Someone named Mariah made huge news over the weekend.
And, no, we’re not referring to Mariah Carey, despite that singer’s humiliating New Year’s Eve Performance early Sunday morning.
Instead, we’re referring to Mariah Brown, the 21-year old daughter of Kody and Meri Brown.
She shocked both her family and Sister Wives viewers on Sunday night when she uttered two simple words in front of her parents and other loved ones:
I’m gay.
A reality star coming out as homosexual would be a pretty big deal no matter what.
We’d write about it under almost any circumstance.
But the Browns align themselves with Fundamentalist Mormonism, a religion that does not approve of homosexuality in any shape or form.
Considering that Kody and Meri thought their only daughter would be telling them about a courtship or engagement, or maybe a college transfer, both mother and father were stunned.
So were sister wives Janelle, Christine and Robyn, who were also in the room when Mariah revealed her sexuality.
“This feels so awkward,” Mariah said in front of her family, clearly nervous. “I’m freaking out.”
After finally telling everyone that she was gay, Mariah waited for a reply.
She got none initially from Meri or Kody, but other members of her large family asked “Are you serious?” and “Are you really?”
“Yeah,” Mariah simply said in response.
And there’s where Sunday night’s episode concluded, of course, although previews for next week’s installment make it clear that Mariah’s announcement will have a severe repercussions.
“I did not see it coming… I thought I knew my daughter, I didn’t,” cries Meri at one point.
You can watch Sister Wives online to see the entire awkward scene play out and you can view the following video for a sneak peek at it:
Back in 2013, the family sat down for a HuffPost Live interview and said that everyone should be able “structure” their family “in any way they want,” whether they are gay or straight.
This is one way in which they seem to go against their religion.
Moreover, how much can Meri really say against her daughter?
It may be hard for her to throw stones when she’s residing in her own glass house.
Rumors of a divorce from Kody continues to reverberate around the Internet, as Mariah’s news came after the Browns were rocked in October when Meri herself made headlines:
She admitted that she had been tricked into an online relationship with a woman whom she thought was a man.
Yikes!
Since this scandal, the reality stars have been working on repairing their family, but it hasn’t been easy.
Kody and Meri even entered therapy to deal with the emotional fallout of the latter’s catfishing incident.
Will their daughter’s announcement now bring the Browns together?
Hopefully. But hopefully in unity, not in angst or anger against their loved ones.
Sister Wives airs Sundays at 8/7c on TLC and Mariah has been fortunate enough to receive a great deal of support from her social media followers.
“wow okay y’all making me cry with your support. thank you thank you thank you thank you,” she Tweeted on Monday, adding two smiley face emojis and a picture of a rainbow flag:
Let’s just pray that her parents are as supportive as total strangers have been.