‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ receives backlash

What’s to say about a show featuring Mormon mom TikTok influencers, a sex scandal and Ben Affleck’s cousin? Plenty.

Buckle in for “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” which debuts Friday on Hulu. The series follows current and former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) embroiled in drama over alcohol use, unwed pregnancies, male strip shows and partner-swapping.

It all starts with influencer Taylor Frankie Paul, who is credited with forming “MomTok,” by pulling together a group of fellow Mormon mothers on TikTok. Many of the members have millions of followers, sharing glimpses of their lives for lucrative sponsorships.

The cast of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” from left: Jessi Ngatikaura, Jennifer Affleck, Mayci Neeley, Taylor Frankie Paul, Mikayla Matthews, Layla Taylor and Demi Angemann. (Fred Hayes/Disney via CNN Newsource)

Paul caused a scandal in 2022, when she announced that she was getting divorced after she said she violated the terms of her open marriage. She also shared that she and her now ex-husband had participated in “soft swinging” with other couples in their Utah community, which involved trading sexual partners in their social circle.

The storyline of the show heavily involves the fallout from Paul’s revelation, as well as her subsequent pregnancy with boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, whom she became involved with while married.

“I don’t regret where I am right now,” Paul told CNN of her relationship choices. “I am happy to be where I am. But do I wish I had went about things differenty? Absolutely.”

“I would have never opened my relationship and my marriage. I feel like that was a disaster waiting to happen,” she added. “I think announcing it to the world, I wish that hadn’t had to happen as well, but also it got us where we are today.”

The season highlights a feud between Paul and cast member Whitney Leavitt, who seems to be aiming for Paul’s MomTok throne, as the women work to repair friendships and secure their continued influencer work.

“I never really felt a competitive nature with Taylor,” Leavitt told CNN. “I think it was more so I missed getting together with all of the girls and creating content together. So I just started planning content days and then it turned into something that wasn’t what it was.”

The past and present LDS affiliation of the women has sparked both controversy and interest. While the Church has not commented on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” directly, the organization seemed to allude to it in a message on their website the same day a trailer for the show debuted last month.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like other prominent global faith communities, often finds itself the focus of the attention of the entertainment industry,” the statement read. “Some portrayals are fair and accurate, but others resort to stereotypes or gross misrepresentations that are in poor taste and have real-life consequences for people of faith. While this is not new, a number of recent productions depict lifestyles and practices blatantly inconsistent with the teachings of the Church.”

Cast memberJennifer Affleck, who is a distant cousin of actor and director Ben Affleck, told CNN she’s taking online criticism to their portrayal in stride.

“It’s probably good that we’ve gotten a little bit of backlash [early] just so we can prepare us for when the real stuff comes out,” Affleck said.

“There’s eight episodes for people to give more backlash on,” her castmate Mikayla Matthews added. “I think we are going to have to go through it with each episode.”

Cast member Jessi Ngatikaura told CNN she understands the mixed reaction given come of the conservative teachings of the LDS faith, but found the uproar before the series even aired to be “wild.”

“We knew the title was going to get controversial opinions, but I really hope once people see it they can give it a second chance and realize it’s so much more than a two-minute trailer and a name,” she said. “I’m super proud of what we did…and I think once they watch it, they’re going to realize it’s a super empowering show about women and our struggles.”

The eight episodes of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” are now streaming on Hulu.