I binged Secret Lives of Mormon Wives - it’s trashy but addictive with its scandal and secrets

Either way, there’s always space for the newest shocking reality series to add to my roster - enter The Secret lives Of Mormon Wives. The new Hulu Original series, which airs on Disney+ in the UK, dropped on September 6 and has already set tongues wagging over its astonishing peek behind the curtain of MomTok and the swinging scandal that almost brought the content empire crumbling down. 

We’re introduced to a group of women who are connected to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Salt Lake City, Utah through their marriages and family. We open on the aftermath of a bombshell TikTok that saw Taylor Frankie Paul expose her religious friendship group for being involved in swinging and partner-swapping parties. What ensues is backstabbing, pot-stirring, arrests and battles to be queen bee as the group of women deal with rebuilding their reputation post-swinging shock. 

On paper it doesn’t really stray too far from the traditional reality show format - you have your shocking storylines, rumours of affairs, secrets that are unfurled episode-by-episode, and a mob mentality that sees our core group often slip into factions. It’s trashy, scandalous and overly dramatic. 

We are told that everyone in the group is placed on a ‘Mormon scale’ - 10 being the most devout of followers - and the girls are jokingly split into a ‘Saints’ and ‘Sinners’ grouping, while some are ridiculed for being “too Mormon”. We see the women drinking alcohol, getting plastic surgery and tattoos, pondering promoting sex toys and even a mention of ketamine therapy that is glossed over and never mentioned again - all things the traditional LDS church would likely not approve of. 

It’s actually quite nice to see the women try to break out from gender norms in such a traditionally strict community, which sets it apart from other shows in the genre. And they aren’t shy to show us the pressures women face in the church. 

One member of the group, Jen Affleck (with a relation to Ben Affleck through her marriage), is shown in turmoil after her husband Zac flies off the handle at her even just being in the same room as Chippendales dancers during a visit to Las Vegas. Another member, Layla, is recently divorced and figuring out how to navigate her newly-single life in the world of the LDS church, where divorce is a big no-no. 

And while we see some (not all) of the consequences of these transgressions, the big moment that shows just how vital these women are to their families comes when one of the women asks who the breadwinners of their respective families are. Slowly all of the group, who have all become successful content creators through MomTok, raise their hands one-by-one. 

I’ll be completely honest - I binged this all in one day. Yes, it’s vapid and would be the last thing on the list of a TV viewer who describes reality TV as “brain-rot”, but it’s an easy watch and does exactly what it says on the tin. There’s no deep psychoanalysis of religion but if you go in with the expectation of a scandal-ridden romp with some interesting flashes about gender roles, you’ll have fun.