reality tv

A sex scandal, teen pregnancy and Ben Affleck's cousin: Meet the Mormon Wives.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is coming to our screens, and I don't think anything will prepare you for the chaos set to unfold.

The series follows eight women living in Utah, all of whom became TikTok famous as part of the #MomTok trend that took over the algorithm in 2022.

Their clique was rocked when Taylor Frankie Paul announced her divorce, and subsequently unveiled a "sex scandal" when she admitted that members of her friendship group were "soft swinging". Which is basically just engaging in extramarital activities with agreed-upon rules.

The new reality TV series will explore the lives of these women now, in Real Housewives style, with plenty of drama, backstabbing and intriguing confessional interviews. It's set to premiere on Disney Plus on September 6.

"Their sisterhood is shook to its core. Faith, friendship and reputations are all on the line. Will #MomTok be able to survive and continue to give the rulebook a run for its money, or will this group fall from grace?" the synopsis dares to ask.

Given these women still have huge social media platforms, we're sure the group will pull through the years-old scandal. However, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is sure to keep us entertained regardless.

Meet the cast of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

Taylor Frankie Paul, 30.

Taylor Frankie Paul. Image: Instagram/@taylorfrankiepaul.

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Let's kick off with the most well-known Mormon TikTok star, Taylor Frankie Paul.

The 30-year-old influencer was at the centre of the scandal in 2022. At the time, she was married to Tate Paul, and the couple were the picture of happiness as they created countless TikToks. Their picture-perfect life included their two children, Indy and Ocean.

Then, Taylor shocked her followers by announcing her divorce and admitting the split had come following her "crossing a line" and taking their "soft swinging" too far.

"I messed up, and I, obviously, am losing everything that I have," she said.

Following the explosive TikTok scandal, Taylor introduced her new boyfriend — now fiancé — Dakota Mortensen as the guy she "cheated with." 

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In 2023, Taylor was arrested on assault and domestic violence charges after throwing a wooden play set and metal chairs at her partner Dakota. She later pled guilty to aggravated assault and reached a plea deal in September. 

Read more about where Taylor is now, here.

"I want people to have a better understanding of who I am," she told PEOPLE magazine of her decision to join The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. "I wanted to be vulnerable and show people that when you hit rock bottom, there is hope."

Taylor has 4.1 million TikTok followers and 367k Instagram followers, before the show's premiere.

Jen Affleck, 25.

Jen Affleck. Image: Instagram/@jenniferlaffleck.

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Yes, Jen Affleck is related to actor Ben Affleck through marriage. Which means she's like a few degrees of separation away from the other two Jens in Ben's life: Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez. I wonder if they've ever hung out.

Jen's husband is Zac Affleck, who is Ben's cousin once removed. They have two children, Nora and Luca.

In the first trailer for the show, it's clear that Jen and Zac don't see eye to eye on her involvement with the MomTok group. "The group is really important to me," she says, and he replies, "Being divorced and taking care of two kids is gonna be kind of tough, so you make the decision." Oop.

Jen has 1.1 million TikTok followers and 200k Instagram followers, before the show's premiere.

Jessi Ngatikaura, 32.

Jessi Ngatikaura. Image: Instagram/@_justjessiiii.

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At 32, Jessi is the oldest of the bunch and calls herself the "group grandma".

Jessi divorced her first husband and later remarried Jordan Ngatikaura. They share three children — Jagger, Jovi, and Jordan's daughter from a previous relationship, Peyton.

Jessi is also a hairstylist, and owns a salon and "hair designer school", along with a product line called JZ Styles.

Jessi has 125k TikTok followers and 139k Instagram followers, before the show's premiere.

Demi Engemann, 30.

Demi Engemann. Image: Instagram/@demilucymay.

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Demi was previously married and divorced at 24, and now she is remarried and shares a blended family with her husband Bret Engemann, 46. They have three children.

"The road to finding each other has been anything but easy. Yet the peace I feel when I'm with this man makes it all so worth it. He feels like home," she's said of their relationship.

"I feel passionately about sharing my journey through motherhood and empowering other women through theirs too," she told PEOPLE magazine.

Demi has 304k TikTok followers and 97.9k Instagram followers, before the show's premiere.

Mikayla Matthews, 24.

Mikayla Matthews. Image: Instagram/@mikayla_matt.

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"I got pregnant at 16," Mikayla reveals in the first trailer for The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. 

What's not addressed in the trailer, but has had plenty of fans talking on TikTok, is that her husband, Jace, would have been 21 or 22 when their first child was born. The pair now share three children.

Their age gap is often discussed on TikTok, with Mikayla even making her own videos about it on several occasions. It's unclear if they'll truly address their age gap in the series, but Mikayla has given some insight to her screen time. 

"The show really gets to the raw things that we are going through. We wanted to show the different sides to the religion," she told PEOPLE.

Mikayla has 2.4 million TikTok followers and 230k Instagram followers, before the show's premiere.

Whitney Leavitt, 31.

Whitney Leavitt. Image: Instagram/@whitleavitt.

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Whitney is married with two kids, and is currently expecting her third child.

"When you see a lot of reality TV, they aren't really friends before filming the show," she told PEOPLE. "We've built a business together and we get to show the world how we did that."

Whitney has 2 million TikTok followers and 249k Instagram followers, before the show's premiere.

Layla Taylor, 23.

Image: TikTok/@laylaleannetaylor

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Layla is the youngest of the group, and is navigating life as a single mother of two after divorce. 

Layla has 26.7k TikTok followers, before the show's premiere.

Mayci Neeley, 29.

Image: Instagram/@maycineeley.

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Mayci was a young tennis star while studying at Brigham Young University and went on to become CEO of Babymama, a natal nutrition company. 

She's also an influencer, like all the gals, and is currently documenting her IVF journey with her husband, Jacob Neeley. The couple share a blended family, with two kids.

Mayci has 13.3k TikTok followers and 117k Instagram followers.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premieres on Disney Plus on September 6.

Feature Image: Instagram.

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