'Mormon Wives' 'Mikayla Matthews Speaks Out About Surviving Sexual Abuse (Exclusive)

Yahoo

16-05-2025

Mikayla Matthews is opening up about the years she endured sexual abuse as a child
The reality star tells PEOPLE about sharing her truth in an episode from the upcoming season of
Matthews expresses how she turned to therapy to break old patterns and be her best self in her life, her marriage, her family life and her career
Mikayla Matthews is speaking out about a painful period in her past.
On the upcoming second season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, debuting on Hulu May 15, the MomToker opens up about sexual abuse she endured as a child. Matthews says she was sexually abused "for about four or five years," concluding when she was 15 years old.
The conversation, which takes place on Halloween, has Matthews looking back at Halloween 2015, when she garnered the strength to tell her mom what was going on. When she did, Matthews says in the episode, "I feel like she didn't believe me."
In the difficult conversation between siblings, Matthews shares that she felt "silenced" by the dismissal of her truth, and it's made it harder for her to open up to others, including her husband, Jace Terry. Speaking with PEOPLE about the upcoming season, Matthews recalls the conversation with her sisters as "nerve-wracking."
"It was the first conversation I had ever had with them since everything happened," she explains.
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Related: Mikayla Matthews Gets Candid About 'Removing All Toxic Things' in 2024 Amid Her Struggles with Chronic Illness
Addressing the fact that her mom didn't believe her story, she continues, "I definitely feel weary about my relationship with my mom, even though we're not super close. I think I'm just worried. I don't know. I still have a lot of empathy for her and what she's been through, even though she was not that person for me growing up and during the whole situation when I came out about sexual abuse."
That said, Matthews gives her mother some grace because, "I don't want to ruin that, especially getting older. I'm like, 'My parents are only getting older too.' "
The episode also shares scenes from a therapy session, where she's encouraged to channel some of the anger and emotion that comes out in confrontations within MomTok to role-play a situation where she could safely tell off her abuser, whom she does not name or disclose her relationship to.
"I think I'm definitely a little nervous [for viewers to see that]. I think it's the most vulnerable I've ever been, having to film a therapy session — especially talking about topics that are really triggering and heavy for me," she says. In her own life, Matthews admits, "I still haven't told a lot of people."
Related: Mikayla Matthews Is Pregnant! The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Star Expecting Baby No. 4 with Husband Jace (Exclusive)
"I've confided a lot in Mayci. Even my husband's finding out a lot from just the last six years, and I think it really got worse once my chronic health issues flared up three years ago. That is when I was really like, 'Okay, this is something I can't run from and it's something I have to face because it's not getting better,' " she explains.
Matthews has also been vulnerable about her health journey and struggling with chronic illness, which she believes has been impacted by her emotional journey.
"I was doing so much at one point where it was so frustrating that I was like, 'Why is nothing working? I'm eating asparagus and broccoli every day, doing shots of steroids and all these things, and everything just kept getting worse,' " she recalls.
"And I think it was finally once I kind of let go and started focusing on my mental health and my personal relationship with myself that I saw the most healing on the outside."
Matthews credits Terry for being "the most amazing support" as she's navigated this journey while the couple awaits the arrival of baby no. 4 this summer.
"It's still a journey. With pregnancy, I've always told myself, 'I hope this baby heals me.' I've heard pregnancy can heal you both emotionally and physically, and I've seen a lot of changes, but still, it's up and down to this day," she says.
"I've heard both ways. I've heard people that have autoimmune diseases getting pregnant, it'll take it away when they're pregnant, or if they have acne or eczema, it'll go away when they're pregnant, and I feel like that has been the case with me. I was definitely nervous going into pregnancy because I finally started seeing the changes, and I was doing ozone IVs and a bunch of things that I can't do when I'm pregnant," Matthews explains.
"I was really scared that it was going to get worse because I stopped doing those things, and I was on a bunch of medication. Getting off of that and focusing on going to therapy and my marriage and healing my inner child, honestly, has helped the most."
"I've been reading a lot. I've been reading the book The Body Keeps the Score, and it talks a lot about your mental health and trauma and how it presents itself on [outward] surfaces, and so I think I've seen the most change in just letting go," she shares.
"I have good days and bad days, but yeah, I'm trying to focus on the good because there is a lot of good [changes], even from season 1."
Though she's nervous to hear from fans after her truth is shared on TV, she's also "excited."
"Going through my chronic health stuff, I've connected with so many people online and gotten so much advice. I'm excited to share that side and talk to more people. Hopefully, it will help people out in a similar situation."
"But I'm excited, again, going through my chronic health stuff," she continues. "I've connected with so many people online and gotten so [much] advice, so I'm excited to share that side and talk to more people and hopefully help people out in a similar situation."
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' highly anticipated new season will premiere May 15, with all 10 episodes available on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Read the original article on People