TV WIVES FLIP THE SCRIPT ON RELIGION

Heather Gay and the new face of Mormonism

- H. ALAN SCOTT & JENNI FINK

FOR DECADES, THE PUBLIC FACE OF THE Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, was one of polished, teetotaling perfection: the perkiness of the Osmond family, missionaries on bicycles and an unwavering, wholesome image. Nowadays, the most visible and defining portrayals of the faith are coming from women on reality TV shows like Bravo's The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

First among these voices is Heather Gay of RHOSLC. A member of the original cast, Gay has shared her story of leaving the church on the reality series and in her bestselling memoir Bad Mormon, and recently came out with the docuseries Surviving Mormonism on Peacock.

“I think women are doing it [appearing on reality TV] because it’s the only outlet we have to have identity or power in a very patriarchal, hierarchal structure,” Gay said in an interview for Newsweek’s The Parting Shot podcast. This structure is rooted in the fact that only men can hold the priesthood, which in the church is the divine authority to act in God’s name. They govern all leadership and ecclesiastical roles. “Mormon men are like little kings of their own kingdoms, so they don’t want to define it, or they don’t wanna look under the bed covers because it works great for them,” Gay added. Newsweek contacted the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for comment.

But as the main characters on these TV shows, women have demonstrated the many complexities of Mormon life, past and present. “I still feel like I’m Mormon every time I wake up. My personality was being a Mormon, so I’m trying to still extrapolate it out every day,” said Gay.

Gay is seen discovering a new and complex life on RHOSLC by drinking, living life as a single mom or talking to family members about their faith crisis.