Trigger Warning: This article talks about suicide
I would never have had tagged Jen Affleck refusing to film The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on my Bingo card. But that is exactly what happened to the young mother. The last year has been extremely hard for Jen, who was navigating through a separation when cameras picked up. So why did the influencer choose to take a break? Here’s what we know.
Zac Affleck and Jen Affleck try therapy
The couple tried to go to therapy to tackle the issues in their marriage. She explained to viewers that she hasn’t felt well for over a year. She also made it clear that she was going to be choosing MomTok over her husband. Zac Affleck told the therapist, “I am frustrated because I feel like I’m having to stick up and defend our family, and it’s making me look like the bad guy. When these are your friends, like if my friends were doing these kinds of things to us, I would confront them, before I would drop them.”
Jen is still reeling from her traumatic argument from Season 1. Fans will recall she went to Chippendales, where she was the purest of all the women and hardly looked at the dancers. But Zac freaked out and sent her pretty cruel texts. During the Season 2 therapy scene, she found her voice. “I’m not being quiet about it. If you don’t want to be on camera, then you can go,” she says. “If you don’t want to be part of this, you don’t want to be part of this marriage, you can go. I’m only moving forward in this marriage if you take accountability.”
Jen Affleck suffered from prenatal depression
During Episode 3 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Jen finds out she is pregnant. It wasn’t the joyful news it had been for the first two children. And as a viewer, my heart broke for the reality TV star. It was clear she was overwhelmed at the thought of bringing a child into the world when she wasn’t even sure she was going to stay with Zac. Now, personally, I questioned if he trapped her. But the ladies explained that Jen didn’t believe in protection. And as the saying goes, if you’re not protecting your planning.
As the pregnancy took shape, Jen started to exhibit signs of prenatal depression. Cameras found her not being able to get out of bed and becoming relatively sick. Zac shared that he was trying his best as cameras showed him getting the children ready and bringing them upstairs to visit their mother. And while Zac has never been a fan favorite, he seemed to bring up some valid points. One being that maybe MomTok was taking its toll on his wife. Previously, some of the ladies had turned on Jen after noting that she had lied about a few stories. Whatever was going on, it was clear that Jen was not in a good place mentally.
Jen Affleck took a break from filming
By Episode 7, Jen had shut down filming. As the rest of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast flew to Scottsdale, Arizona, for the girls’ trip, Jen stayed home. Before leaving, Whitney Leavitt went to check on her friend. Once inside the home, Whit learned that her friend was really struggling. Jen shared that she was driving home earlier in the week with her husband and kids, and all of a sudden, she started to feel like she no longer wanted to be on earth. The suicidal thoughts scared her, and she chose to retreat into the safety of her house.
As the girls played, Zac and Jen had a serious talk. The mother of three shared that she hadn’t been feeling herself for quite some time and that even moms need a little extra help at times. It was in this moment that Jen decided she needed to put her mental health first. The screen went black, and Hulu explained that production had agreed to give Jen space while she found the help she needed.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives will be available to stream on Hulu on May 15th. The show streams on Disney+ in the UK.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK JEN AFFLECK DID THE RIGHT THING BY TAKING A STEP BACK?
