Promotional Image // Hulu
By: Sam Simons
Media Writer
Hulu has swung in a new and rather controversial reality show “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
The show follows a group of eight Utah-based women who make TikTok videos together in an online space called MomTok, where mothers discuss and joke about their experiences with motherhood, womanhood and marriage.
Different from “Sister Wives,” the TLC program featuring a polygamist family in Utah, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” stars women trying to challenge stereotypes about marriage in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). However, the show still brewed up a lot of drama, so grab a large soda (not a coffee!) because there is a lot to uncover.
(Note: although the show and its stars use the word “Mormon,” this article will refer to the faith using the acronym LDS, which is the official name of the religion and is not associated with anti-LDS sentiment, where the word “Mormon” is considered controversial and improper by members of the faith.)
Months before the show was even pitched, MomTok creator Taylor Frankie Paul had a swinging scandal that went viral. Taylor and her husband, as well as two other couples, weren’t swapping sodas, but rather their partners. Both LDS and non-LDS onlookers took issue with this, criticizing their behavior as a married couple and wondering if such activity was common for LDS couples.
The first episode takes us to after the scandal, where Taylor is trying to keep a low profile and regain a sense of normalcy with the MomTok group. She is adjusting from her divorce from her ex-husband Tate and now has a new boyfriend, Dakota. A major theme of this series is that nuclear bombs of information will be dropped not even ten minutes into the episode, and we soon see Taylor telling her mother she might be pregnant.
We then are introduced to Whitney, an original member of the MomTok group who has recently moved back to Utah with her family after living in Hawaii following the drama. While it first seems like Taylor is set up to be the villain, Whitney wastes no time when she returns, constantly trash-talking Taylor to the other MomTokers.
The next few episodes are pretty much a tug of war between Whitney and Taylor all while I was just trying to remember everyone’s name.
In episode six, a huge turning point occurs during a girls’ trip to Vegas. All of the MomTokers go on this trip, except for Whitney. Dakota also joins, as well as Zac, husband of the star Jenn, technically making it not-just-a-girls’ trip. The girls are surprised with tickets to see Chippendales, a male striptease dance group. You can put the pieces together.
Although many of the strict guidelines of the LDS faith are flouted in the show, with the stars divided into “Saints” and “Sinners” based on how the show judges their commitment to the faith, Jenn and Zac seemed like the strongest couple and were devout members of the church. Before going to Chippendales, Jenn asks how Zac would feel about it, to which he threatens divorce and shames her for it.
Ultimately, Jenn gets roped into going, but when Zac finds out, he calls her and doubles down on his threat of divorce, adding some hateful comments. Meanwhile, he is gambling during this phone call – which is prohibited in the LDS church – with her money! The Zac attack continues, as we also find out that Jenn is the breadwinner of the family, paying his undergraduate debt and his medical school tuition. Whitney doesn’t seem that much of a villain now.
At this point, it seems like there is no way things will end well – like, “The Handmaid’s Tale” had a better ending than this. We find out that the real reason Whitney left Utah was because her and husband were having issues in their marriage. There were rumors that her husband was active on Tinder or potentially Grindr, but this was all speculation. Apparently, the two are “fine.” Huh?
Anyways, Whitney decides to leave MomTok, along with Jenn, whose relationship is also shown as “fine” online. Taylor has her baby. Basically, everything is just “fine.”
For only eight episodes, this first season was an absolute rollercoaster. Whether or not the portrayal of the faith is accurate, this show definitely doesn’t give the LDS church the best rap. If anything can be said for the wives featured, however, they at least don’t hide from their mistakes.
Their behavior defies the stereotype of LDS wives being perfect, and at least gives them some humanity. That’s all well and good, but if any members of the LDS church are considering giving it a watch, I wouldn’t recommend it – if anything would make someone want a drink, it’s this show.