Reality TV fans have embraced Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which became the platform's most-watched unscripted premiere of 2024. The show follows the MomTok influencer group, all current or former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as they navigate scandals, plastic surgery, and theological debates. However, some Latter-day Saints feel the series misrepresents their faith.
Dallin Shumway, a 27-year-old social worker in Texas, says the show sensationalises aspects of the religion. 'The angle always seems to be… these are the crazy Americans who live out West. It doesn’t really represent the life of a Latter-day Saint very clearly at all,' he told British Brief. Ken Brueck, a 43-year-old software worker in Utah, added that the title plays into stereotypes of secrecy and oppression, saying, 'That’s where Secret Lives makes me uncomfortable, because there’s gonna be some percentage of people who will form their opinions of people like me based on the people in that show.'
The series returned for a third season on Thursday, following the fallout from a 'soft swinging' scandal that began when cast member Taylor Frankie Paul revealed intimate encounters with other couples. The show also explores the cast's struggles with their faith's social conservatism, including prohibitions on sex before marriage and homosexuality. Some stars have spoken about wanting to modernise the Church, with a few drinking alcohol or using ketamine therapy.
Last year, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement criticising recent media portrayals that rely on 'sensationalism and inaccuracies' and have 'real-life consequences for people of faith.' Dr Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, a sex therapist who works with Latter-day Saints, said the show makes women look like 'repressed idiots' breaking out in an 'indulgent, reckless way.' She added, 'It’s salacious and immature.'
