Latest news with #JZStyles
Business Insider
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
The 'Mormon Wives' cast is fighting over pay. Here's the drama explained and why Whitney thinks they might not always be paid equally.
" The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" cast broke the fourth wall in season two when arguments about pay spilled onscreen. The reality show, which follows a group of unconventional Mormon-adjacent TikTok influencers known as MomTokers, was one of Hulu's biggest new hits of 2024. The immediate success led to the streamer renewing the show for 20 episodes in October 2024 — more than double the length of season one. In season two, episode six, the cast revealed that negotiations for the second season led to an argument where Demi asked for Jessi to be kicked off the show to boost her and their castmates' pay packets. This surprised fans and the other cast members since Demi and Jessi were close friends up until that moment. Whitney, another cast member, told Business Insider on May 20 that the cast are currently paid equally for starring in the show, but suggested that there could be more conversations "down the line." Here's what to know about the cast's pay and how it led to Jessi and Demi's fallout. Jessi said Demi wanted an 'absurd' amount of money On May 20, Jessi told the "Viall Files" podcast that Demi's attempt to kick her off the show was the "catalyst" for the end of the friendship. In the episode, Jessi said that the argument began during a call with the cast, their managers, and lawyers as they devised a plan to negotiate higher pay for season two before season one aired. Jessi said she joined the call and heard Demi's husband, Bret, tell the cast to quit the show if they didn't get the salary he and his wife wanted. Jessi said she responded by saying she didn't want to quit, which she said angered Bret and Demi. "She basically threw me under the bus because I didn't care to fight for more money, and she wanted an absurd amount of money," Jessi said, without stating how much Bret and Demi wanted. Jessi said after the initial call, Demi called the other cast members to say Jessi should be kicked off the show so they could earn more money. Mikayla, Jessi's costar who appeared on the same "Viall Files" episode, also said that the amount Demi requested was too much, adding that the cast did not know how successful the show would be. Mikayla added that Demi told cast members that Jessi had "no morals, no values." Whitney and Layla told Business Insider that the cast eventually decided to be paid equally for season two. Explaining how the show's cast is paid, Whitney said: "it is equal and I think maybe more seasons down the line, we'll have more conversations about it because I think just naturally more people are being filmed more than others." Demi and Jessi's fallout shows the struggles of mixing business with friendship Demi and Jessi made up before filming season two, but the started to show when Jessi learned that Demi told their costar, Taylor, not to get her hair done at Jessi's hair salon, JZ Styles, and criticized her business. Demi said she was repeating criticism from others and that she didn't do anything wrong. Jessi said the final straw was when Demi kept criticizing her for not supporting her in various arguments. "I was just like 'I'm not doing this pattern where I have to beg for your love if I'm not doing exactly what you want,'" Jessi said. Demi told "Viall Files" on May 15 that the fallout was just a "misunderstanding" that could be resolved, but she said Jessi refused to talk with her off-camera. The arguments are a problem for a show built around the idea that the cast are supportive, close friends. Any rifts that might make viewers question how genuine their friendship is could affect brand deals that the MomTokers get and the success of the show. Jessi and Demi have re-followed each other on Instagram, which could mean they are rebuilding their friendship. A representative for Demi and Bret did not immediately respond to a comment request from Business Insider.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Mormon Wives star Jessi Ngatikaura reveals shock run-in with Jen Shah prior to her sentencing
Even though she may be in prison, no one has ever forgotten former Real Housewives of Salt Lake City alum Jen Shah - including Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast member Jessi Ngatikaura, who once had a wild-run in with the star right before she was sentenced in 2023. Shah, who was a member of the Bravo hit series for three seasons, was sentenced to 78 months in prison for 'running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme,' which primarily targeted elderly and vulnerable people. After months of proclaiming her innocence, Shah finally plead guilty in July 2023 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and is currently locked up with Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes. However, according to Ngatikaura, Shah was hanging out at the hair salon she owns in Pleasant Grove, Utah, just a few weeks before she was sent off to Bryan Federal Prison Camp in Texas. Ngatikaura, who owns JZ Styles, recalled looking at the security cameras in her salon one day to find Shah in her break room eating pizza. 'I, like, ran over to her,' the Secret Lives star told 'I'm like, I have to meet her because she was getting her hair done by one of my stylists, who was her friend,' Ngatikaura said. 'She was so nice,' she continued of Shah. Shah, who was a member of the Bravo hit series for three seasons, was sentenced to 78 months in prison for 'running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme,' which primarily targeted elderly and vulnerable people Of course, Shah isn't the only Real Housewives of Salt Lake City that the Mormon ladies have met since skyrocketing to fame. Ngatikaura and Layla Taylor have met Lisa Barlow, and have become friendly with Whitney Rose as well, who gets her hair done at JZ Styles. 'Utah is honestly bigger than you think,' Taylor explained. 'It's like close knit in the way that everyone knows each other, like [we don't] bump into each other that often.' But while they may not see their fellow reality TV show stars out and about in town, it's a different story for the Mormon Wives cast, who are basically attached at the hip. The new season of their hit show premieres on Hulu on May 15, and according to Ngatikaura and Taylor, it's even better than the first season. The series follows the lives of a group of TikTok famous, Mormon mom influencers living in Utah, including Taylor Frankie Paul, who outed the clique for 'soft swinging' with each other and their husbands in 2022. It also explored some relationship drama, as Paul and her boyfriend at the time, Dakota Mortensen, were expecting their first baby, and Jen and Zach Affleck dealt with their own tumultuous marriage. Ngatikaura said that the trailer for the second season doesn't even do it justice, teasing that there were two parties specifically where things got way out of hand Things will get even crazier this season, as three of the ladies are pregnant, and they're joined by new cast member Miranda McWhorter, who was at the center of the swinging scandal with Paul. 'I feel like there's more drama, more friendships being tested, more relationship drama within marriages,' Taylor told 'I feel like honestly season one was frickin' good, but season two? Even better,' she added. Ngatikaura said that the trailer for the second season doesn't even do it justice, teasing that there were two parties specifically where things got way out of hand. But despite all the ups and downs, the ladies are enjoying their newfound fame after the show became an overnight success last September. 'I'm so, so grateful for this life that we have and being able to support my babies as a single mom is life-changing,' Taylor shared. Viewers can catch the new season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu on Thursday, May 15.
