Meri Brown isn’t playing when it comes to her child.
Earlier this week, the Sister Wives star defended her only child, Leon, during a TikTok Live session with fans in which some people were not respecting Leon’s name choice and preferred pronouns.
As The Ashley previously reported, Leon— whose father is Kody Brown— came out as transgender and queer in June 2022 and uses they/them pronouns.
In their coming out post, they informed the public that they would now be using the name “Leon,” something Meri has respected— and defended to fans this week who were being disrespectful regarding Leon’s name.
During the Live, Meri stated that she doesn’t discuss Leon on ‘Sister Wives’ and rarely speaks about them on social media, due to Leon preferring to live a more-private life. (Leon hasn’t appeared on the show in several seasons.)
“Due to their preference and request, I won’t talk about [Leon],” Meri said when asked about her child. “They are great, I am great with them. We are good.”
In the past, Meri has stated that she also refrains from bringing up Leon because it brings a lot of hateful comments into both of their lives.
During her TikTok Live, Meri began to get negative and hateful comments about her child, including some that purposely used Leon’s birth name. Meri was quick to defend Leon and school the nay-sayers about being respectful.
“Don’t use their deadname! That’s not nice,” Meri said to the people who were purposely using Leon’s former name as a way to disrespect them.
“I know it can be kind of confusing and, if you don’t know, I’ll tell you now,” she continued. “It’s not polite to use someone’s deadname, meaning a name they have chosen to no longer use in their life. Don’t do that.”
Meri again asked her fans to be respectful to Leon’s preferences while on her Lives.
While Leon is estranged from their father, Kody, Meri insisted that she and Leon have a great relationship.
“I talk to my kiddo all the time!” she stated.
Since the last time they appeared on ‘Sister Wives,’ Leon married their longtime partner Audrey Kriss, who is also transgender. They secretly tied the knot in October 2022. The couple currently lives in Colorado, while Meri resides in Utah.
Although Meri wouldn’t answer questions on the Live about Leon’s relationship with Kody, it’s been reported that they have been estranged 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 Sun 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.’”
Leon seems to maintain a good relationship with many of their other family members, including Kody’s ex-wives Christine and Janelle, and many of their siblings. Both Leon and Audrey were present at Christine’s wedding to David Woolley in October 2023–- an event that neither Meri nor Kody were invited to attend.
