Meri Brown's Child, Leon, Made a Rare Appearance on ‘Sister Wives’ Years After Leaving

Fans of TLC's Sister Wives have become quite familiar with the Brown family and their drama. During the early iterations of the TLC reality show, Kody Brown and his four wives — Robyn Brown, Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, and Christine Brown —brought cameras into their plural family, which included a total of 18 children. Over the years, we have seen many of the children grow up and become parents themselves.

Kody ultimately divorced three of his wives, Meri, Janelle, and Christine, leaving him estranged from a significant portion of his family. One family member who seemingly parted ways with not just Kody, but the entire family, was his and Meri's son, Leon Brown. Leon, who is transgender and uses they/them pronouns, abruptly stopped filming the show. However, after fans saw him in the Sister Wives Season 20 premiere, many are wondering why they left and if they're back on the show for good.

Leon's absence from Sister Wives began soon after they came out as transgender and queer in 2022. Those who've watched Sister Wives from the beginning will know they were assigned female at birth, and Kody and Meri named them Mariah.

They eventually changed their names and pronouns, and their sibling, Gwendlyn Brown, Kody and Christine's daughter, stated in a 2023 YouTube video that Leon's transition enabled him to create his own life separate from the family's fame. The clarification came after Kody said in a previous episode that Leon didn't fit in with the rest of the family.

Leon's mother, Meri, supported Gwendlyn's claim by confirming her child opted for a more private life. According to her December 2024 interview with People, Meri said Leon was doing well in their life and happy in their marriage. Leon married their partner Audrey Kriss in October 2022.

"They, by their choice, have made a decision to not be super public," the TLC star explained of her child's choice. "So I don't talk about them so much."

"We talk often," Meri added. "They're doing well."

Although Leon seemed content with keeping their private life off Sister Wives, when tragedy struck the family, they made a rare appearance on the show in an effort to get their family back on track. In Seasons 19 and 20, the Browns dealt with the aftermath of Janelle and Kody's son, Garrison Brown's, March 2024 death. Garrison died by suicide at just 25 years old.

During a Season 19 episode, Madison Brush and Leon shared an emotional conversation about how divided the family had become since their parents' decision to part ways. They discussed how the estrangement affected their relationship with Robyn's children, whom she shares with Kody — Dayton, Aurora, Breanna, Solomon, and Ariella. Leon said they were open to making things right between them and the kids.

“I would love to have a conversation with them," they said during the rare appearance.

Leon and Madison's conversation was also shown during a flashback scene in the Season 20 premiere of Sister Wives. However, it's unclear if they will appear in future episodes.

Catch new episodes of Sister Wives on TLC at 10 p.m. EST.