A shocking sex scandal involving the Mormon church, TikTok stars competing to be queen bee and a cast member allegedly distantly related to Ben Affleck: The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has all the makings of a classic reality TV guilty pleasure.
It all started with #MomTok, the TikTok craze that took off in 2020 in which a gaggle of groomed, glamorous but kind-of-bored young Mormon housewives would post dances and skits to TikTok, subverting the world’s perception of supposedly strict religious communities. It all seemed sweet and innocent — until one of the #MomTok-ers, Taylor Frankie Paul, shockingly revealed in 2022 that she had indulged in “soft swinging” with other people’s partners, and that she was getting a divorce after things, predictably, went very wrong. “No one was innocent,” Taylor explained at the time. “Everyone has hooked up with, like, everyone.” (See sidebar below for another perspective.) What, you ask, is “soft swinging”? Taylor recently revealed on Nick Viall’s podcast that initially, two couples had been “making out in the same bed, [having] intercourse in the same bed next to each other, the girls kissing and the husbands touching the [others’ wives].”
And that’s where the Hulu show — the streamer’s most-watched unscripted season premiere of 2024 — picks up, with Taylor, plus fellow Mormon wives Demi Engemann, Jennifer Affleck, Jessi Ngatikaura, Layla Taylor, Mayci Neeley, Mikayla Matthews and Whitney Leavitt, baring their lives, souls and sometimes midriffs to the world.
This story is from the October 07, 2024 edition of Us Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 07, 2024 edition of Us Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Take Us Back Maura Tierney
Best known for the phenomenal ER, the selfdescribed shy” actress is joining another TV institution, Law Order. Maura Tierney reflects on the risks she’s taken on screen and in her life
Saturday Night Fever
You can’t avoid catching it: A landmark season hits late night, and the big screen’s rewinds to that chaotic first year
Daryl Is Better With Carol
The reunion fans have been craving is all in the title: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon The Book of Carol
Behind the Scenes of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives - SAINTS, SINNERS & SWINGERS
With major drama set against the backdrop of not-as-conservativeas-we-thought Mormonism, this reality sensation is on fire. Us speaks exclusively to every single mom on the show for the real story!
Christina Ricci - HOLDS ALL THE Cards
With the intriguingly titled Cat Full of Spiders her first book! actress Christina Ricci shares her fascination with tarot and reveals what it can, and cannot, do
What It's Really Like to Work for Meghan - Her Staffers Tell All
Amid constant scrutiny and negative headlines about how she conducts herself as a boss, current and former employees of the Duchess of Sussex and her husband, Prince Harry, talk to Us about the couple’s on- and off-duty business practices
Still.Hanging Tight, Honey
Lainey Wilson dishes on critics, life onstage and what’s next
The Insta-Perfect Backlash!
Anemerging tribe of cool, talented stars are showing that you can be at the top of your game professionally while still having all the fun
Cooling Down With Bad Bunny Heating Up With Devin!
Girls just want to have fun — especially Kendall Jenner. Although she spent the summer hanging out with on/off beau Bad Bunny, things between the two have been cooling down.
Ben & J.Lo - There's 'Still a Lot of Love' Despite Divorce
Exes Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez may have come together for a family lunch in Beverly Hills on Sept. 14, but the pair — who were reportedly seen holding hands and kissing during the meal — have no plans to get back together, multiple sources tell Us.