The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has a cast that’s new to reality TV.
They are not, however, new to having a massive viewing audience.
In addition to Ben Affleck’s cousin, the new Hulu reality series boasts an array of TikTok momfluencers. This friend group shares a lot, from a business to a claim to fame to a sex scandal that rocked their worlds.
Get to know the cast of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives!
Taylor Frankie Paul
One of the most central The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast members is Taylor Frankie Paul. Her June 2022 divorce announcement included an explanation that she had crossed marital boundaries despite their “soft swinging” agreement.
Taylor has 4.1 million followers on TikTok, where she and her castmates have been part of “MomTok.” That’s a group of momfluencers — which are, in turn, just the contemporary iteration of the “mommy bloggers” of yore.
30-year-old Taylor broke some of the rules of her last marriage. And ended up in a new relationship with Dakota Mortensen — once her side piece, and now her boyfriend.
Taylor Frankie Paul is pregnant
On the premiere season of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Taylor’s pregnancy will clearly play a role in the story.
People reports that Taylor expressed: “I want people to have a better understanding of who I am.”
When it comes to the show, she added: “I wanted to be vulnerable and show people that when you hit rock bottom, there is hope.””
The trailer teases major drama for the ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ cast
In February of 2023, police arrested Taylor on suspicion of misdemeanor assault, criminal mischief, and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child. This was after a fight with Dakota.
In August of 2023, Taylor pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. The other charges were all dropped.
As you can see in the trailer above, Taylor’s arrest will play a role in the season. But though she has plenty of drama, Taylor is only one small part of the cast.
Demi Engemann
30-year-old Demi Engemann is a fellow momfluencer. She has a blended family and three children.
Demi also boasts over 300,000 TikTok followers. That number is sure to rise with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
“I feel passionately about sharing my journey through motherhood and empowering other women through theirs too,” she said in her own statement ahead of the premiere.
Jen Affleck
Zac Affleck is the cousin (once removed) of Ben Affleck. His wife, Jen Affleck, has spoken (perhaps joked) in the past about her desire to become the next Jennifer Lopez.
As for the show, Jen said that she feels “excited to talk about the things that have happened in my relationship. It feels like we got ten years of counseling in this one season of filming.”
Some of her castmates have been at the center of more salacious scandals. Jen puts herself forward as perhaps a bit more devout than some of the others.
Jessi Ngatikaura
32-year-old Jessi Ngatikaura is the eldest member of this momfluencer squad. She even brands herself as the “grandma of the group.”
Jessi is not a grandmother, but she is a mom. She has divorced and remarried, and now has a blended family featuring three kids.
Jessi owns half of JZ Styles, a hair school and extension company. She has been doing hair for over a decade.
Layla Taylor
On the opposite end of the age spectrum from Jessi is Layla Taylor. At 23, she is the youngest of the group.
However, at an age at which many people are still choosing a career path, wrapping up college, and living at home, Layla is a single mother of two and has already married and divorced.
As the ladies discuss in the trailer, Mormon culture expects them to marry and begin having children at very young ages.
Mayci Neeley
When she attended Brigham Young University, Mayci Neeley was a D1 tennis player.
She is also the founder of her own natal nutrition company. Not bad for a 29-year-old.
Mayci has two children in a blended family. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives will also document her IVF journey as she aims to expand her family.
Mikayla Matthews
24-year-old Mikayla Matthews became a mother even younger than many of her still-very-young-mom castmates. She was only 16. She is now married and has three children.
Mikayla dished that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives “really gets to the raw things that we are going through.
She added: ” We wanted to show the different sides to the religion.”
Whitney Leavitt
31-year-old Whitney Leavitt is married with two children. As the trailer shows off, she is expecting Baby #3.
“When you see a lot of reality TV, they aren’t really friends before filming the show,” she noted in a clear dig at various ensemble reality shows. “We’ve built a business together and we get to show the world how we did that.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premieres on Hulu on Friday, September 6. All eight episodes will be available simultaneously.
