The new Hulu series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives just dropped, and it is fascinating. The show centers on a group of Mormon moms who happen to be influencers. These women banded together under #MomTok. It is like a content house with the influencers working together to create group content. What is so impressive is that these moms are the breadwinners for their families. The original group started with Taylor Frankie Paul, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley, and Whitney Leavitt.
As you may know, Taylor Frankie Paul started the group, and she blew it up in 2022. After rumors leaked online about her, Taylor made a TikTok live and shared that she and her husband, Tate Paul, were getting a divorce. And she revealed that they were “soft swinging” with other members of #MomTok.
The show picked up months after the scandal when the group was coming back together. There was drama of every stripe in this entertaining series. These Mormon ladies love to talk about sex, their families, and their businesses. Here are the reasons why The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives deserves a second season.
This group is no stranger to scandals
The “soft swinging” scandal affected all the members of #MomTok. Taylor explained exactly what happened at the parties. “We do this for a while with this couple, cabin parties, making out in the same bed, intercourse in the same bed next to each other, the girls kissing and the husbands touching the other’s wife,” she stated.
There was speculation about who else was involved in the swinging, but the entire cast denied it. Or stayed silent on the subject. All of the cast dealt with negativity and criticism, and it was difficult for all of them. And plenty of them were upset that their friend had pulled them into the unwanted media frenzy.
During the first episode of the show, Taylor introduced her boyfriend, Dakota Mortenson. Their relationship was far from perfect. During an argument with Dakota in February 2023, Taylor was arrested on domestic violence charges. In the end, she was charged with aggravated assault and received three years of probation. Then fans learned that Taylor became pregnant with Dakota’s baby months later. Coming on the heels of the “soft swinging” scandal, this second scandal wasn’t a good look for Taylor. And #MomTok took another hit.
Following the swinging scandal, Whitney and her husband, Conner Leavitt, moved with their two children to Hawaii. There were rumors that Conner was on Tinder, but Whitney claimed that they weren’t true. Finally, after moving back to Utah, Whitney shared her truth with the group.
Conner was on Tinder. “He had been struggling with a porn addiction and I didn’t want to say anything,” Whitney told her friends. She also admitted that he was engaging in “full-on conversations with women.” He was even exchanging nude photos with women, but he told Whitney he never actually met with anyone. Let’s face it – that is a lot of scandal for one season!
Some of the women’s relationships are rocky
Taylor’s relationship with Dakota was stressful for her. He wanted to get engaged and get married, but Taylor wasn’t sure. She would rather be a single mom than get divorced again.
The duo fought constantly because of trust issues early in the relationship. It seems that Dakota was seeing another woman at the same time as Taylor, but he wasn’t officially dating Taylor yet. And Dakota had issues with Taylor’s previous lifestyle. However, during the Season 1 finale, Taylor gave birth to their son, with Dakota by her side.
But Taylor and Dakota’s relationship wasn’t the only one under the microscope. Jen Affleck and her husband, Zac Affleck, also faced scrutiny. Zac was controlling, even though Jen was the one bringing in the dough while Zac went to medical school. When the ladies went to Las Vegas, Zac and Dakota joined Jen and Taylor during the ride.
It was strictly a girls’ trip, so the rest of the ladies insisted that the boys stay at a hotel. Leave it to Jessi Ngatikaura to arrange a surprise trip to Chippendales. Single Layla Taylor was living her best life oiling up the dancers.
However, Jen and Zac are very religious, and she knew he would flip if she was there. Taylor texted Dakota, and he wasn’t happy. But Zac lost his mind amid his gambling activities. The Mormon Church also frowns upon gambling.
So, Zac refused to speak to his wife, told her he didn’t love her anymore, and that it might be over. Then he told her that she could come and see him immediately at 2 a.m. So, she hopped in an Uber in Vegas.
Meanwhile, Demi Engemann filled in the group because Jen let her read the text thread the night before. Finally, Jen returned to see the ladies the following night, explaining that they worked everything out. The ladies shared that they felt that Zac had narcissistic traits. And Demi and Jessi were particularly vocal that Jen could leave him and step into her power. But Jen loves him. So, I need to know what happens with these two couples.
The ladies turn against one of their friends
Whitney wasn’t happy about Taylor being the face of #MomTok and felt that the queen’s crown should be hers. So, she tried her best to turn the group against Taylor. But when she played a prank on Demi by giving her a box of fruity cereal, it rubbed Demi the wrong way. She had disclosed a sexy confession to Whitney, and of course, she had shared it.
Jessi finally told Whitney that the group thought that she was blabbing what people told her in confidence, and the ladies wondered if they could trust her. A furious Whitney left the group chat, and she was even more furious that no one checked in to see why.
Although Mayci always championed Whitney, when Whitney didn’t show up or contact her when she launched Babymama, the group unfollowed her simultaneously. Then Whitney randomly showed up at Mikayla’s birthday party and gave Mayci a lame apology. Whitney decided that her instinct to leave #MomTok was spot on. That is fortunate, as she was exiled from the group anyway.
But Whitney did have some wonderful news. She and Conner are expecting their third child!
The Mormon religion adds an interesting dynamic
There was another divide among the group. Some of the members were strict Mormons, and others were less strict about their religious views.
The “saints” were Mikayla, Jen, Whitney, and Mayci. At the blessing ceremony for Jen and Zac’s son, Jen decided to uninvite some of the group that she had verbally invited. Or, more likely, Zac made the decision. WOW. So, the “sinners,” Demi, Taylor, Jessi, and Layla went bowling instead.
While the purpose of #MomTok is empowering women, the saints and sinners sometimes butted heads. Jessi, Demi, and Layla were shocked at Zac’s reaction to Jen being in Chippendales. Mind you, Jen, Taylor, and Mikayla left before the show even started.
However, some of the ladies and their husbands drink alcohol, which is forbidden. There is a joke that soda is the Mormon beer. Still, I admire how open the women are about their physical enhancements, from plastic surgery to Botox with nitrous oxide. Seeing how the different women connect with different aspects of their religion and each other, is intriguing.
Season 1 ended with cliffhangers
The show left us with several cliffhangers. After Whitney left Mikayla’s party, is she leaving #MomTok for good? Or will she be able to rejoin her former friends?
Plus, after the Vegas trip, Jen tried to unsuccessfully convince Zac how important #MomTok was to her. But Zac didn’t care. In the end, Jen left #MomTok and seemed to be moving with Zac to New York City so he could attend medical school. Of course, we need Jen to come back to #MomTok if the series gets a second season. Viewers are invested in seeing if her marriage to Zac has improved.
Finally, Mayci received some concerning information about Dakota in an anonymous message. In the message, a woman confessed to sleeping with Dakota when he was first dating Taylor. Right before she was due to give birth, Mayci and Mikayla shared the news with Taylor.
In a shocking move, Dakota denied it. But Dakota also confronted Mayci for causing problems in his relationship with Taylor. So, Mayci reached out to the woman, named Jenna, whom Dakota was seeing when he first started dating Taylor. She called Jenna and asked what was going on. The voice on the other end of the phone said that she would tell Mayci the whole story. Then the season ended.
So far, Hulu hasn’t announced a second season for the show. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives deserves a second season because it has everything. It touches on sex, friendship drama, marital dysfunction, and religion. What more could you ask for?
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is streaming on Hulu.
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