Latest news with #WhitneyLeavitt
BBC News
9 hours 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."
South Wales Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives stars want series to show ‘we are normal'
The first season of the hit reality series followed a group of Mormon influencers based in Utah in the US, caught in the midst of a sex-swinging scandal. Mormonism is a restorationist Christian movement which discourages alcohol, tobacco and caffeine, as well as sex outside marriage. Ngatikaura and Whitney Leavitt discussed the show's next season on ITV's This Morning and explained that the series followed the creation of 'MomTok' – a collective of women who make videos on TikTok. 'MomTok is a group of women. We all did social media together, and it started out just a group of mums getting together and making fun videos on social media, and then it turned into what it is today, which is crazy,' said Leavitt. She added: 'I think what's really cool about this whole group is that all of us live it a little bit differently, like some maybe a little bit more than others. 'So hopefully someone who's watching can relate to one of us, but yeah, no drinking coffee, no premarital sex, dress modestly, no tattoos.' Ngatikaura left the church and said there are women 'of different faith levels' on the show. 'I left about five, six years ago, but my family is Mormon, my friends are Mormon, so I'm still in the culture,' she said. 'It just wasn't for me. But I love that about our show, is that we have so many different faith levels. 'So we showcase someone who is super active, someone who is not any more, which I think is relatable to any religion.' This Morning presenter Paddy McGuinness said it is 'good to talk' about Mormonism so people know 'it's not what you think it is when you see the films'. Ngatikaura responded: 'We wanted to show that because everyone thinks Mormons are like pilgrims and sister wives and we can't do anything, but we showcase that we are just normal people.' Season two follows the lives of the women after the success of season one and sees Miranda McWhorter join the series 'to set the record straight on the swinging scandal'. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially condemns polygamy but there are other groups, referred to as 'Mormon fundamentalists', who engage in the practice. The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives season two is available on Disney+ in the UK.
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives stars want series to show ‘we are normal'
The first season of the hit reality series followed a group of Mormon influencers based in Utah in the US, caught in the midst of a sex-swinging scandal. Mormonism is a restorationist Christian movement which discourages alcohol, tobacco and caffeine, as well as sex outside marriage. Ngatikaura and Whitney Leavitt discussed the show's next season on ITV's This Morning and explained that the series followed the creation of 'MomTok' – a collective of women who make videos on TikTok. 'MomTok is a group of women. We all did social media together, and it started out just a group of mums getting together and making fun videos on social media, and then it turned into what it is today, which is crazy,' said Leavitt. She added: 'I think what's really cool about this whole group is that all of us live it a little bit differently, like some maybe a little bit more than others. 'So hopefully someone who's watching can relate to one of us, but yeah, no drinking coffee, no premarital sex, dress modestly, no tattoos.' Ngatikaura left the church and said there are women 'of different faith levels' on the show. 'I left about five, six years ago, but my family is Mormon, my friends are Mormon, so I'm still in the culture,' she said. 'It just wasn't for me. But I love that about our show, is that we have so many different faith levels. 'So we showcase someone who is super active, someone who is not any more, which I think is relatable to any religion.' This Morning presenter Paddy McGuinness said it is 'good to talk' about Mormonism so people know 'it's not what you think it is when you see the films'. Ngatikaura responded: 'We wanted to show that because everyone thinks Mormons are like pilgrims and sister wives and we can't do anything, but we showcase that we are just normal people.' Season two follows the lives of the women after the success of season one and sees Miranda McWhorter join the series 'to set the record straight on the swinging scandal'. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially condemns polygamy but there are other groups, referred to as 'Mormon fundamentalists', who engage in the practice. The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives season two is available on Disney+ in the UK.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Paddy McGuinness jokes 'where do I sign up?' in very cheeky chat with Mormon Wives stars as they tell him about their swingers lifestyle and risque 'Daddy' lip tattoo
Paddy McGuinness joked 'where do I sign up?' in a cheeky This Morning interview with Mormon Wives stars as they told him all about the cast's swingers lifestyle. Paddy, 51, joined Alison Hammond to present Friday's episode of the ITV chat show, which saw them chat to two stars from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives - Whitney Leavitt and Jessi Ngatikaura. The American Disney+ reality show, the second series of which came out earlier this month, follows a group of Utah-based Mormon mothers and TikTok influencers. The programme captured attention after cast member, Taylor Frankie Paul, went viral for admitting her husband and she had been swinging with other Mormon couples. But Paddy, who split from his wife and mother of his three children Christine in 2022 after 11 years of marriage, didn't appear dissuaded as he joked about joining the show and becoming a Mormon husband. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Reality star Whitney Leavitt pulled back her bottom lip to reveal the tattoo, which read 'Daddy' Seemingly referring to the so-called 'soft-swinging' scandal - with the term denoting romantic and sexual intimacy outside a partnership, without full intercourse - Paddy joked: 'Where do I sign up? I'm in!' As he thanked the guests for coming on the show, he then did a double fist pump. During the interview, Alison made it clear that Whitney and Jessi no not participate in the swinging lifestyle, clarifying: 'Let's be clear, Whitney and Jessi did not "soft swing".' Paddy then cheekily interjected, referring to other cast members who are swingers as he quipped: 'Doesn't make them bad people.' Alison agreed: 'No, it doesn't', before Jessi joked: 'Maybe next season!' Jessi - who left the faith several years ago but still features on the show due to her continuing links to Mormon family and friends - then explained some of the values of the religion. They include not having tattoos - but both women admitted they do actually have inkings themselves. Whitney revealed, 'I actually have one too but mine's hidden', gesturing to her mouth. Alison said, 'So naughty, you've got a tattoo in the mouth?', adding: 'You are the naughtiest Mormon wives!' Jessi, who encouraged Whitney to show off the ink, commented jokingly, 'You have like a hardcore tattoo', before adding: 'No, she's like a bad Mormon!' Whitney then pulled back her bottom lip to reveal the tattoo, which cheekily read 'Daddy'. Alison turned to her co-host Paddy to ask, 'Do you know what it says?', before he confirmed: 'I do, it says Daddy!' He then asked jokingly: 'Sorry, I just need to check, does that say Paddy?' as the studio descended into laughter. An amused Jessi quickly replied, 'Yes, it does, she's a fangirl', while Paddy responded: 'Oh, right, OK, it's meant to be!' The two Mormon wives explained another aspect of the faith means they are unable to drink coffee, as part of treating their body as a temple. They instead drink fizzy beverages, mixed with a variety of flavoured creams and syrups - and brought in their regular orders for Alison and Paddy to try. Both were very complimentary about the drinks, praising how delicious they were, with Alison saying lightly: 'Could I join the Mormon wives? How do I do it?' But Paddy interjected to say: 'More importantly, how do I become a Mormon husband? These are the main questions, how do we become a Mormon husband?' Jessi jokingly replied: 'You got to get married in the temple, you gotta move to Utah, go to BYU [Mormon-sponsored university in Utah], there's so many requirements.' Towards the end of the interview, Alison praised Jessi for being so open about the cosmetic surgery procedures she has undergone. 'You're so open Jessi, like I know you've had a little bit of surgery down below and you've had some surgery up above as well, you've had a breast reduction', she said. The reality star confirmed, 'Yeah, everywhere!', before Alison cheekily continued, turning to Paddy: 'Which you're not happy about are you?' A taken aback Paddy stuttered: 'Sorry, I came on the tail end of this, I was still thinking about... [a comment made just before about Whitney being a Great British Bake Off fan].' Jessi quipped, 'He's like, "I just heard breast, what?"' 'You're so open Jessi, like I know you've had a little bit of surgery down below and you've had some surgery up above as well, you've had a breast reduction', Alison said Jessi also noted that the very popular Mormon Wives reality show was only commissioned because of her co-star Taylor's frank admissions online about swinging - despite the sexually conservative reputation of Mormonism. She said: 'Well, I think Taylor was the one who originally came out with it because there were rumours going around about her and she's like, "I'm going to set the record straight", which thank God she did because we got a show so…!' Paddy's divorce from former model Christine, 37, was finalised last summer, following their split in 2022. The couple share three kids - ten-year-old twins, Penelope and Leo, and seven-year-old daughter Felicity - who are all autistic. Despite their split, they remain living under the same roof at their £2.5million family home in Cheshire for the sake of their young family. But earlier this year, MailOnline revealed Paddy had put their £6.5million Cheshire house up for sale. Christine had reportedly grown increasingly tired of cohabiting with Paddy, who was happy for the arrangement to continue. Christine had already flown to Ibiza to begin filming with the rest of the cast but told fans she was 'returning home to her family' after a change of heart Speaking about their split, Christine said: 'I've never spoken about the reasons for our divorce, and I don't know if I ever will. 'It was a difficult time. It wasn't something that, you know, I just decided to do overnight, or that we chose to do. 'We tried, and, yeah, there just, unfortunately, there was no repairing it, you know?' Christine also pulled out of her scheduled appearance on Celebs Go Dating earlier this month, revealing she felt it was 'too soon' for her to date so publicly following her divorce. Christine had already flown to Ibiza to begin filming the series with the rest of the cast but told fans she was 'returning home to her family' after having a change of heart. Revealing the news on Instagram at the start of this month, she said: 'I joined Celebs Go Dating with great intentions but have realised that dating on a public platform and the attention is brings is just too soon for me.' She added she may appear in the future though: 'They've said the door is always open for me which I'm so grateful but for now I'm returning home to my family.' This Morning is available to watch on ITV on weekdays at 10am and to stream on ITVX.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives stars want series to show ‘we are normal'
The first season of the hit reality series followed a group of Mormon influencers based in Utah in the US, caught in the midst of a sex-swinging scandal. Mormonism is a restorationist Christian movement which discourages alcohol, tobacco and caffeine, as well as sex outside marriage. Ngatikaura and Whitney Leavitt discussed the show's next season on ITV's This Morning and explained that the series followed the creation of 'MomTok' – a collective of women who make videos on TikTok. 'MomTok is a group of women. We all did social media together, and it started out just a group of mums getting together and making fun videos on social media, and then it turned into what it is today, which is crazy,' said Leavitt. She added: 'I think what's really cool about this whole group is that all of us live it a little bit differently, like some maybe a little bit more than others. 'So hopefully someone who's watching can relate to one of us, but yeah, no drinking coffee, no premarital sex, dress modestly, no tattoos.' Ngatikaura left the church and said there are women 'of different faith levels' on the show. 'I left about five, six years ago, but my family is Mormon, my friends are Mormon, so I'm still in the culture,' she said. 'It just wasn't for me. But I love that about our show, is that we have so many different faith levels. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more This Morning presenter Paddy McGuinness said it is 'good to talk' about Mormonism so people know 'it's not what you think it is when you see the films'. Ngatikaura responded: 'We wanted to show that because everyone thinks Mormons are like pilgrims and sister wives and we can't do anything, but we showcase that we are just normal people.' Season two follows the lives of the women after the success of season one and sees Miranda McWhorter join the series 'to set the record straight on the swinging scandal'. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially condemns polygamy but there are other groups, referred to as 'Mormon fundamentalists', who engage in the practice. The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives season two is available on Disney+ in the UK.
