The Not So Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
Taylor Frankie Paul attends the Los Angeles Premiere and FYC Event of Hulu’s “The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives” Season 2 at Paramount Studios on May 9, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Araya Doheny/Getty Images/TNS)
Hulu’s hit reality show “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” dropped all ten episodes of season 3 on Thursday, Nov. 13th.
“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” was born from scandal. Before the show, a group of young Mormon moms would get together and make dance and comedy videos on TikTok.
The term “MomTok” was coined. MomTok blew up when the leader, influencer Taylor Frankie Paul, confessed to being involved in a swinging scandal with some of the other couples. Since she didn’t name any names, everyone was suspected of being guilty.
The first season begins with Taylor dealing with the aftermath of the scandal and rebuilding her life and MomTok. The three seasons chronicle the not-so-secret lives of these Mormon wives, packed with scandal, backstabbing, and heartbreak. The most recent season is no different.
The scandals in season three are much darker than the usual petty drama about who unfollowed whom on Instagram. The season starts with Jessi’s marriage falling apart after her alleged affair with Marciano from “Vanderpump Villa.”
Jessi confesses to kissing him and having an emotional affair, but nothing more. But little did everyone know, this resulted from Jessi having marital problems for years.
Initially, Jessi admits that she and Jordan were fighting a lot, and he was constantly putting her down and calling her names. Her friends help her realize that this is emotional abuse.
Jessi and Jordan go to couples therapy and decide to separate for 90 days. They both claim to have worked on themselves.
Unfortunately, in cycles of abuse, it’s common for an abuser to claim they have changed. Most of the time, it’s a manipulation tactic. Sometimes they genuinely do want change, but don’t know how to unlearn their toxic patterns of behavior.
In the show, Jordan talked about the Mormon church giving him an unhealthy view of masculinity and gender roles. Though he left the church, his bad habits remained.
Many of the husbands, including Jordan, struggle with their wives being the primary providers in their families, since the church teaches that the man should be the provider
It is admirable that they are unlearning these ideals, but toxic behavior doesn’t change overnight. For Jessi’s sake, I hope Jordan has changed for the better.
Another extremely concerning storyline was Mikayla’s. In the second and third seasons, Mikayla has been going to therapy for the sexual abuse she suffered as a child. In past seasons, her husband Jace was more of a background character, but season three delves into their marital issues.
Mikayla struggles with physical intimacy due to her trauma. Jace feels like his needs, both sexual and emotional, are not being fulfilled, but he is very patient with her and wants to help her work through her trauma.
He seems like a decent guy, right? No.
Mikayla met Jace when she was sixteen. He was twenty-one. He got her pregnant a month later. On top of Mikayla’s childhood trauma, Jace also took advantage of her as a teenager. No wonder she has trouble opening up to him.
Many of the couples on the show have had their fair share of marital problems. It’s not uncommon for Mormons to marry young because of the Church’s emphasis on family. Some of the girls are already divorced in their 20s.
“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” is a funny show where grown women act like high schoolers. But perhaps there’s a reason for that. I think their growth was stunted by getting married and having kids so young.
The show sheds light on some of the deeper issues that are present within the Mormon Church and in Utah culture.
I’m not sure how I feel about season three. I liked the silliness of the first two seasons, but it’s important to showcase these people’s struggles because they seem to be common in their community. Either way, I look forward to season four.
