By Jen D. April 22, 2016

Catfish Of The Week: Sister Wives Celebrity Catfish Tell All Book!

To many people, four women being ‘married’ to one man-

in this case Kody Brown from TLC’s show “Sister Wives”– might seem an interesting tale or a bit unusual. However, the newest “Sister Wives” Season 7 debut, to be released on May 8, 2016, takes the cake! It includes the usual dramas of a family with eighteen kids, one man and four wives, but the plot thickens as it addresses the ramifications after Meri (Kody’s first wife) admits that she had an emotional affair with a dreamy man called “Sam Cooper”.

Ready to leave her sister wives and Kody, there was only one problem… Sam Cooper didn’t exist! The photos he sent were taken off the internet and of a male model! He was actually a 40 year old woman named Jackie Overton.

Though that might be old news to those of you who follow the show online or saw the disclosure at the end of Season 6, the plot is thickening, come this May. The show will cover the ongoing nightmare that a thorough Catfish will leave on its victims.

The Catfish, Jackie Overton, who has a history of Catfishing online, was recently arrested on traffic related warrants, but her emotional crimes against the sister wife from the show, Meri, are lasting. Probably rightfully, Meri felt neglected and under appreciated after being in a family where she shares her husband with three other women, and began communicating, flirting, and role playing with “Sam”. One can imagine how awkward this disclosure would be, considering the family is Christian and polygamous, while Meri was talking with Sam about fairly explicit sex. Since Sam didn’t exist, he couldn’t ever meet with her, but (how convenient!) Jackie Overton met with Meri, several times, posing as Sam’s “friend”.

The book, “Almost Meri’d” seeks to make it appear as if Meri and Jackie engaged in a lesbian physical affair, which Meri vehemently denies. Voicemails released last fall, only seem to show an affair that was emotional and writing based, which Meri truly believed was with a handsome 6 foot 6 inch man. Mer even told “Sam” she loved him in the voicemails.

 What about Kody, you might ask?

How does a man with four wives handle the situation? Luckily or unluckily for Meri (who might have enjoyed finally being free of a polygamous marriage) he looked at it fairly realistically and called it a “flirt”, not an emotional affair. The family, you have to hand it to them, has stuck together as a unit through this, and feels that the Catfish intended to break up their family and expose them.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE FALL OUT OF YET ANOTHER CELEBRITY CATFISH STORY?

  1. Use Reverse Image Search: If Meri had checked up on the photos “Sam Cooper” sent, she would have exposed him early on.

2. Never Get Emotionally Invested With Someone You Haven’t Met In Person: Relationships are challenging even at the best of times. Until you confirm someone’s identity and how you get along, don’t put your heart on the line.

3. Catfish Can Be Mean: Don’t expect that someone has your best interest at heart. Catfish might be lonely, mentally unstable, or sociopaths who get off on hurting others and feeling powerful.

Rumor has it that Meri’s sister wife, Robyn, respected that Sam was a catfish early on. Which brings us to tip #4.

4. Tell Someone: If you find yourself getting seduced by someone whose identity you haven’t officially confirmed, talk to a friend. Friends aren’t blinded by the same hope and lust as the person getting involved in an online affair. They’re more likely to tell you that something seems amiss and be more suspicious!

Sadly, Meri’s grown daughter is holding judgment over her mother’s actions. Proving that Catfish can cause a domino effect!