The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Mikayla Matthews is sharing her healing journey after experiencing childhood sexual abuse.
On May 21, the MomTok star opened up about her “sexual trauma” to Taylor Lautner on his podcast The Squeeze. Additionally, she has filmed with her therapist on Season 2 of Mormon Wives.
On May 26, Mikayla resplied on her Instagram Story to fans’ reactions to her podcast interview. “Just wanted to thank [everyone] for all the support and love I have been receiving after my podcast with @thesqueeze,” she wrote.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Mikayla Matthews bravely opened up about her childhood trauma
Although she was never a part of the MomTok swinging scandal that made them famous in the first place, Mikayla still has a lot to say. But she blames her moments of “anger” on her past sexual abuse.
“As everyone saw on the show,” she wrote on Instagram, “I opened up about something that was really … traumatic. It was the first time I had spoken about it in over 9 years.”
“I’ve felt a lot of anger while unraveling these traumatic events,” she added. “I think under all that anger are the wounds I’ve yet to heal.”
“Can I be bitchy and want to stick up for myself for the things people have done to me? Absolutely,” she continued. “But … I need to work on not projecting that hurt in unhealthy ways.”
Born in California, Mikayla and her six siblings moved to Utah with their mom following their parents’ divorce. As a single mom, Mikayla’s mother had to work long hours to support her family. She often left them in the care of an unidentified man while she was at work. According to Mikayla, the man was “definitely touchy with [her].”
“I didn’t quite get it,” she recalled. “I was still pretty young … When I was probably 11 or 12, I started to [feel] that it wasn’t OK, but I still hadn’t told anybody about it.”
“We would come over to ride his four-wheelers,” she recalled. “He’d be like, ‘If you want to ride the four-wheeler, you have to do this first for me.’ [Her mom] never saw any of that, and I never told her.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is now streaming on Hulu.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
