Meri Brown has celebrated her first birthday since her split from former husband Kody Brown.
The Sister Wives star confirmed in December 2022 that her marriage to Kody is over, with the news being revealed on the first of the TLC show's Season 17 tell-all specials.
The reality television star then celebrated her 52nd birthday on January 16, with Kody notably absent from the festivities.
Meri marked her birthday with a new Instagram post shared with her 822,000 followers, sharing three pictures of herself with friends.
In the lengthy caption, Meri thanked those she did spend her big day with, and told her followers that she feels "promise, hope and light" for the year ahead.
"Spent birthday #52 with a couple of my favorite people in the world. Many laughs, lots of good conversations, and tons of good food!" she wrote.
Meri continued: "On days like these, I'm reminded again of the humanity of people with good and honest hearts, the friends who have your back and stand up for you, and general goodness in the world. So grateful for friends who I can be myself with, who know my heart and my true self, and cheer for me for my bright future.
"I have so many things to be grateful for. So many good things in the works for the coming year. So much promise, hope, and light. And today. I'm so grateful for today. Here's to another year in the books, and another year ahead full of wonder, wisdom, and worth."
"Thank you @justjennreally and @blairmichael12 for making today abso-freaking-lutely epic!" Meri added, alongside three blue love heart emojis.
Meri's fans were quick to comment on her birthday post, with many wishing her a happy birthday and several others noting how happy the star looked.
One wrote: "This is your rebirth where you can start being YOU and surround yourself with people who make YOU an even better person! YOU deserve to be happy and to have a tribe who wants YOU to succeed!" alongside a red love heart emoji.
While another posted: "Happy Birthday. Beautiful Meri! You deserve the absolute best that life has to offer! I love your glow and how happy you look! May you enjoy Year #52! Love, Hugs, & Blessings from Iowa!"
"Amazing how much brighter, happier, and alive you, Christine, and Janelle look now that you each have left behind the same person who was neglecting and weighing you down for so many years," added a third.
Despite several years of living as non-romantic partners, Meri and Kody only just recently confirmed that their marriage is, in fact, over.
The pair, who share one child together, originally married in April 1990, before legally divorcing in 2014 but remaining "spiritually" together.
The former couple, who were part of a plural marriage, got divorced to enable Kody to legally marry Robyn Brown and adopt her children from a previous marriage. Their sister wives, Janelle Brown and Christine Brown, "spiritually" married Kody in 1993 and 1994, respectively.
Meri is the third wife whose relationship with Kody has ended in the last 15 months, following the November 2021 news that Christine, 50, was splitting from Kody.
Janelle, 53, also confirmed she had left the plural marriage in the same tell-all episode as Meri's break-up news.
Kody now only remains married to his legal wife Robyn, who he shares five children with, two of which are from her first marriage. He has 13 other kids: one with Meri, six with Janelle and six with Christine.
Sister Wives Season 17 has now finished, but previous seasons of the show are available to stream on Discovery+.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Laura Donaldson is a Newsweek Film and TV Reporter (SEO), based in Edinburgh, U.K. Her focus is on reality TV. ... Read more
