On the latest episode of The Sarah Fraser Show, Sister Wives star Meri Brown opened up about the comments she receives about her transgender child, Leon Brown, admitting the public commentary “is very polarizing.”
As The Ashley previously reported, Leon– the only child of Meri and ex-husband Kody Brown– came out as transgender and queer in June 2022 and uses they/them pronouns.
Like some of the other Brown kids, Leon no longer appears on their family’s TLC series; however, Meri says she still receives comments regarding her child– not all of which are kind.
“The commentary that I get about Leon is very polarizing,” Meri revealed on the podcast. “I mean, it is…it’s going to be that way. I always appreciate the support, the comments of support, that I get, and obviously, I don’t appreciate the hate that comes at me.
“I just, I don’t think hate has any purpose or any value, you know?” Meri added.
Meri went on to say that, while she may not talk publicly about Leon very often, the two maintain a good relationship.
“ … I don’t talk about them a lot just because they kind of want to remain as private– and have their own life– as possible,” she said. “But Leon and I have a really good relationship.”
As The Ashley reported last year, it was revealed in August that Leon and their longtime partner Audrey Kriss, who is also transgender, had secretly tied the knot in October 2022 in a ceremony held at a home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The couple had been engaged since January 2019, when Leon proposed to Audrey at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. Before Leon stopped appearing on ‘Sister Wives,’ they discussed wedding plans on the show.
While neither Kody nor Meri were present for Leon’s big day, Meri has remained very supportive of Leon since their transition; however, the same cannot be said for Kody reportedly.
The Sun reported in August that Leon and Kody have not had a relationship since Leon’s gender-affirming top surgery. (Leon revealed in January 2023 that they had undergone the procedure.)
“[Kody] does not support Leon’s transition at all,” a source told the outlet last year. “He’s actually disgusted by it, as terrible as that is. Kody is telling close friends, ‘This is a new person. I don’t know who this person is, but this is not the little girl that I raised.’”
Meanwhile, the source claimed that Meri will always remain in Leon’s corner.
“Leon is her only child and she wasn’t going to disown them,” the source said. “She will pick Leon over Kody every day.”
Leon’s sister Gwendlyn Brown– daughter of Kody and ex-wife Christine Brown– seemed to confirm both Kody and Meri’s reactions to Leon’s transition in a Q&A with fans back in January 2023.
“Transphobes still very much exist, even in this family, but they’re the very small minority of us,” she said. “Meri was absolutely the most supportive [though].”
When asked this week if Leon and Audrey plan to start a family of their own in the future, Meri happily referred to herself “a dog grandma,” adding that dogs are “a huge part” of her life, as well as Leon and Audrey’s.
“I’m currently a dog grandma,” she said. “I’ve got three granddogs.”
