Latest news with #JessiNgatikaura
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on swinging scandals, friendship fallouts and religious backlash
From allegations of infidelity to swinging scandals, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives offers a look into a version of Mormon life far removed from traditional public in suburban Utah, the TV series follows a group of Mormon women – most of whom rose to fame on TikTok and became MomTok influencers – as they manage scandals, confront marital breakdowns and clash over everything from business ventures to party beneath the sensational plotlines is a more complex story about the evolving dynamics within a tight-knit group of Mormon mothers have been making content online for the past five years but say the concept of reality TV still feels very new to them. "I've heard that eventually people learn how to play the reality TV game but that's not us yet, we're still trying to figure it out," Jessi Ngatikaura tells the BBC. "So you're getting to see the real us." What started off as a hobby has now become a job and the women speak openly on the show about the amount of money they make from reality TV and brand deals."It is totally our job now but we chose this and we could all walk away any time if we didn't want to be part of it," Jessi says. Whitney Leavitt explains that "naturally dynamics will change when there's more money and family involved and definitely some people get competitive" but reassures me the group are still friends off camera. Across the two seasons of the show, Jessi and Whitney have had challenging storylines play out - Whitney is presented as the villain in season one and at the end of season two it is alleged Jessi has had an affair. The pair speak candidly about the impact having your life watched and commented on by millions of people worldwide has had on them. "It's been hard coming to terms with the fact we have no control over the narrative and you don't ever really get over it," Whitney explains. "But you have to accept that and let it go."As the show follows the lives of nine friends, it's easy to see how some of them may create more drama for themselves in order to guarantee some screen time but Jessi insists that's not the case and no one "plays up but naturally emotions are heightened"."We're actually recording four or five days a week so we don't know what will make the final edit."Jessi says her explosive Halloween party was not manufactured by producers and there is just "naturally so much drama that we don't need to create more just for the show". 'Lots of resentment' Given the intensity of drama and filming demands, the presence of strong aftercare is essential and both women praise the production for its duty of care standards. "There are always therapists on hand and at first I was like why are Taylor and Jen having therapy all the time and now I'm having five or six hours of it a week," Jessi confesses. "I've found it's useful even if you're not going through a hard time." Whitney also accessed some aftercare in season one after being presented as the villain of the show."It totally sucked being the villain and I was angry, had a lot of resentment and was really sad. There were so many overwhelming emotions for me but I was proud that instead of running away I stayed and had those hard conversations I didn't want to have," Whitney says. Whitney was one of the members of the MomTok group that Taylor Frankie Paul publicly revealed was involved in "soft swinging", something she denies and caused a rift to form in their friendship. The open discussions around sex, marital affairs and alcohol on the show has caused some backlash from the Mormon church. "When the first trailer came out there was some backlash from the church because they were scared but actually we're showing you how we live the Mormon life and we all live it differently," Whitney says. Jessi adds the docudrama shows how "we are all normal and everyday girls, not people wearing bonnets and churning butter like you might think". The women say that not only has the church come to accept the show, they are also helping young women think about their faith differently. "We've definitely influenced people to question their faith, dive deeper into it or be more honest about it and I've had messages from some people saying that they're joining the church because of me," Jessi says. While their religion plays an important part of their life, they're keen to tell me that they are not the face of Mormonism. "There are Mormons who still get upset about it but we're just showing our version of it and I think that's empowering as hopefully people can relate to our stories and struggles."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meet The Kids Of 'The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives'
Season 2 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives debuted on May 15, and fans once again cannot get enough of the drama that seemingly follows the #MomTok friend group everywhere. But aside from the scandals and gossip, the next most shocking thing about the cast might just be how many children they collectively have. Between Taylor Frankie Paul, Jessi Ngatikaura, Demi Engemann, Mayci Neely, Layla Taylor, Mikayla Matthews, Whitney Leavitt, Jen Affleck, and Miranda McWhorter, there are 22 kids in the Mormon Wives family tree, with an additional three babies on the way. Here's what you need to know about each cast member's family while we wait for this highly-anticipated saga to continue! Taylor, who's 31, and her ex-husband, Tate Paul, share two kids: Indy May and Ocean. Their daughter, Indy, was born in August 2017, and Ocean entered the world in June 2020. Then, in March 2024, Taylor and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, had their first son together and named him Ever. The Mormon Wives star has acknowledged that her baby names are more unconventional, saying on , "The names I love are not just for everyone. I feel like they're kinda unique." As for why she chose the name Ever for her latest, it reportedly means "always, eternity, and strong as a boar." Jessi Ngatikaura and her husband, Jordan Ngatikaura, tied the knot on October 8, 2020, and the couple shares two biological children. First, their son Jagger Zayn was born in April 2020. Later, in January 2023, they added a new baby girl to their family, Jovi. Similar to Taylor, Jessi also detailed the thought process behind her children's unorthodox names. "We chose Jovi because we have a son named Jagger, and I liked the theme of, like, old rock and roll–Bon Jovi, Mick Jagger. I just felt like they really went well together," she said on . Jessi is also a stepmother to Peyton, Jordan's 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. Demi Engemann, 31, was previously married to Blake Corbin for five years, and together, they had a daughter named Maude. However, in 2020, the pair decided to divorce. Since then, she's remarried Bret Engemann. They tied the knot in 2021, and the union expanded their family since Demi became the stepmother of Bret's sons, Cole and Rome Engemann. Still, Demi apparently wants to have another baby and discussed her fertility struggles during the show's second season, calling it "so taxing and emotionally draining." "It's more how bad Maude wants a sibling and how bad I want that with someone that I'm in love with," she shared. Mayci's first child, Hudson, was born in September 2015, just under six months after Arick Mack, his father, sadly passed away in a car crash. The 30-year-old got married to Jacob Neeley years later, in 2018, and he legally adopted Hudson. Now, the pair shares another daughter, Harlow, who was born in February 2021, and they are expecting a third. Mayci revealed the news of her pregnancy in February 2025, saying that her kids were "so excited" about the prospect of having another sibling. (via PEOPLE) Mikayla Matthews was just 16 when she became pregnant with Beckham Jace, her first child, and later welcomed him into the world on July 3, 2017. She went on to have her first daughter, Haven Monroe, in August 2019 and another daughter, Tommie Grace, in November 2021. However, Mikayla's family tree isn't finished. Back in February, she announced that she was pregnant again and expressed her desire to continue having more children. "I'm surrounded by Mormon culture still, and my husband's siblings all have so many kids. They're like, 'Once you hit three kids, you can have 10 kids.' That's kind of the mindset I have," she told . "When people ask me how many kids I want, I'm like, 'I've always wanted three or four, but I could see myself having six.'" Whitney Leavitt, 32, and her husband, Connor Leavitt, tied the knot in Provo, Utah, in 2016. They've gone on to have three children, Sedona, Liam, and Billy Gene, who were born in 2019, 2021, and 2024, respectively. Unlike Mikayla, though, it seems that Whitney and Connor are satisfied with their current child count. So, it remains unclear whether they'll be adding any more babies to the household. "We are most excited about having our family complete. We've always wanted three kids, and we're so happy everyone's here now," Whitney told following Billy Gene's arrival. Jen Affleck, who's 25, got married to her husband, Zac Affleck, in 2019. Now, they have two kids and are expecting their third. Their daughter, Nora, was born in November 2021, and their son, Lucas, entered the world in July 2023. Jen is expected to deliver her newest addition later in the year and shared how excited her kids were, particularly Nora, to potentially have a baby sister. Layla Taylor is 24 years old and a mother of two. She and her ex-husband, Clayton Wessel, have two sons, Oliver "Ollie" Clay and Maxwell Dean. But in 2023, Layla filed for divorce after three years of marriage and became a single mom of two toddlers. Finally, 27-year-old Miranda McWhorter and her ex-husband, Chase McWhorter, announced their divorce in 2024. But before their split, they had two children together: a son named Brooks and a daughter named Cohen. Looking for more & news? Follow us on so you never miss a thing!
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star reveals how she REALLY feels about getting a 'designer vagina'
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Ngatikaura is 'happy' she was able to broadcast her labiaplasty on season one of the hit Hulu series. While some may shy away from announcing plans to undergo such an intimate cosmetic procedure - which involves shortening or reshaping the vaginal lips - that was not the case for Jessi, who even allowed cameras to roll as she underwent the surgery before proudly showing off the results of her 'mommy makeover' with friends. Now Jessi, 32, is thrilled her own experience resonated with so many other women and mothers insecure about the appearance of their private parts. 'I never knew that I needed or wanted this surgery, I didn't even know the word for it, and now I know that this is a thing,' she told at the season two premiere of The Secret Wives of Mormon Wives. 'So just the fact that I could help women or moms who are struggling with that insecurity, and it does cause a lot of physical discomfort, so I was really happy to share that, and I'm an open book, so I'm happy that people related.' A mom of two, Jessi said on season one that she was unable to wear yoga pants due to her drooping 'meat curtains.' Labiaplasty - which has been called a 'designer vagina' surgery - is a surgical procedure to reduce the size of the labia minora – the flaps of skin either side of the vaginal opening. It involves cutting away unwanted tissue with a scalpel of laser in a procedure that takes about one to two hours. Cameras captured the moment Jessi underwent both the labiaplasty and breast reduction at once, followed by her recovery period. 'So I just want to be small with an implant. And then yeah, whatever you think down there,' Jessi - who previously had three breast augmentations - told her surgeon. Not only that, but Jessi announced her surgery to friends by hosting a paint night where the girls drew their own vaginas. 'The reason we're gonna do this is because on Monday, I'm getting a labiaplasty. And they are cutting it all off, tightening it back up, getting a mommy makeover,' she told her pals. In a confessional, she admitted that things changed after she welcomed her two children, daughters Jovi and Peyton, with husband Jordan Ngatikaura. 'A labiaplasty basically takes the inside of your vagina, the material that's a little more sensitive, and tucks it up inside. Pregnancy kind of pushes it out and mine decided to stay there. Now, after having two kids, even though physically I feel like I look back to normal, there are things that will never be the same,' she said. At that time, Jessi was experiencing discomfort 'down there.' 'Can't wear yoga pants right now,' she explained to her stunned costars 'My meat curtains, they just hang low.' 'So they're basically cutting off that extra meat and making it so my lips are just nice and perfect again.' 'Extra meat - I'm gonna make a sandwich with that!' she said with a laugh. After the surgery, Jessi discussed what was expected during the recovery time, which included bleeding and instructions to not have sex for four to six weeks. 'I was brutal the first night,' Jessi said of the the night after the surgery. 'I felt like I had a blowtorch up there! But then after I had my painkillers it's been way better.' She then showed off the actual results to her shocked friends. 'Spread it open!' they shouted as Jessi pulled down her shorts in front of them. 'It's swollen... They said that right now it should look like hotdog buns, which it does, but once it's not swollen it's gonna be tight,' she explained. 'Before, all of this stuff was hanging down at least that much,' she said. Season two of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star premieres on May 15 on Hulu.
Miami Herald
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Mormon Wives' Jessi Ngatikaura Opens Up About Nose Job, Reveals If She Plans to Have More Plastic Surgery
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wivesstar Jessi Ngatikaura opens up about her nose job and reveals if she has plans to get more plastic surgery during an exclusive interview with In Touch. "I've always just lived my life publicly. It's a big part of my business is to just share my life. So I just felt like sharing what I go through, it might help someone if they were considering doing it and had questions," Jessi, 32, explains about why she's been open with her fans about undergoing plastic surgery in the past. Not only does Jessi want to be transparent about the work she's had done, but she also says that she doesn't want to lie about how she's obtained her appearance. "I feel like it would be really hard to hide that I did that because it's obvious it's on my face," she says, referring to her nose job. "I would rather be the type of person that just owns it and talks about it rather than [saying], 'I've never had work done. I don't get Botox, I don't do this' and set an unrealistic standard for beauty." She adds, "Let's talk about what we do. Because some people may do it, some people may not, and that's OK." Jessi discussed her labiaplasty and breast implant reduction during season 1 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, while she documented her decision to get a nose job via social medias in March. She opted for a Weir excision, which reduces the width of a person's nostrils. And while she's been open about going under the knife in the past, Jessi says that she's not currently planning any other plastic surgeries. "I would say that people always warn against getting plastic surgery a slippery slope, and you could get addicted and do so many crazy things," she explains. "But I just had a few specific things I knew I wanted done, and that was it. So I'm not trying to go crazy." Jessi continues, "I just wanted to look like an enhanced version of myself, not a different person. So I feel like right now I feel good." Back in March, Jessi got candid about her nose job and revealed that that the reactions to the Hulu series made her insecure about her appearance "I'm not ashamed to admit that because I'm human," she wrote via her Instagram Stories at the time. "People have been awful about my looks & it definitely affected my confidence. But I also had insecurities before that I wanted to tweak so I took care of them!" She also told her fans that she hopes to have "thicker" skin when season 2 premieres on Thursday, May 15. "I have been wanting to do this forever," Jessi added of her nose job. "I've always been self-conscious about how wide my nostrils are especially when I smile and it's something I've always wanted to take care of." In addition to breaking down her reasons for the procedure, Jessi also shared details about her recovery process. She said that "most of the swelling and redness is within the first week" and her stitches were planned to be removed between "5 – 7 days" after the procedure. Copyright 2025 Us Weekly. All rights reserved.
