From secrets to soda to swingers, Hulu’s new show, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” is jam-packed with a list of scandals longer than its stars’ hair extensions.
The series is fueled by the Mormon women behind #MomTok, a series of dance-based TikTok videos. These Utah moms of young children have been so social media savvy that all eight earn enough income from the videos they describe as "silly" to be the breadwinners of their families.
The eight-episode show is an absolute roller coaster of drama. Picture “Real Housewives”-style fights, girls trips and cosmetic surgery ... but with the added intensity of religious tradition and scrutiny.
In some ways, these women are upholding decades of social norms by taking care of their husbands, children and homes. At the same time, they are stepping outside of the home realm and into the social media spotlight, accepting both praise and accountability for their actions.
TODAY.com chatted over video with each of the moms featured on the show to learn more about their unique perspectives, and get an update as to where the group stands now.
What is #MomTok anyway?
In January 2022, four Utah-based social media influencers who had been creating similar content met online and decided to join forces to create videos as a group. They labeled this content “#MomTok.”
Taylor Frankie Paul, a 30-year-old mom of three, says, “It all started with me, just like, kind of making fun videos, and I invited girls over to do it. And then it grew into a bigger and bigger group.”
The three women who launched #MomTok with Paul were Whitney Leavitt (a 31-year-old mom currently pregnant with her third child), Mayci Neeley (a 29-year-old mom of two on an IVF journey) and Mikayla Matthews (24, mom of three who had her first child at 17).
Paul says that at one point there were 25 women in the group. They cycled in and out depending on their interest, availability and childcare. Because of that, “I didn’t get personal with a lot of them,” she says. “We had to do business and go.”
But now that there are fewer women involved, the moms have become a much tighter-knit group.
“In the beginning, I don’t know if #MomTok stood for anything. I think we’re all kind of figuring it out,” says Neeley. “Now we’re changing the cultural norms in the church. We’re showing women they can do anything they put their minds to. Like, you can make a career out of social media, and you can also be a mom. You can do both.”
What happened in the #MomTok sex scandal?
On May 20, 2022, Paul posted a surprising TikTok video featuring text that read, “In my 20s, getting divorced, started therapy, living on my own for the first time ever along with two little kids.” She captioned a follow-up video posted three days later with, “My entire life falling apart.”
Then came the livestream that blew up #MomTok.
In that video, Paul confessed to stepping outside the “soft swinging” agreement in her marriage.
She defined “soft swinging” to Extra last week as “doing everything but going all the way and fully switching partners.”
In her livestream, Paul said that multiple other members of #MomTok were involved: “No one is innocent. Everyone has hooked up with, like, everyone.”
Paul ended up leaving her then-husband, Tate Paul, who appears in a number of her #MomTok videos. She soon entered into a serious relationship with Dakota Mortensen.
The relationship had a rocky start, and it got even rockier when Taylor Frankie Paul was arrested in February 2023. According to NBC News, she was charged with three misdemeanors: assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child. Body cam footage of the arrest appears on “Secret Lives.”
As the series details, Paul and Mortensen continued their relationship and she ended up getting pregnant twice. The first was an ectopic pregnancy that resulted in miscarriage. Eventually the couple had their first child together, a baby boy named Ever, in March 2024.
Paul and Mortensen are still together today.
“Things have gotten a lot better,” Paul tells TODAY.com. “We’re obviously far from the end goal because we come in with such baggage, and now we’re doing TV, a lot comes with that. We’re in couples therapy and coaching, so they’re helping us to communicate.”
There appears to be no animosity between Mortensen and Paul's first husband.
“Dakota and my husband — Whoa! Ex-husband!” Paul corrects herself, laughing. “They’re, like buddies. And I’m buddies with his partner.” Her ex is “my kids’ dad,” she points out. “So he’s still going to always be an important figure in their life and mine. I see him on a weekly basis, talk to him daily.”
If you’re hoping that “Secret Lives” will reveal the other members of the soft swinging crew, don’t hold your breath. The series does discuss the scandal but doesn’t name names ... and that’s mostly because there is so much additional drama to dissect.
What else can we expect to see on 'Secret Lives'?
There isn't room in this article to detail all of the drama contained within the series. In fact, even a quick perusal of the women’s TikToks reveals still more to unpack, including the fact that Matthews’ husband lost his job last week because of his “poor judgement” in “allowing” his wife to appear in the series.
Here are some of the highlights from the show:
- Whitney Leavitt describes issues surrounding her husband's Tinder use and the controversial dance video she made while her newborn was in the hospital with RSV.
- Jen Affleck, who only joined the group when Hulu was casting the show, has a huge Mormon morality argument surrounding a Las Vegas Chippendales performance. Her husband, Zac Affleck, who happens to be a cousin of Ben and Casey Affleck, does not approve of his wife watching the show.
- There is one unanswered question that ends the series: Did Mortensen cheat on Paul at the beginning of their relationship with a woman named “Jenna”?
Can Neeley, who calls Jenna to discuss this very question in the last two minutes of the show's finale, give us any hint as to what happened there?
She laughs, “You guys have to pray that we have a Season 2 so we can finish that conversation and see what really happened!”
Who is still part of #MomTok?
The series is about many things — including friend breakups. The composition of #MomTok changes during the season, with more updates coming out in post-premiere cast interviews.
Who is still part of #MomTok? Who has been cast out? There are two prominent exits worth noting.
After vying with Paul for queen bee status, Leavitt takes a stand in the season and decides to formally leave #MomTok. She blocks cast members on social media and leaves the group chat.
Speaking to TODAY.com, Leavitt said leaving #MomTok wasn’t an “easy decision.”
“A lot of things led up to it. It wasn’t something I just decided to do. There was a reason toward it. As far as today, there are some that I have reconnected with and some that I haven’t,” she said.
Leavitt has since posted video sharing her perspective on social media. “Huh that’s not how I remember it,” she captioned a TikTok video posted after she watched the season. She likened the show to “exploiting her life.“
In an interview with Variety, Mayci Neeley said Leavitt isn’t close with anyone and characterized their relationship as “cordial.”
“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,” she said.
Jen Affleck’s status in the group is also in question following a major fight she has with her husband, Zac Affleck, shown in the series, prompted by her decision to see a Chippendales show with other cast members.
“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,” Neeley told Variety.
