{"id":233369,"date":"2026-04-08T18:04:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T18:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/08\/are-the-secret-lives-of-mormon-wives-stars-practicing-mormons-where-they-stand-in-the-church\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T18:04:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T18:04:39","slug":"are-the-secret-lives-of-mormon-wives-stars-practicing-mormons-where-they-stand-in-the-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/08\/are-the-secret-lives-of-mormon-wives-stars-practicing-mormons-where-they-stand-in-the-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Are \u2018The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives\u2019 Stars Practicing Mormons? Where They Stand in the Church"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Despite the name The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives<\/i><\/a>, not all of the show stars are active in the religion.<\/p>\n

Members of the Mormon faith<\/a> belong to the Church of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), which are often characterized by strict rules. On The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, <\/i>a group of #MomTok influencers<\/a> attempted to defy traditional gender roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has Mormon roots,\u201d Mayci Neeley<\/strong> said on the group\u2019s \u201cViall Files\u201d<\/a> podcast appearance in September 2024, before Mikayla Matthews<\/strong> and Jessi Ngatikaura<\/strong> revealed that they are not members of the church.<\/p>\n

Keep scrolling to see where the different cast members stand with the LDS church:<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Meet the Women Behind MomTok on \u2018The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives\u2019<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tDisney\/Fred Hayes Mormon \u201cMomtok\u201d has made its way from your phone to your TV with Hulu\u2019s upcoming series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The mom influencers took over TikTok in 2022 with their unconventional lifestyles while also \u201cbreaking a norm\u201d associated with their religious practices and gender roles. The group subsequently faced scandal when [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Taylor Frankie Paul<\/h2>\n
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Disney\/Pamela Littky<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Taylor Frankie Paul was<\/span> a practicing Mormon when Secret Lives of Mormon Wives <\/i>premiered in 2024<\/span>, claiming during the first season<\/span> that she wanted to reconnect with her faith after divulging a \u201csoft-swinging\u201d scandal among her fellow MomTokkers and welcoming a baby out of wedlock. (Taylor shares two children with ex-husband Tate Paul<\/b>, as well as youngest son Ever with ex-boyfriend<\/span> Dakota Mortensen<\/b><\/span><\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Nearly two years later, Taylor revealed that she was \u201cdetaching\u201d herself<\/span><\/a> from the LDS church.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll always have love and respect towards it. I\u2019ll even continue to go with my family at times \u2026 with that being said, it\u2019s time to detach myself from it,\u201d she wrote via Instagram. \u201cI strongly believe in Christ, God, the bible, the divine. I believe we are loved whether we are praying in [a] church building or from a bathroom floor at home. I\u2019ve also experienced grace and love from amazing people that aren\u2019t sure what they believe if at all and that\u2019s OK too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Demi Engemann<\/h2>\n
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Demi Engemann<\/strong> grew up \u201chalf\u201d in the church as her mother was a member, but her dad was not.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was such a stark contrast, so the faith aspect for me was very interesting and intriguing,\u201d she said on the 2024 podcast. \u201cI almost resented my mom for being like, \u2018No, you don\u2019t miss a Sunday [service]\u2019\u00a0 \u2026 and then my dad was just like a free spirit. Naturally, I\u2019m more like a free spirit<\/a>, so I always went against the grain.\u201d<\/p>\n

As of now, Demi has \u201cstepped away from more of the religious practices\u201d in favor of her personal relationship with God.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Affleck<\/h2>\n
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Jen Affleck<\/strong> grew up in the church, calling herself \u201cthe most LDS\u201d of the Hulu stars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my own personal friend group, I\u2019m the craziest,\u201d she said in September 2024. \u201cI also have my past. \u2026 There are pros and cons to being raised in the Mormon faith, but for me, it was my relationship with God and I always go back to that even when I doubt my faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jen, whose mom converted after immigrating to the United States, went through \u201cstages\u201d after high school when she rebelled from the religion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely left the church for a little bit [and] I drank, I had sex before I got married,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI did all the things that Mormons don\u2019t do. \u2026 It was important for me to have that experience and not just follow what everyone else was doing and to really figure out what I wanted and ultimately, I decided this does make me a better person [and] it makes me happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jessi Draper<\/h2>\n
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Jessi Draper<\/strong> does not belong to the church, noting on Nick Viall<\/strong>\u2019s podcast in 2024 that she was a \u201crebel\u201d among the cast for her position.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a zero out of 10 on the Mormon scale,\u201d she quipped. \u201cI\u2019m the alcoholic on the show. I\u2019m like the rebellious one on the cast. My dad wasn\u2019t Mormon [and] my mom was, so I grew up like a mutt [and] have the best of both worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Layla Taylor<\/h2>\n
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Layla Taylor<\/strong>, who converted to the faith, isn\u2019t \u201csuper active.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to go to church as much as I can, but I had sex before I was married [and] I drink here and there,\u201d she said on the \u201cViall Files\u201d episode in 2024. \u201cI\u2019m taking it day by day. Ultimately, just my relationship with God, I feel like that\u2019s what it comes down to and that\u2019s just so personal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere on the podcast, Layla revealed that she has a new boyfriend following her divorce and he is an \u201cactive\u201d Mormon. The pair split months later.<\/p>\n

Mayci Neeley<\/h2>\n
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Mayci Neeley<\/strong>\u2019s active in the church and also teaches \u201cprimary\u201d classes to member\u2019s children.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a temple recommend, which means I\u2019m worthy to go in the temple,\u201d she told Viall. \u201cYou have to be worthy to enter into the house of the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikayla Matthews<\/h2>\n
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Mikayla Matthews<\/strong> is not a practicing Mormon but grew up in the church.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t been active for, like, 10 years,\u201d she said. \u201cI grew up in California, so it\u2019s very different. I grew up with my mom cussing us out on the way to church \u2014 and she was a church leader. In Utah, it\u2019s completely different, so I don\u2019t feel like I was ever that [religious.] I was never by the book; we did things on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikayla and her siblings relocated with their mother to Utah following their parents\u2019 divorce but didn\u2019t stay active with the local church.<\/p>\n

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