The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Hulu's latest venture into the lives of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), draws you in by highlighting the soft-swinging TikTok scandal among a group of Church members in 2022. So you'd think the show was aimed to dive heavily into the controversy and the LDS religion. Having watched all eight episodes, yes, we get more insight into both of those topics, but it's certainly not the center of the drama.
Still, opinions have been flying from fellow Mormons — the Church has even appeared to have weighed in — prior to the show's premiere. Let's just say not everyone is thrilled that the eight influencers are front and center representing the religion.
But What to Watch chatted with Jessi Ngatikaura, one of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast members, about how the audience has already gotten it wrong.
"I think that just any time we're talking about religion, it's gonna be a hot topic. So, I don't think that I said anything I regret; I was just sharing my real experience, and I'm proud of that," Jessi told WTW. "But I am nervous that people may take it the wrong way, especially because I'm the one on the show that's leaving the Church. So, I'm a little nervous for that criticism, but other than that, I think I'm really proud of what we did."
The eight cast members, including Jessi, are part of #MomTok, a group designed to help build each other up in their TikTok videos. Each of the ladies, some of whom have millions of followers, has a connection to the LDS Church, whether they're "serious" members, "casual" members, struggling with their faith or leaving the Church. They're based in Utah, which has a prominent Mormon presence, and the religious culture is that much more influential. So, when a show comes out with the word "Mormon" in the name, it's bound to spark conversation — both positive and negative.
"I think we've seen a lot of comments from members not being super happy. There's been a lot of videos made with opinions, and we're trying to just take it with a grain of salt because no one's seen the show yet. And we think once the show's out, it'll show a different light to what we're doing," Jessi says. "The Church did release a statement that we're pretty sure was kind of pointed at our show, and the statement just kind of said that we're a gross misinterpretation of Mormons and not to take what we're doing as Mormonism. So that was a little disappointing to see as well because the show hasn't been released. But I think once the show's out, hopefully, the Mormon Church can see that we're all members or past members that are just doing the best we can."
But it hasn't all been negative. Many people have already shown their support and are excited that faith struggles are being highlighted. Although members of the LDS Church have been among the most vocal about the show's anticipated release, the cast thinks perhaps they're actually the very group who should watch it.
"I hope that people see a really empowered group of friends who are breadwinners and kind of breaking the stigma that the Mormon Church has, and hopefully, people relate to it," Jessi says.
Although it's too early to say, if there were to be a The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 2 — the cliffhanger is hopefully an indication that there will be — Jessi hopes she'd be able to show more aspects of her life.
"On this season, I haven't seen it, but as far as filming goes, I felt like I was involved in everything but I wasn't the focus, and that was actually kind of nice," she says. "But I do hope that I can show more of my marriage and my backstory, because I have an interesting one with divorce and things that happened, so I think sharing that would be amazing. And then also, just more about business, because I am an entrepreneur and I have like five businesses, and I think that could be empowering to show."
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives starts streaming on Hulu on Friday, September 6.
