Latest news with #MikaylaMatthews
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mikayla Matthews Says She Was Sexually Abused by 3 Different People from the Time She Was 6 to 15
Mikayla Matthews is candidly addressing the sexual abuse she endured growing up After talking about the abuse in an episode of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Mikayla shared more of her story on The Squeeze podcast During the episode, Mikayla explained how the sexual abuse affected her through adulthoodMikayla Matthews is sharing more about enduring sexual abuse as a child. Appearing on The Squeeze podcast, Mikayla candidly opened up to host Tay Lautner about disclosing her past in the second season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Sharing her story, Mikayla explained that she'd grown up as the second youngest of seven kids in Granada Hills, Calif. "I actually blocked out a lot of my childhood. I remember a lot of the trauma from growing up and like a lot of the bad things that I took from it. But I don't remember a lot of like happy memories... I remember just like a lot of yelling," Mikayla shared. "I remember a lot of like fighting," she recalled. "I remember holidays because those were like the times that we were happy... which I feel like I've taken into my adult years now where I'm like, 'These are like my favorite.' It's like such a special time for me because growing up I was like, that was like the only happy memories I can remember. But yeah, it was a lot." Ultimately, Mikayla's parents divorced. Her mom moved with the children to Utah, where her family was based. Having to work to support the family as a single mom, Mikayla says her mom "never really saw" the rest of them during the day. 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. "We did a lot of growing up on our own basically... I feel like she wasn't around a lot growing up," Mikayla said. Mikayla then recalled the sexual abuse she endured at a young age. "I feel like it's hard to... I wanna like be able to like pinpoint an age of where it all started," she began. "Because I did open up about being sexually abused, and that happened before we moved to Utah." Later in the podcast, Mikayla claimed that there were "three different people," who abused her at different times between the time she was six until she was 15. She noted that in a household where sex wasn't a subject, it was hard to understand, let alone process. "I went to a sexual trauma therapist that was telling me about like the shame you get growing up around sex in general. I think it's very common just in a lot of households, but also just in like Mormon culture," she said. "You don't talk about sex. I feel like our parents' generation doesn't talk about sex. It's kind of, you don't talk about this — out of sight, out of mind." Mikayla recalled engaging in sexual exploration with herself as a child trying to understand what was happening, only to be reprimanded by her mom. "I would think back to times where, when I did live in California and I was doing things like — when you're younger, you start doing things, you notice things feel good — And ... my mom would always yell at me for doing things," she says. "But also at that time, I was like, I was being sexually abused and I was confused. And I think that's why I started doing those things," she continued. "And I just associated it with the shame because it was like, 'This isn't okay. Don't do this.' And that's something I feel like really carried over into my marriage, which is what I've noticed recently." "It's been like one of the hardest parts of our marriage," she said, referring to her husband Jace Terry, whom she met when she was 16. "Because you don't realize it's happening because again, you're so young, you're not processing it. And then you kind of are raised up with this, or at least I was raised up with my circumstance of, 'This isn't for me. It's for somebody else's pleasure.'" Related: Mikayla Matthews Opens Up About 'Traumatic' Pregnancy at Age 16, Just Weeks After Meeting Now-Husband Jace During season 2, Mikayla talks to her sisters about her past abuse and coming forward to tell her mom about it. "I never had that safe place to tell my mom anything. She just wasn't that person for me," Mikayla noted. "For my whole life, basically, I never had that safe place or felt comfortable telling her things. So when all these things were happening, it was, 'Okay, well, I don't have someone to tell that I feel comfortable telling that would take that information and do something good with it.'" Mikayla claimed that she was being "manipulated and groomed by people that say, 'Oh, this is a fun game,' or 'We're doing this to practice for boys in the future,' or 'Don't tell your mom.'" She added that sharing her truth with others is still a difficult situation to tackle. "I still haven't fully opened up to all the details of my sexual abuse even to like my husband, which he's very patient with me about," she explained. "But again, it's just this thing that's ingrained to me of, 'Well, no one's gonna believe me or I don't know.'" While the conversation with her siblings on the show was difficult — with Mikayla noting it was the first time they spoke openly about her abuse — she added it was "a literal full-circle moment, 10 years later." She credits her chronic illness for helping her tackle her mental health rather than shoving it further into the recesses of her mind. "I think it was really my chronic illness, in the last three years, that really shifted my mindset on all of that and opening up," she said. "Because again, I think my body was truly screaming at me internally and then it just started coming to the surface." If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. 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
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Mormon Wives' 'Mikayla Matthews Speaks Out About Surviving Sexual Abuse (Exclusive)
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
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mikayla Matthews says her chronic illness experience was cut from 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.' She's ready to tell her story.
Last year's Hulu reality hit The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives lifted the curtain on #MomTok drama and 'soft swinging' scandals. What it didn't show, according to star Mikayla Matthews, is the grueling health challenges she was facing at the time. 'The first week of filming Season 1, I had just got my breast implants taken out [out of concern over breast implant illness],' the 25-year-old reality star tells Yahoo Life. 'I had lost like 12 pounds, my eyebrows were falling out, my hair was falling out.' She was also struggling with chronic eczema that left her with rashes that were visible onscreen but were seldom addressed. 'I had eczema growing up, but it was like a whole 'nother level. I was dealing with a whole bunch of infections and different things. It wasn't something I could hide.' All of this took a mental toll. 'I was in such a bad mental place just because that's when I was at the lowest with my chronic illness,' she says about filming the show's first season. 'I was like, I just have no energy to even do this. But I was still showing up.' She also used her time in front of the camera to talk about her chronic illness; most of it wound up on the cutting room floor, taking a back seat to juicier storylines. 'I thought I was going to get more in-depth on the show [about] my chronic illness … how it's affected me and my mental health and my family, my relationship. But … the context wasn't there,' says Matthews. 'People were like, 'Oh, what happened to this girl? Why is she having rashes?' So they gravitated toward my social media.' TikTok, where she currently has 2.9 million followers, has become her main outlet for telling her story. It's where Matthews has chronicled years of worsening skin conditions, including eczema, molluscum contagiosum and a fungal infection called thrush. Since May 2023, her happy-go-lucky, family-focused content has included updates about her exposure to black mold, her weakened immune system and the many tests and treatments she's sought out to make her feel better. 'You name it, I tried it,' she says, listing off liver and parasite cleanses, a heavy metal detox and ozone IV therapy. Matthews also posted videos of her husband, Jace, assisting her with Dupixent shots. But most importantly, she showed the reality of what it's like to be a mother of three living with a chronic illness. 'I had just a three- [or] four-month period — and unfortunately it was [while] filming the show — where it was debilitating,' she says. 'I wasn't able to take care of my kids. I wasn't able to do daily tasks like get up and take a shower; it was a whole ordeal. Going to bed was so hard because I was in so much physical pain.' The discomfort interrupted her sleep; some nights she got only two hours of rest. Adjusting her medications and steroids also 'had a huge impact on my hormones and my mental health,' she says. And feeling as though she didn't look like herself only made it worse. 'It's definitely still triggering and not fun to look back on,' she says about wearing little makeup and comfy sweats throughout most of season 1. 'I just felt so low at that time.' But she survived Season 1. And with Secret Lives of Mormon Wives back on the air, she's ready to thrive. Where does Season 2 — which premiered Thursday night — find her? 'Sticking to regular therapy,' Matthews says. 'I always knew everything that was happening to me [externally] was happening internally, but I wasn't thinking as far as trauma. I was thinking it's my gut, it's my liver … but what's stored in your gut is that trauma. And so you kind of have to pick it out one by one.' She says that therapy was something she got into during the show's first season and continued when the cameras picked back up for Season 2. It happened at the right time, because Matthews then found out she was expecting her fourth child, went off some medications that weren't suitable for pregnancy and decided to go all in on addressing her mental health. 'That's what healed me, honestly, is like finally speaking up for myself and working on myself,' she says. 'The more I let go, the more I started healing.' Part of that healing process has involved opening up about enduring sexual abuse as a child — something that she tells Yahoo Life she hasn't discussed in about a decade. Though she plans to fast-forward through these sensitive scenes when she's watching the show, she hopes the conversations resonate with viewers. It's all part of the growth she has experienced since she made her reality TV debut last fall. 'A really great benefit from the show is that it does put you in these positions [that] you wouldn't normally be comfortable in, and I think that's where you see the most change,' says Matthews. Now she's looking forward to people seeing the bolder, healthier version of herself in Season 2. 'I felt like I held back a lot less and I said a lot more of what I was feeling — a little too much.'
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives star Mikayla Matthews speaks out about surviving childhood sexual abuse
The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives star Mikayla Matthews has revealed that she was sexually abused as a child 'for about four or five years'. The 25-year-old opened up about her past trauma on the upcoming second season of her hit reality TV show, which follows a group of Mormon mom influencers that got caught in the midst of a swinging sex scandal. Matthews, who is currently expecting her fourth child, revealed that the years-long sexual abuse ended after she turned 15. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO The topic came up on Halloween as she recalled gathering the courage to tell her mother about the abuse in 2015. After telling her mom, Matthews said in the episode that she felt like her story wasn't believed. This led her to feel 'silenced' and has continued to affect her ability to share what happened to her to others, including her own husband Jace Terry. Matthews told People that speaking to her siblings about the abuse while cameras were rolling was a 'nerve-wracking' experience. She explained: 'It was the first conversation I had ever had with them since everything happened.' Navigating her relationship with her mother has been tricky as Matthews claims she still doesn't believe her story. '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,' Matthews said. She has chosen not the publicly identity her abuser or disclose their relationship to her. On the new season of Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives, she talks about a therapy in which she role-played a scenario where she tells off her abuser. '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,' Matthews said. Although she has not told many people about the abuse, she said she has confided in her longtime friend Mayci Neeley. Matthews, who suffers from chronic eczema, explained that confronting her trauma and focusing on her mental health has helped her see 'the most healing on the outside.' She also credited her husband for being 'the most amazing support' system. 'Focusing on going to therapy and my marriage and healing my inner child, honestly, has helped the most,' Matthews insisted. '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.' The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives returns to Hulu on May 15. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Mikayla Matthews speaks out about surviving childhood sexual abuse
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Mikayla Matthews revealed that she was sexually abused as a child 'for about four or five years.' The TikTok star, 25, opened up about her past trauma on the upcoming second season of her hit reality show, which follows a group of Mormon mom influencers that got caught in the midst of a swinging sex scandal. Matthews, who is currently expecting her fourth child, noted that the years-long sexual abuse ended after she turned 15. The topic came up on Halloween as she recalled gathering the courage to tell her mother about the abuse back in 2015. After telling her mom, Matthews said in the episode that she felt like her story wasn't believed. This led her to feel 'silenced' and has continued to affect her ability to share what happened to her to others, including her own husband, Jace Terry. Matthews told People that speaking to her siblings about the abuse while cameras were rolling was a 'nerve-wracking' experience. 'It was the first conversation I had ever had with them since everything happened,' she explained. Navigating her relationship with her mother has been tricky as Matthews claims she still doesn't believe her story. '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,' Matthews said. She has chosen not the publicly identity her abuser or disclose their relationship to her, at this time. On this season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, she shares a therapy session of hers, which involves her role-playing a scenario where she tells off her abuser. '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,' Matthews said. Although she has not told many people about the abuse, she said she has confided in her longtime friend, Mayci Neeley. Mikayla Matthews, who suffers from chronic eczema, explained that confronting her trauma and focusing on her mental health has helped her see 'the most healing on the outside.' She also credited her husband for being 'the most amazing support' system. 'Focusing on going to therapy and my marriage and healing my inner child, honestly, has helped the most,' Matthews insisted. '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.' The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives returns to Hulu on May 15. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to
