A new documentary series, focusing on a wave of Latter-day Saint mom influencers, is set to debut in September — and TikTok users are criticizing the show before the public has seen it.
“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” — scheduled for a Sept. 6 release on Hulu, with all episodes dropping on the same day — follows such Latter-day Saint TikTok influencers as Taylor Frankie Paul, Mikayla Matthews, Whitney Leavitt, Mayci Neeley, Layla Wessel, Jennifer Affleck, Demi Engemann and Jesi Ngatikaura.
The show, in part, is described as chronicling the “scandalous world of a group of Mormon mom influencers implodes when they get caught amid a swinging sex scandal that makes international headlines.”
In 2022, the swinging scandal exploded on TikTok, with Paul becoming the center of attention when she posted a livestream video saying her friend group was involved in “soft-swinging.”
In February 2023, Paul was charged with felony counts of domestic violence and child abuse. She reached a plea deal in August 2023 but hasn’t spoken about the incident in detail on her platforms. Since then, Paul has shifted her content to more traditional mommy blogging.
All six members of the group announced their involvement with the reality TV show on their platforms early this week, through a range of videos. Some announced it through a staple of theirs — dancing in all-black outfits — and others through emotional compilations of themselves crying.
Some TikTok users initially expressed disbelief that the show was real, describing the promotion for it as “cheap” and “clickbait.” Others posted about preparing to “defend the truth of being a real Mormon wife” and how the women on this show don’t seem to be “practicing” the Latter-day Saint faith. Some also pointed out that Matthews has claimed multiple times that she is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Others in the comments of the announcement videos expressed excitement about the show and offered their support for the families involved. “From one Imperfect Mormon to another.. love you Taylor,” one user commented.
“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” is the latest show the streaming platform has shown that focuses on the Latter-day Saint faith, or branches of it. Others include the 2022 documentary series “Mormon No More” and the 2022 dramatic miniseries “Under the Banner of Heaven” — which, in its depiction of the 1984 murders of Brenda Wright Lafferty and her daughter Erica, opened up discussions about the abuse suffered by women in patriarchal fundamentalist communities.
