Spoilers for The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season Three

Scandal and drama. Lies and truths. Saints and Sinners. Will MomTok survive this? 

Will MomTok survive this? 

The Mormon wives of Utah have taken TikTok by storm with #MomTok. And now, the women are growing in fame, becoming global TV sensations with their reality show, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. After a startling swinging scandal back in 2022, the question of whether there is true religion behind these women was focalised, catalysing the drama and divisions that would ensue. Now, Demi, Layla, Jen, Jessi, Mayci, Mikayla, Miranda, Whitney, and the appointed ringleader of it all, Taylor, are back for season three, promising more secrets and drama than ever. 

As ever, internal conflict among the women dominates this season. Season two saw Demi become the villain of the story, taking some of the heat off of Whitney. Her displays of narcissism have truly continued to shine through into season three, as she has doubled down on her vicious malevolence towards the group. Primarily, her claims against Chase, Miranda’s ex-husband, are central, continuing the narrative from the previous season that she was assaulted when ‘shoved’ by the husband at an earlier Halloween party.

Season two saw Demi become the villain of the story, taking some of the heat off of Whitney.

Moreover, Vanderpump Villa’s Marciano is also a focus of Demi’s drama, with speculation and accusations, dragging Jessi down with her in rumours of alleged affairs and harassment. Jessi and Demi, once seemingly best friends in the series, now have such a deep-rooted feud that it seems there is no coming back, their friendship is assuredly over. However, the shocking behaviours of Demi in this series have seemingly brought the rest of the women together, connecting them through their shared frustrations with the groups estranged wife. Conclusively, in her drama, the inflated and unfairly distorted pictures that Demi paints in this season truly emphasis her self-victimising behaviours, dividing fans who feel both sympathy and contempt for the reality star.

However, though the focus is on Demi this season, it is not fair to say that Whitney is entirely off the hook. Similarly to the wives, audiences have taken a firm disliking to her, especially after she explicitly stated her opportunistic transactional approach to the show. But is this resentment overly dramatised? After all, MomTok has offered opportunities for all the women, Whitney is just more candid about taking those opportunities. Even so, Whitney is still a target of distrust this season, with the other wives persistently questioning her and her intentions throughout. 

…whilst season one was characterised by the exploration into Mormon faith in modern day life, it seems that now, religion is much less of a focus.

Looking into the premise of the series, whilst season one was characterised by the exploration into Mormon faith in modern day life, it seems that now, religion is much less of a focus. Whilst some in the group have quietly continued in their practice and beliefs, others have spoken against the church of Latter-Day Saints and its controversial value system. It is easy to question religion in this day and age, with religious morality and social norms no longer seeing eye to eye. This is spotlighted in the show, with Mayci and her husband Jacob, making it clear that, whilst they do still associate with the church, they do not stand with many of its core values and prejudices, commendably speaking out publicly against the church’s open opposition to the LGBTQ+ community. 

Despite this moment of authentic support, however, claws are still out, and after a reunion episode, released less than a month after the chaos of season three, it seems that there is still considerable animosity between the women. The primary issues, including Demi’s estrangement from the group, Taylor and Dakota’s fragmented relationship, and the women’s shared struggle with domestic and sexual violence, were covered in this much-anticipated reunion. However, very little came to a satisfying conclusion, and rather, the show was dominated by tumultuous arguments, with host Stassi losing control over her guests, leaving audiences with more questions than answers. 

Nevertheless, this drama is truly what draws in the audience’s attention, capturing the interest of celebrity fans including Lana Del Rey, Millie Bobby Brown, and Jennifer Lawrence, who are just as invested in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives as everyone else. 

Is DadTok detracting from the success of MomTok?

However, one question did linger with me at the end of this season: Is DadTok detracting from the success of MomTok? It seems that the husbands this season were much more involved. Whilst they are no match for their wives, DadTok is growing. Still, it appears that they are almost capitalising on their wives’ success in the social media and reality TV world, forcing themselves into the show much more, even going so far as to arrange a secret meeting to discuss Jessi and Jordan’s relationship.

Surprisingly, the reunion episode followed the same pattern with the men kicking the women out of their own show in order to have their own private segment, although it was evident that Taylor was having no such thing as she stormed onto set, rightfully reclaiming her show. Feminism is what the women claim to be central to their purpose, striving to present Mormon women as more than just so-called ‘trad wives’. However, the husbands’ deepening involvement perhaps diminishes the women’s attempts to separate the church from oppressive gender roles. 

Ultimately, the Mormon wives love a cliffhanger, and this series is no different, with teasers of Demi and Jen at each other’s throats, and Taylors exploration into the world of reality dating shows in The Bachelorette. As season four is scheduled for a March release, the wives are sure to give audiences more messy drama than ever. 

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