‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Stars Taylor and Mayci on Letting Jen Affleck ‘Learn the Hard Way’ About Her Husband Zac and Whitney’s MomTok Status: ‘She’s Not Really Close With Anyone’

Anna Tingley
·7-min read

It’s been more than two years now since Mormon influencer Taylor Frankie Paul set the internet ablaze by revealing that she and her husband were divorcing after “soft swinging” with other Mormon couples in their Salt Lake City-area friend group.

In a religious community that bans everything from premarital sex to coffee and alcohol, the revelation that some of its most public-facing figures, many of whom were also part of a popular social media collaborative dubbed MomTok, was almost too enthralling a storyline to believe. So, luckily, Hulu made a reality show about it. After three days of data, according to Hulu, it’s the most-watched unscripted season premiere on the streamer this year, beating out such shows as “The Kardashians” and “The Bachelor.”

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Although “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” originally set out to document the swinging scandal and its aftermath, the show’s first season focuses more on the challenges this suburban group of Utahns face in attempting to reinvent what it means to be a Mormon woman in the year 2024.

If the show is any indicator, it apparently involves ketamine therapy, vibrator brand deals, laughing gas Botox and a 44-oz daily intake of soda. On the surface, it’s more what you’d expect: identical balayage highlights, fake tans, French manicures and fast fashion-filled wardrobes make it difficult to tell many of the mostly white, twenty-something women apart.

“There’s drama, there’s inspiration, there’s entertainment,” 29-year-old Mayci Neeley tells Variety. And “it has, like, religion,” she adds.

But every good reality show needs a villain. In “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” that would Whitney Leavitt who, by the end of the season, has left the group chat and is disliked by nearly everyone in the circle. Since the show’s release, she’s posted numerous TikToks and Instagram stories defending herself, alongside personal texts to help prove her side of things.

“I don’t think anyone would want her back in MomTok,” Neeley says, adding that they haven’t talked since the show wrapped filming. “I texted her seeing how she was doing when the show first came out, and she didn’t respond.”

The show’s other villains are its husbands and boyfriends, who are either very controlling or just downright shady. One of the most climactic scenes comes when Jen Affleck’s husband Zac threatens to leave her after finding out the group attended a Chippendales strip show while in Las Vegas. (While he was busy gambling with money she’d given him.)

“I don’t want to hear one more thing about your heart,” he texts to a sobbing Jen as the girls console her. In a typo’d rant, he continues: “Start taking accountability for your actions and the situations you put yourself in. Your a grown woman. Doesn’t matter your intention. You were there and that’s the image you portray of yourself family church etc. everyone you represent with this platform.”

Meanwhile, Taylor’s boyfriend Dakota is also working on gaining the trust of the group. In the series premiere, Taylor is arrested for domestic violence after they have a vicious fight. The action then picks up 11 months later, and Taylor is pregnant with Dakota’s baby — but their relationship feels very unstable, especially after he’s caught lying about another women he had sex with at the beginning of their courtship. In the season finale, Taylor is days away from giving birth, and still doesn’t trust Dakota at all.

Following the show’s buzzy release last week, Variety spoke with Taylor and Mayci about where the group stands now — from Whitney’s MomTok exile (“she’s not really close with anyone”) to Jen and Zac’s tumultuous relationship (they “really hope he can change”).

Taylor, how are you and Dakota doing?

Taylor Frankie Paul: I feel like it’s been good. I feel like we’ve been so busy, so we haven’t been each other’s first priority right now, unfortunately. But we’ve been doing couples therapy still, and things aren’t perfect by any means — we’re still working on the trust issues and foundation of aiming towards a healthier relationship. But yeah, it didn’t change overnight or anything. It’s kind of still just a work in progress.

How are Jen and Zac doing since their big fight in the finale?

Mayci Neeley: I know they’ve been going through a really hard time, especially with the show coming out, but I really do hope they’re doing better. I know that he’s really working hard to change, and I really hope that he can, because Jen is such an amazing girl and she deserves all the happiness in the world.

Taylor: Honestly, I felt for her in that moment, because I knew where she was coming from — but I also understood where the girls were all coming from. Like, they just wanted the best for her and just get her to stand up for herself, which I totally get. And I think she should stand up for herself. But I also get the other side of wanting to work things out; she has two kids. I feel like nowadays, it’s just easy to leave.

Would you ever downright tell Jen to leave Zac?

Taylor: For me, I would give my advice, and kind of let them learn the hard way. I say, go for it. That’s what you need to do to know. I feel like I just want to be there for them either way.

Is Jen leaving MomTok?

Mayci: Time will tell with her leaving MomTok. I actually haven’t had that conversation.  I don’t think she will — because she loves MomTok, so I can’t picture her leaving.

What’s Whitney’s status with the group?

Mayci: She’s not really close with anyone. We’re cordial. I really don’t know where we stand, because I texted her seeing how she was doing when the show first came out, and she didn’t respond. But then she started posting her personal texts online. So I mean, I have no idea where me and her stand right now. As far as everyone else in the group, I don’t think anyone would want her back in MomTok.

Do you think Whitney got a bad edit, or was it an authentic portrayal?

Mayci: It’s hard, because I do feel like she did certain things for the plot going in, and then I think it kind of bit her in the butt and she realized that. From what I see on social media, she seems to think that it was the way she was portrayed, and that’s not how she remembers things happening. But I and the other girls would say the opposite. So it’s hard to say. I feel like I’m Switzerland; I’m a neutral territory. I always give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but I just hope that she’s doing okay. She’s getting a lot of heat online.

Mayci, how are you and Dakota doing?

Mayci: We’re actually in New York together, because Taylor brought him — so I feel like we’re doing pretty good. I feel like when we are together, we actually vibe really well. When we’re not together, there’s issues– just things from the past, and [Taylor] and Dakota having issues. I feel like right now, we’re on decent terms. We actually made a couple TikToks together last night!

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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