How ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Became the Town’s Tok
Can #MomTok survive this? now going viral curb derived from Hulu’s groundbreaking reality series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives-And Viewer can’t stop saying that since the show debuted in early September. The eight-episode series was born from a The “gentle swing” scandal rocked Utah’s religious community in 2022, thanks to a shocking livestream from TikToker Taylor Frankie Paul.
Paul is our entry point. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Dive into the often confusing world of traditional wives’ TikTok content provided by #MomTok influencers Jennifer Affleck (married to) Zac, cousin of Ben And Casey Affleck), Demi Engemann, Whitney Leavitt, Mayci Neeley, Jessi Ngatikaura, Mikayla Matthews, And Layla Taylor. They all have identical hairstyles and regularly get Botox injections in the same places, but the group is divided into two opposing factions: the so-called saints and the so-called sinners.
As Mayci said in the first episode, “Taylor used to be the face of #MomTok, but when this whole controversy broke out, no one really knew what #MomTok stood for anymore. Like, is it just a group of swingers or are we just a group of Mormon women fighting against the patriarchy?” Taylor countered, “Did I ruin your life, or did I make it better by giving you influence and satisfaction?” The hosts FOR EXAMPLE‘S Still watching The podcast attempts to answer those questions in a special episode featuring an interview with the series’ executive producer. Who is Jeff Jenkins?
One of the masterminds behind reality TV shows like Simple life, of Netflix Bling Empire And My unorthodox life, Congratulations Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake, and lesser known things like Living LohanJenkins has been in television since some of his newest stars were alive. Fighting the Mormon church has paid off. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is on Hulu most watched unscripted premiere of 2024, according to the streamer, toppled The Kardashian family. Jenkins, who produced the first decade of Keeping Up With the Kardashians on E!, was humble when asked about bashing some of his former cast members. “I support both shows, you know, but it’s funny or ironic to think more highly of yourself, in a weird way,” he said. Vanity Fair.
As for why the show has resonated so well, Jenkins says that Mormon Wives “A serious exploration of religion” paired with “an escapist, sexy, sexy show about young people,” he continued. “We have beautiful young women who are at turning points in their lives. They’re really likeable, really fun to watch, really outgoing, really brave; they’re taking risks—all the soap opera stuff that we love in a good unscripted show. Then there’s the other part that the ladies have to deal with, which is their faith. It’s a powerful force. So how do I, as a young person, invite that into my life without perpetuating misogyny and without passing on trauma to my children?”
By the end of the season, after drinking a lot of soda and pouring Fruity Pebbles (if you know, you know), the two actors’ romantic relationship is on the rocks. Taylor and her boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, with whom she has just welcomed her first child, quarrels over his possible infidelity, while Zac threatens to end his marriage to Jen because she wants to see a Chippendales show during the group’s trip to Las Vegas.
