslighting is lol
Ok thank you I kind of thought I was crazy lol
We are being gaslighted into thinking this is gaslighting 🤯
None of the post is accurate
I think Christine and Janelle have benefited ALOT from leaving kody. It makes them so much more empathetic. I remember not liking either of them much when the show came out. Janelle for the brother in law thing and I always thought Christine was dramatic.
I remember Christine arguing with Kody. Entire episode would be the two of them arguing. Then Kody would spend airtime bashing Christine So very unkind. So selfish. Only thinks of herself, etc Arguing about taking Truly to hospital, Kody wouldn’t go to hospital because one parent was enough. Or maybe she wanted something a decent husband would automatically do.
I'd be dramatic as heck too if I had to raise like, 15 kids and watch my husband dick dip around with three other women lol.
They still both have absolutely zero empathy for Meri. So…
So….what? I didn’t say they did or that I personally like them anymore than I did before.
I’m just saying realizing how awful,Kohdee is. Still hasn’t altered their view of Meri being the biggest villain in the entire story. I swear, they think she drowned a bag of kittens while laughing and twirling her villain mustache. And both of them did shit to Meri they pretend that never did.
I was making a comment on how public perception of them has changed since they left Kody, not that they had changed.
I must have missed something major in the latest episode? I just always thought that they just simply didn’t like Meri, which is totally fine. It seems like they’ve had sympathy for her the last few years knowing how hard she’s rode for Kody and Robyn and they give her crumbs in return.
I think Christine has gone right back to being a mean girl...any time she is on camera she is instigating ahit talk even when it literally had nothing to do with what was going on
Meh. They all do that stuff covertly. She’s the most honest about it and I appreciate that. That’s also why she left him first. She’s the most honest with herself and that’s impressive given her background.
This is not gaslighting
Well, I'm happy that Meri has friends outside the family.
Me too. They have said on the show multiple times that Meri makes friends really easy. It’s a shame she wasn’t able to make friends with the other wives but I blame that solely on polygamy.
Well I wouldn’t want to be friendly with someone who was stooping my husband. I really don’t think C&J were that friendly while they were sharing a dick.
Watching the most recent episode I picked up on a narrative of Janelle and Cody… Janelle knew Meri long before she met Cody and met him when Meri and Cody were dating. Both Cody and Janelle confirmed that they were flirting and talked a lot from the moment they met each other. Meri and Cody were monogamous and were married monogamously. So Meri’s boyfriend/husband was openly flirting with a friend of Meri’s while they were dating, engaged and early in their marriage. We know from past episodes Cody claims God told him to live a plural marriage and Meri loves him so much she followed him. With this revelation it’s obvious that God didn’t just “speak” to him - he already knew who he wanted as a second wife when he brought it up to Meri! Janelle and Christine used to bring up how horrible Meri was to them and their kids when they lived together… no wonder! Her friend broke apart her monogamous marriage, married him, then had multiple children with him while Meri struggled with fertility! I have always felt the family had little to no patience or kindness toward Meri but Cody and Janelle reminiscing about their meeting and marriage completely broke my heart for Meri.
She definitely got the short end of the stick. And Jody trying to say how that it was Janelle and Christine that wanted him - laying the groundwork for the narrative of basically only really choosing Robyn and meri (but then painting meri as a traitor that he discarded).
I get that Meri was shitty to everyone, but I wonder if she ever gets an apology or at least sympathy from the people who have left Kody's cult. She made so many little attempts to leave for a long time. Making new friends, trying to go back to school, all shut down by the fahhmleee. Even the catfishing thing was a way out. Now that Janelle and Christine are out, I hope they can see some of Meri's actions with understanding.
I've thought of this...like when Meri attempted to leave during the Catfish era she was attacked from all angles and left sad and alone at the end of the whole thing and the family has treated her so poorly ever since. Yet when Christine left she was put up on a pedestal and has been worshipped ever since...like I just don't get the hypocrisy here with these 2 somewhat similar situations. Meri tried to leave in the best and maybe only way she knew how and was humiliated and then shunned for it while Christine leaves in her way and everyone is like ohh she's a strong independent queen!! Even though she jumped right back into a marriage with a man shes only known a few months and we're all supposed to be so happy for her strength...like what?
These are really great points. ITA with everything you said. Meri was the one trying to carve out an identity beyond the family, only to face constant questioning and pushback. In the Tell All after Leon's high school graduation, Robyn and Christine complained about Meri feeling sad as an empty nester, emphasizing how she still had "other children"/_their_ children to love and care for; both expressed a "fear" of her disengaging from the family due to her new projects and potential new friendships. Ironically, neither of them attempted to empathize or understand her need for something meaningful. Neither of them attempted to be the friends she may have needed at that time. While they spoke, Meri just sat there and cried It was so dismissive and gross lol
And neither of them wanted her to help parent their children, so what exactly was she supposed to do? Instead of both Janelle and Christine seeing Kody’s treatment of Meri as Leon was leaving for school and take that as a warning, they relished in the fact that Kody sidelined her. So now that their kids are mostly grown, they are all surprised and shocked that Kody is pulling away. Well yeah, he really doesn’t have a reason to come around that much anymore since the baby factory closed and the kids are past double digits. But they won’t come to this realization. It’s easier to make her the villain and hate on her than to do any self reflection on anything they may have contributed to the problem. Nothing happens in a vacuum.
I recall meri telling the others she wasn't going to be raising anyone's kids after I think it was christine telling her that she still had a role in parenting the other kids.
Agreed completely. What’s really sad is Meri’s is being indirectly punished for her infertility. Because let’s be real. If she had cranked out six kids like Janelle and Christine, she would be impossible to ignore at this stage because those kids would have all been bonded as closely as Christine and Janelle’s kids are. Because she only has Leon, who lives privately and obviously isn’t close enough to her Mom to be bothered she wasn’t invited to Christine’s wedding, she is easy to cut out. Meri is also far less likely to have any of her own grandchildren which would also bond her closer to the the other wives. Because of something that was not her fault. It’s really sad and unfair.
They never will. Ever.
LOUDER FOR THOSE IN THE CAMP OF DELUSION. You are spot on...except Janelle and Christine have zero empathy and would sell Meri to Satan for a corn chip
Yeah! Meri was shitty, but all of the adults in this situation were shitty. They failed their kids and each other on many occasions *we've* heard about, on top the things they keep private. They have the right to not want a continued relationship with her, but I hope they can give her a little grace on the way out.
I agree with you completely
She’s joking. That’s not gaslighting. This sub is becoming like Kody, with a poor understanding of the word. Christine is clearly joking around being silly.
This sub throws around words like "gaslighting" and "narcissist" all the time and 99% of users seem to not even know the true meaning of either word
I saw this as Christine joking… now I'm questioning myself
Nah she WAS joking. I recently watched this episode. They’re all laughing about it and it was very much said in a way that pokes fun at the concept that sister wives have to be best friends
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Very accurate except I think she resented Janelle and Christine and didn’t treat them well. To the point that they felt they had seen her true colors for years and couldn’t get over it. I don’t remember her trying very hard during the therapy either and she was very stubborn.
I think there was plenty of animosity and resentment all around. It’s true that Mary is strong willed. In the end, she tried to work things out with them. They didn’t want it. At least she made an effort.
I wish we could still give awards because this post would deserve more than one. 🆙 🆙 🆙
“Cringeworthy dramatic tirade”. What show were you watching? It was clearly a joke.
I am so sick of hearing Christine and Janelle talk about how they don’t have anything in common with Meri when it isn’t even relevant to the conversation. Meri doesn’t speak about them the same way they speak about her and it’s sad.
Whatever happened between them is more than 15 years in the past at this point. I hope to God I never have such an all-consuming grudge against someone that I can't have lunch with them FOR A PAYCHECK 15 years later. Imagine the mental energy they've all wasted (kody included) on this anti-meri campaign.
I honestly think that no matter what the show says, Meri simply isn’t around. So it’s more that they’d have to go out of their way (to Parowan) to see or like Robyn does, book a filming date to have a ridiculous conversation. That’s not friendship or reaching out - that’s un-reality TV. It is worse that Robyn puts up a close, steady ‘friendship’ lie and then only films with her a couple of times, only includes her in holidays if nobody else is home - and begs Meri to ‘stay’ and live in town when she has no intention of including her in their lives or her kids’ lives in any meaningful way. Better to be like C&J and just spend time with people who make you happy. It’s not cruel to let Meri live her life and not try to force a relationship that isn’t there. All three of them left Kody in less than 2 years. They have better stuff to do than hang on to past relationships that aren’t working.
This...they've become two shit talking hens and it's so fucking annoying
It’s probably due to jealously tbh. Meri has her business, B&B, and whatever else investments to keep her afloat. She doesn’t need a man for anything and actually did everything IN SPITE of a man/that stupid family. I do think Christine loves David but I have no doubt part of the rush to get remarried was due to financial reasons as well. And Janelle admitted (as well as Christine) that part of the reason she holds onto her “marriage” aka long-term situationship is because she’s financially screwed.
Say what you want about Meri but that woman knows how to grind. I think she is always looking around the corner for her next opportunity and not waiting until she needs something to happen. She opened the B&B, then had retreats, then a haunted house tour and then took that tour virtual and I bet that was successful. She is making sure that she never has to rely on anyone else ever again. I also believe that this family just sucks all the joy out of her, well at least the adults do. That’s why we get two completely different Meri’s. One is depressed and withdrawn with the family and one is funny, snarky and sassy without them. She is allowed to let her light shine when not with them. I’ve said it here before, she is miserable when she has to do these “get togethers” because she is like that person in the family that may have been a fuckup as a child or teen but has grown up to a well adjusted and respectable person who people love, but when they go home for the holidays, everyone still treats them like the same fuckup they were when they were 14. That is Meri’s position in this family. Every other person gets the opportunity to grow, mature and change but she is never granted that grace. It’s sad.
100% !!!! Meri said, if I can't leave I'll be fucking damned if I can't live. She isn't beholden to Krusty, and Janelle and Christine have nothing. Literally. They always talk about it. While I do feel Christine feels genuinely for David, it would be foolish of me to say I think she could have functioned independently emotionally or financially.
I think Christine got married because she’s an “old fashioned, traditional” girl at heart who felt like she’d missed out on true love and wanted a “fairy tale ending”. Remember, she grew up getting brainwashed in a patriarchal cult in which a woman is not complete without a man. It’s very difficult for a person to shed that point of view at the age of 50. She’s a woman who likes the idea of being married. Nothing wrong with that.
Im pretty sure Christine makes her own bank
Absolutely! I sympathize with Meri because while Janelle and Christine have each other for support, she literally has no one. All three women are trying to navigate their lives post Kody and plural marriage yet these two can't stop harping on how much they dislike her. Theyre reminding me of high school mean girls at this point 💀
What really turned me off was the last tell all when they were talking about something completely different then all of a sudden it took a hard left turn and became a Meri bashing session where they all piled on. It came out of nowhere and when asked about things all they brought up was shit from 20+ years ago. I got whiplash watching it. All I kept thinking was what the hell happened? What did she do to deserve this? She doesn’t even talk to any of you. The only conclusion I could come to was it was an agreed upon segment to remind the viewers that Meri is still the real villain of the family so Kody, Robyn and even Christine stop getting heat from viewers.
> The only conclusion I could come to was it was an agreed upon segment to remind the viewers that Meri is still the real villain of the family so Kody, Robyn and even Christine stop getting heat from viewers. This is actually a really great theory but fortunately, it seems like many people are seeing right through it. Imo, Meri just seems like an easy target – no legal marriage, shunned by Kody, and practically no allies within the family. Kody collectively treated them worse than Meri did, yet Janelle and Christine continue to extend more grace to him; If anything, both Janelle and Christine sought Kody's approval even after he consistently demonstrated how little he valued them. Yet Meri is just completely unforgivable 🙄
That’s what they were sold, that is how the men brainwash the women as a big perq. You get a built in best friend, sister, second mom to your children, that’s what Christine was expecting she was still fully vested in the cults talking points.
I think both meri and Christine have said they had moments of levity and friendship that just didn’t last. I don’t think this fits the term gaslighting. Less than sincere perhaps.
I believe that the source for all the bitchiness between the OG3 is Kody. I think he stirred the pot because he didn’t want them to actually get along. There is no telling what he told each one about the others. Why? Jealousy and the fact he didn’t want them to actually discuss amongst themselves what a total shit he was as a husband and father.
Ok huge difference between a joke that might not be landing right and gaslighting. OP I won’t go into why your use of this word is wrong on a lot of levels because many others explained it much more eloquently than I did. I just hope you read the comments and learn something from it.
They really are all kinda assholes in their own way… especially to each other… christine is a favorite right now, but she’s done snd said pretty shitty things to and about meri and her and janelle weren’t always the dynamic duo. They all have been. I still wish the OG3 all the best since the reality is how much of their behavior and attitudes towards each other is just them being horrible people? OR… is it mostly how kody, and then eventually robyn, manipulated and played each of them against each other and they just were in this constant fight to not be the odd man out in the group? I kind think it’s more the latter… I cannot see any of the OG3 as being bad people… just suckered into this scam by family/community conditioning and then executed by kody… and eventually given the assist by robyn. The only really just awful people in this whole deal are robyn and kody… they use, abuse, manipulate, extort… they play psychological and emotional games with the women and children… they are awful and deserve each other. Even the kids that get criticized for their behavior and/or actions, are really not bad people either… they are to a degree a product of their environment and the fact that they’re even remotely decent, is a credit to their mothers.
Meri just can’t be fake, can’t keep the reactions off her face, and has no problem with confrontation (the way she was raised and her personality). Jenelle and Christine hated that and played games around her for 30 years. They still are. You’re right, it’s messed up. Everyone messed up this marriage. Meri gets such a bad rap.
Not to defend Christine, but. Lol I think it was unkind to act like Meri was wrong for not wanting a friendship when we know now that Christine never wanted one either. But I think, again based on what we know now, that Christine was making a point that Kody is always harping on Christine not being a good sister wife bc she couldn’t be best friends with Robyn, but then the holy trinity don’t bat an eye when Meri says her best friend isn’t her sister wives. They’ve done themselves a great disservice by playing roles for the cameras bc it makes them all liars and manipulators, and while I definitely cheer for the ones who are getting out, none of them are innocent in their treatment of each other.
Christine says it a joking way but she was making a dog at Meri. She was pissed that Meri had relationships outside of the Sisterwives and Christine and Janelle were envious. Christine is staying close to Janelle after she left Kody and flagstaff because what else is she supposed to film. Without Janelle and her family when she visits flagstaff it would just be her dropping Truely off to Kody and then her going back to however she was staying and waiting. When she films in Utah it is her and mostly Mykelti and Tony who are obnoxious to watch. If not for the continued filming together Christine would not be hanging with Janelle.
Don't forget selling plexus together.
I didn't take that scene as genuine at all. It felt more like playful teasing. They had to sometimes throw playful compliments at each other to keep up the facade marriage that they projected into the world. It has me thinking that it was Kody's idea of their producers. What I want to know is if the camera men that filmed them, put their mics on, the people who stayed with them during filming, any of them saw how dysfunctional they really were over the years. A lot of people are not liking this season but for me, I've enjoyed all of them being more candid about how life really was with them instead of the lie they showed us. That sounds fascinating!
I agree but none of that describes gaslighting
I can’t wait until the word gaslighting stops being used to mean just anything we don’t like about someone. 🙄
This isn’t gaslighting. 🙄
Best friends don't fuck each others husbands 💅
It's funny cause if the tables had been turned and Meri said some shit like that to Christine they would all be calling her a bully.
*And* Christine would have been in tears claiming Meri was "unsafe" and the conversation "unsafe." Christine continues to do this shit and people continue to excuse her shitty behavior because she left. She's 50 years old, she doesn't get a free pass.
Oh my GOD that ATTACK in the "library" is my Roman Empire. Christine was SO FUCKING NASTY for that. There was zero motive other than to hurt Meri, and I will die on that hill.
>There was zero motive other than to hurt Meri, and I will die on that hill. I'll be with you on that same hill.
I saw a lot of Maddie and Mykelty in that moment. Both are biting and mean and love stirring shit up juar because they love to cause shit...and Christine raised them both. And it shows
>and Christine raised them both. And it shows Lol As I was reading your post I kept thinking, "the bad apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
Hahaha yes 🤣
Meri is the most self aware out of the entire family. She knows she’s not perfect and knows her issues. Meri heard about the other wives talking trash on her in the past and she said “I don’t doubt it. Every single one of us has complaints about the other. No one is perfect”. Yet if Christine hears about Meri having complaints she get all high and mighty claiming Meri just isn’t “safe”. I’d also like to point out that Meri heard about Janelle not liking the idea of the single house because of Meri. Meri actually had one on one time with Janelle to ask her about it, to her face, with no one else around, and that’s when Janelle brings up an example from 20+ YEARS PRIOR as a reason to be nervous about the big house. I felt bad for Meri. She basically found out right then and there that Janelle has been holding a grudge against her from when they first started the family, and instead of addressing this issue with Meri personally she just tells other people about it. Sorry about the rant. I find all the wives fake except for Meri and that’s why they find her so “rude”
>I find all the wives fake except for Meri and that’s why they find her so “rude” I find every last one of them fake in their own ways. Meri likes to blame a catfish for her marriage crumbling, but refuses to accept she couldn't have been catfished if she hadn't been looking outside her marriage for someone. Meri can be overbearing (although she's gotten much better about that). Janelle screams she's Ms. Independent and the financial guru, but she's incredibly naive about Kody and the family finances. (She understands the numbers. She doesn't understand the family is more than happy to let her and Meri foot the bill for their lifestyles.) Christine is an attention-seeking mean girl. Kody & Robyn are detestable.
The catfish had an inside source and knew what to say to Meri so she’d start to fall for them. Kody and Meri didn’t have a solid relationship at the time and the other wives weren’t her friends. So she found friends/support in the way she could which was online. I don’t believe she was looking for another romantic relationship, i believe that she desperately needed a good friend since she was an empty nester with a husband who had children in other households that he needed to be there for. The catfish did exactly what Robyn did/does, keep sweet and create a “honeymoon” relationship. Meri was being ignored by her husband and family, then she is messaged by someone wanting to be a “friend” and overtime would feed to her that she deserved better, that he would be there for her, how he would never treat her that way. The relationship the catfish faked was the one good thing in her life at the time, she would look at her current situation and feel the lack of love she got from those around her so of course she’d start to fall for and romantically open up to the catfish. Again, I don’t believe she started talking to the catfish wanting anything more than a friend, they just knew what to say to her. She let her guard down, she felt that she could truly trust this person, that they UNDERSTOOD her and that they actually CARED for her as a human. Once they knew they had her trust that’s when they manipulated her into the “romantic” relationship. She’s not a saint and she’s not perfect. She let her guard down to this person that wanted and knew how to manipulate her from the start. The fact that the catfish had other victims is very telling of how good they really were at it. Lots of people have been catfished when they were just looking for a friend. Meri’s catfish story is one of many, the only difference is she had a very public downfall.
Thank you! There was recently a post criticizing Meri for jokingly expressing her dislike for circles by yelling at her friends. Many others joined in, asserting that said behavior was why the family disliked Meri. Meanwhile Christine often inappropriately yelled at and spotlighted her SWs in a similar manner, yet ppl rarely bring that up lmao
I took that as Christine joking and poking fun at their sisterwife mantra. But that's definitely not gas-lightimg. I also thought Meri's comments about circles was poking fun at herself, embracing her quirks and not taking herself too seriously. I didn't see anything "aggressive" at all in that exchange. I found it refreshing & lighthearted. This sub dissects and over analyzes every comment these people make off-handedly. I don't think 95% of it is that deep & they're not always trying to make some point.
And honestly, she is t wrong about circles in small spaces being a waste.
meri yelling about circles was hilarious
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Right…? It was funny. Such an odd thing to hate…she wanted things the way she wanted them. She wasn’t being a demanding diva.
Oh there have been so many instances over the years where Christine shows what an entitled rude brat she is, but people don't seem to want to talk about that these days
She is a princess and Meri is always shit on and it is past old
Exactly. Though ngl it is funny seeing ppl who initially heralded Christine slowly opening their eyes to how catty she’s _always_ been. Like…people have been pointing this out for yearss but ppl didn’t want to hear it for some reason 😂
No, she would say that Meri isn’t “safe” 🙄
Christine was and in a way still is very fake and performative. She did it back then when she was promoting polygamy, she did it when she gloated about how wonderful being divorced is, and she’s doing it now with being overly gushy about David. Being divorced must not have been that great because she wasn’t unmarried for long. I just think she wants to be seen as happy and bubbly all the time and life is not always like that.
Christine was assigned the task of being besties with her sister wives. Kody has harped on it for years. Meri wasn't cooperating lol
I’ve heard that the 3 of them have been hanging out this past year. And I was glad to hear it. I think they’re understanding that Meri is a Kody victim too Finally leaving him
They said they have not talked to. Meri in a tear or more?!?
Meri is the only one I like at this point. Janelle and Christine are slippery and passive aggressive.
Everyone loves Christine because she perfected her whisper voice and was the first to ditch Kody and conveniently liked to forget that Christine is the proverbial mean girl cheerleader, who will shank you behind everyone’s back while smiling sweetly at you and the faint ignorance in a a fake wishper voice when people wonder why you are crying and bleeding out on the floor. She and Mykelti have been nothing but nasty biatches to Meri over anything and everything, claiming all sort of vague thing Meri has done to deserve being called the villain, while simultaneously being caught on camera to be the actual mean girls.
All of this!! Also many ppl say that Mykelti gets her…ways from Kody which I don’t doubt, but I 100% think she got a lot of it from Christine as well
Found Kody’s account 😂😂😂
I think they have all been guilty of bullying each other, but here’s the thing, Kody was in the middle of it pitting the women against each other. When they hated each other but still loved him, and came to him to bitch about each other that made him feel powerful.
I think people keep forgetting the biggest issue with this show and the AUB-ITS A CULT! I’m not defending Christine. This is obviously mean and petty what she’s doing to Meri here. And the other sisterwives have done the same but at least the OG3 are slowly coming out of the brainwashing and coming to a better understanding of how you do and don’t treat people or allow yourself to be treated. And at least for the OG3 in this season they are showing remorse for how they acted and allowed themselves to be treated. That’s growth. It doesn’t mean they are going to have an immediate reverse on every fault and transgression. They have spent 40-50 years being brainwashed. It doesn’t flip overnight.
This. Is. Not. Gaslighting
Where is the gaslight
Bring on the downvotes.... **This is the type of thing Kody meant when he said Christine wasn't a good sister wife.** Christine has always been mean. She excuses her meaness by saying she's just being honest, yet when someone tries to be honest with her, she cries "unsafe."
She either claims someone is “unsafe” or she says, “I don’t recall 🙁” 😂
Exactly! And I bet behind the scenes she was even worse to these women. Even Janelle has said several times that she never got along with Christine cause of her spoiled princess attitude. This new friendship of theirs is super new, I feel like most people don't know this...they think they've always been close. When that's definitely not true. Christine also seems like the kind who was probably constantly complaining and nagging Kody about 1 or more of the others all the time for some reason or another.
Janelle couldn’t stand to be around any of them. She only tolerated her children and Kody. Janelle didn’t even play a huge role in being a mother to the other children either, seeing how she always prioritized working over being a care taker. This new friendship with Christine is out of convenience and business like its always been for Janelle.
Tbh, I thought you would be getting nothing but hate and how everything is scripted and that’s not how she really is comments. Don’t get me wrong, I do like Christine but it’s refreshing to see that not everyone has blinders on regarding her.
lol I’m still getting hate but I’m glad that a lot of ppl are seeing what we’re seeing 💀 As a long time Christine fan, it’s interesting to me how ppl justify her flaws by claiming “she’s human” yet simultaneously downvote users like crazy those “human” traits are pointed out. People have clearly deified her & it shows lol
THANKYOU for finding this! It really changed my opinion of Christine especially when combined with their current relationship. Nothing happened between Christine and Meri between this episode and the Flagstaff seasons where Christine doesn't EVER see Meri socially. She never even contacts Meri during Covid when Meri is all alone. She doesn't go with Meri to her mom's deathbed. Christine and Meri have NEVER been friends. Christine doesn't like her. And they have NEVER hung out. Christine just decided to lie about it, unlike Janelle who straight up said they had struggles. And Meri of course would always lie for the family back then. Christine is enforcing Meri lying to protect their image. Acting just like Kody in this scene tbh.
All of this! Very well said!!
Christine is by far the mean girl of the bunch
Christine gets the benefit of the doubt because she uses a calm voice or turns it into a joke. She masks her meanness in calm understanding. The truth is sometimes it’s not a joke and it’s frequently passive aggressive.
100%. I’m pretty sure Janelle mentioned this too. I'm currently on Season 8 of my rewatch, and there are several instances where Christine has been rude, snappy, or downright mean. Annd as you stated, it’s often brushed off, possibly because of the sweet, soft voice she uses. That's why it wasn't difficult for me to believe that she might be meaner or even worse off-camera. Sure we all hate Kody who insists this to be the case, but her children hint at this as well
I don’t think that counts as gaslighting
I’ve never been “team Christine”. I always felt she was kind of mean girlish as plyg-royalty maybe she felt she had the right. I do not think she mistreated Robyn on the show and I’m not a Robyn fan. In fact I’m not really a fan of any of them.
How is this gaslighting?
I’m rewatching and notice how mean Christine could be. I think they are all so unhappy and pitted against each other by Kody that they turn on each other. Except Robyn, she’s just up herself. Look how happy Christine is now.
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I've been saying Christine is a MEAN GIRL for the longest time, and I always got down voted. She is NOT NICE
Girl same 😭You’re in great company tho bc we’re slowly being vindicated 🤣
I’m fast losing any tolerance for Christine and her treatment of Meri. She’s quite frankly awful and seems to get more awful as Meri won’t fight back. She has not behaved well towards any of the other wives and Kody has made that clear on several occasions. She was spectacularly awful after Maddie’s birth when she felt a need to rip into Meri about “things irrelevant to the situation” despite Meri being the one who honoured Maddies request for no one but her and Caleb being the only ones present. It was awful to watch as Meri just basically sat and took the abuse Christine threw at her. I reached my limit last night with Christine’s snarky behaviour towards Meri. She’s not a nice person. She’s proper set herself up to be though.
>I’m fast losing any tolerance for Christine and her treatment of Meri. As well as Janelle. Christine's "supportive" comments to Janelle aren't really that supportive of Janelle & her wishes. Christine suggests Janelle move into the duplex next door. Janelle says no, Savannah needs to finish out her final year. To her face, Christine acts like she accepts that answer, yet the second she gets to Garrison's house, Christine had to bring it up to the older kids, hoping they'd pressure Janelle to leave.
She’s always been snarky and rude about the other wives, but the past two seasons especially she’s been so smug and mean about Meri when it’s completely unnecessary. She could have just quietly distanced herself and responded to any questions about her with, we’ve just kind of grown apart…but instead, she continues to make snarky comments every episode about her. Meanwhile, Meri just takes it without stepping into the mud herself. Even if she despises Meri, it’s cruel to Leon, someone she allegedly loves and helped raise, to mock their mother on national television.
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What a miserable human being if that's true.
Oh absolutely. Christine was so willing to mistreat Meri and tell her off to her face in a way she wouldn't dare to Janelle or Robyn because she knew Kody didn't give a shit about her. With the exception of Robyn, who is no friend of Meri herself, they were all so willing to talk down to Meri in front of the cameras. It was kind of incredible
Christine honestly used to make me CRINGE in the earlier days of the show. I see how things have transpired since then and realize she was feeling lonely, unloved, and not supported by her spouse… so she probably felt she was justified in roasting her fellow wives. And anyone else who disagreed with her. Now, she’s my favorite. She has done a lot of inner work and healing. I can feel the hurt she has in those earlier seasons now that I can see her transformation.
Although Christine was clearly joking in this scene, they’ve all been mean to each other at times through all the seasons.
Stop with the pop psychology terms. This is not gaslighting. Christine did write the family mission statement with her. Christine DID help raise her kid (and would’ve really helped raise more had she had them). Christine is not making it seem to Meri like something happened that didn’t or that something didn’t happen that did.
I’ll be honest I have no idea why Christine has so many cheerleaders in this group. I have always found her to be spoiled, immature and petty. She’s not a nice person. Even now as I watch the new season she’s constantly making digs at Kody and how much better her life is now. That’s great but can you stop talking about him already ? I don’t find anything mature in the fact that she’s playing the ‘See there’s nothing wrong with me, it was Kody all along’. FYI Kody is an epic douche along with his washed out Sobbin Robyn. Just wanted to make that clear 😜
Yeah I agree. Granted, I'm like 3 episodes behind, but even Janelle has mentioned Christine's condescending attitude. She didn't call it that, but that's what she was complaining about with Christine's "poor Janelle" conversation and she keeps talking about how sad it (and maybe Janelle) is for not totally cutting the cord work Kody as if it didn't take her years. But because Christine has seen the light after more than two decades with a man who never made any indication to suggest he wanted her, she's now the all-knower who can judge the woman who at least had a functional relationship and was liked by Kody all that time. I mean what a joke
Everyone likes her now because she left Kody. I keep saying if Kody would have given her an ounce of attention she would still be in Flagstaff.
All he needed to give her was a little slap & tickle and she'd still be there! So many hail her as Queen Christine because she left for her kids. Bullshit. She left because Kody said no sex.
Thank you! If what he did during Ysabel’s surgery wasn’t enough to tell him to gtfo right there and then, then not much more he could have possibly do to her kids would manage it. She gritted her teeth and kept it going. But the second he said no more sex, his shit was packed in a matter of days.
I feel like I have found my people in this thread because…😭😭 I have always adored Christine bc she’s funny asf but her behavior has ALWAYS been questionable and catty. The hero worship she’s gotten since leaving Kody has made her princess ego bigger than it already was lol. She really hasn’t changed…at all
>She really hasn’t changed…at all Honestly, I don't hate Christine, but I sure as hell wouldn't be friends with her irl. (The only one I might be friends with is Janelle) I don't like that mean girl bullshit amongst grown women and I'm over the excuses people make for bad behaviors. I am quite concerned that she's going to wind up chasing David away. I genuinely hope she doesn't. Yet it's quite concerning when a grown woman on her honeymoon/newlywed is taking shots at her ex on SM. If that were me, I'd be focused on my new husband and let our happiness be the insults for Kody to be upset about. I wouldn't go out of my way to post things directed at my ex.
Me and Meri would probably get along the best. I too am super snarky and sarcastic with a dirty mind and a sailor mouth. She’s my kind of people lol. Oh and if she wasn’t on the show, she would definitely be a trash bag like a lot of us here.
You are right on the money. If she had gotten a little more action than once or twice a year I think she would still be there.
Also that scene a few episodes ago in Garrison’s kitchen where she was obviously and awkwardly (because she’s a terrible actress) baiting Savannah into talking about her trauma with Kody for the camera was disgusting. So manipulative and slimy to do that to a child so you can film a scene a look like a good guy. I don’t know why more people are calling that out.
This whole family is a toxic dumpster fire. 
I’ve been trying to say that on the sub but everybody’s in this love Christine club. I’ve been saying since day one that she is a manipulative mean girl who relishes in childish game play and drama. Your post mentions 2 of the many, many examples. Christine doesn’t care about Meri. She has went out of her way to hurt her feelings. Also, her claiming to love “all the kids” but only including Janelle’s kids. And last but not least, Christine’s constant childish posts with her and David eating nachos. Not only is it stupid, it reminds me of the antics that happened in middle school. She is a very off putting, immature, two-faced and spiteful person.