There were plenty of dropped jaws on TLC’s Sister Wives when 21-year-old Mariah came out as gay to her parents, stars of the show, Kody and Meri Brown on Sunday's episode. Of course, because the show is called Sister Wives, and it's about a family with one patriarch and several mother figures, she also comes out to three other female parents at the same time, according to US Magazine.
In true reality TV fashion, there’s plenty of handwringing in talking head interviews about what Mariah, who is one of 18 children in the Brown family, might possibly so nervous about telling her family. In the clip below she eventually blurts out that she’s gay, and then the camera pans to several wide-eyed parents.
The series focuses on the Brown family that practices Mormon Fundamentalism, a religion that does not approve of LGBT identities. Still, the family did say in an interview with HuffPost Live in 2013 that they are not opposed to same-sex marriage, citing that “All adults should be able to choose who they love and how they structure their family,” according to US.
While Mariah’s coming out was met with blank stares for the sake of dramatic tension on the show, her father Kody said he was happy that his daughter is self-aware. “We’re not happy Mariah’s gay; we’re happy Mariah knows herself,” Kody said, according to US.
Since the episode aired this past Sunday, Mariah has been met with loads of support on social media. She thanked her fans via Twitter.
