"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," A new docuseries streaming on Hulu, explores the fallout of a swinging scandal that rocked the community. It centers around a group of #MomTok influencers, including TikTok star Taylor Frankie Paul, who later divorced and got entangled in legal issues.
The Utah moms' group, including Paul, Demi Engemann, Jennifer Affleck, Jessi Ngatikaura, Layla Taylor, Mayci Neeley, Mikayla Mathews, and Whitney Leavitt gained fame by sharing their lives on social media. They also broke some church norms, practicing "soft swinging," or non-monogamous sexual activity.
In 2022, Paul, announced she divorced her husband Tate Paul on a TikTok livestream, explaining the divorce was result of the group's participation in swinging.
The LDS Church distanced itself from the docuseries, criticizing inaccurate portrayals and expressing concern over stereotypes and mischaracterizations of Latter-day Saints in entertainment media.
While some ex-members found the series offensive, others argued that it represented a subset of Mormons.
The docuseries focuses on the women repairing their relationships, especially Taylor and Whitney, as they recover from the reputational damage caused by the scandal.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Salt Lake Tribune, Screenshot Media, Pinkvilla, Mamamia, Headtopics, The Mary Sue, Reality Tea.