The scandalous world of Mormon moms on TikTok

In the era of viral content, few things are more shocking than the unexpected combination of Mormon housewives, sexual scandals, and a desperate quest for fame on TikTok. Disney+’s new reality show, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, reveals the lives of eight Mormon influencers who have caught the attention of the web and international press in an explosive mix of social media sponsorships, arrests, extramarital pregnancies, and religious values. Released on the platform on September 6th, the series dives deep into the viral phenomenon of #MomTok and the group of eight Mormon moms from Utah following a scandal that thrust them into the international spotlight.

How it all started: the Taylor Frankie Paul scandal

The docu-series begins by recounting what happened after the scandal involving the #MomTok creator, Taylor Frankie Paul. In 2022, during a TikTok live, the influencer announced her separation from her husband after breaking the main rule of her group of friends practicing soft swinging, a form of partner swapping: she had fallen in love with another Mormon TikToker's husband. As the quintessential anti-heroine, Taylor Frankie Paul serves as the entry point into The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, drawing viewers into the trad-wife style world of her influencer frenemies on #MomTok.

The MomTok group

The group consists of Jennifer Affleck (married to a man who proudly claims a distant and fake relation to actor Ben), Layla Taylor, Demi Engemann, Whitney Leavitt, Mayci Neeley, Jessi Ngatikaura, and Mikayla Matthews. By the third episode, you’ll be able to tell them apart, despite the eerie resemblance (a bit like Nicole Kidman in The Stepford Wives). They all share the same hair color and style, the same perfect curls, and regularly attend botox sessions where they cheerfully get high on laughing gas. In case you're wondering: alcohol, coffee, and cigarettes are off-limits for Mormons, but apparently, botox and ketamine are not. And the fascination with contradiction grows.

Whitney Leavitt and the trad wives

Like any good reality show, our protagonist needs a villain as her counterpart: someone who, unlike her, follows the strict Mormon rules, surrounded by an aura of perfection and rigid self-control. Whitney Leavitt fits perfectly into this trad wife archetype: with her upturned nose, cottagecore dresses, puffed sleeves, and empire waistlines, she dreams of living on a farm. The official reason is to escape the toxic atmosphere in the MomTok community, but the reality is her husband was caught on Grindr. Zan Zan.

What's the reason for the feud between the two? Whitney can't forgive Taylor for being rehabilitated in the group and, by extension, by the world, after the swinging scandal. Unlike Taylor, Whitney was never forgiven for her scandal. The influencer became famous in 2012 for posting a TikTok video of herself dancing in a hospital room while her son was hospitalized for an acute respiratory virus.

The saints and the sinners, or: why we love MormonTok so much

Whitney and Taylor can be considered the captains of two opposing factions: the saints and the sinners. While the sinners have a more permissive and tolerant view towards religious dictates, sex, and alcohol, the saints' group—composed of Whitney, Jen, Mayci, and Mikayla—strives to adhere strictly to Mormon principles, causing an obvious rift among the protagonists. Between sex toy sponsorships, therapy sessions, and arrests, the series showcases the lives of the eight women while focusing on themes like faith, gender roles, friendship, and vulnerability—all while they attempt to maintain their careers as influencers. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has been happily renewed for a second season: personally, I can't wait to return to my favorite sinners.