Trigger Warning: This article contains a discussion of domestic violence allegations and sexual assault allegations.
Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives instantly captured our attention with its mix of friendships, swirling betrayals, and marital drama. During a social media rant, Taylor Frankie Paul, who founded MomTok, claimed some members of the group, including herself and her then-husband, took part in “soft swinging.” Well, the drama skyrocketed, and these Mormon influencers earned their own reality show.
Since its premiere, SLOMW hasn’t shied away from complex topics, such as religion, domestic violence, eating disorders, and sexual abuse. In addition, these enterprising influencers are the breadwinners for their families. All these MomTok divas have children and struggled to balance work with their bustling family lives.
However, the show hasn’t been without controversy. The soft-swinging scandal nearly broke MomTok. Plus, power struggles within the group also led to the demise of friendships and shifting loyalties. It was A LOT.
What are the biggest SLOMW scandals?
SLOMW has scandals galore. Besides the soft swinging, Taylor’s tumultuous relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, has played out since Season 1. The former couple shares one son, Ever True.
In addition, marital troubles plagued this crew. Jessi Draper (formerly known as Jessi Ngatikaura) and her husband, Jordan Ngatikaura, separated during Season 3. However, after Season 4’s premiere, Jordan filed for divorce.
Plus, last season, Mikayla Matthews separated from her husband, Jace Terry. The couple had been open about their intimacy issues, which stemmed from Mikayla’s childhood sexual abuse. In addition, Whitney Leavitt’s husband, Conner Leavitt, also revealed that he was a victim of sexual abuse as a child.
Meanwhile, Layla Taylor opened up about her eating disorder during Season 4. And Jen Affleck stopped filming Season 2 of SLOMW amid her struggle with depression. Most of the ladies had a problem with how Jen’s husband, Zac Affleck, treated her. And, despite Jen’s claims to the contrary, Zac was not related to Hollywood A-lister Ben Affleck. Oof.
So, get ready, my friends. Grab some popcorn and an extra-dirty soda, and let’s review the biggest SLOMW scandals.
Taylor Frankie Paul was arrested
Taylor was divorced from her ex-husband, Tate Paul, with whom she shares two children, when the show started filming. In the Season 1 premiere of SLOMW, Taylor was arrested following an altercation with Dakota. During the incident, which played out in 2023, one of her children was present. Taylor threw metal chairs at Dakota, allegedly striking her daughter, Indy.
She was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, domestic violence in the presence of a child, and assault. After she pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, she received three years’ probation. The other charges were later dropped.
When Taylor was cast as the newest Bachelorette, she reflected on her arrest. “After the arrest, I was under so much stress,” Taylor stated in 2025. “I was filmed leaving the jail, and then that was immediately on the internet. It was a blessing in disguise. It helped me wake up.” Hold that thought …
Demi Engemann voiced allegations of “unwanted touching”
During the second season of SLOMW, some of the cast visited Castello Rosato in Italy. This Vanderpump Villa crossover introduced Demi Engemann and Jessi to server Marciano Brunette. Both ladies were married. While footage showed Demi being flirty with Marciano, she later changed her version of events.
During Season 3, the series showed some of Marciano’s posts onscreen, along with Demi’s response. “Also, he got uninvited by @hulu because he’s a s3xual pr3dator that can’t keep his hands to himself, not because I’m hiding anything from my husband,” Demi wrote. “He’s a lying clout chaser.”
Earlier, Demi alleged that she was “groped” at the villa, but didn’t name-drop Marciano. Meanwhile, in a Season 3 confessional related to what happened in Italy, Demi stated, “You never deserve unwanted touch.”
However, most of MomTok was confused by Demi’s behavior. She continued to stay in touch with Marciano after returning from Italy. She also accused some of her SLOMW cast members of not supporting her as an alleged sexual abuse victim. Following Demi’s allegations, Marciano filed a defamation lawsuit against her in late 2025.
Jessi Draper admitted to an affair with Marciano Brunette
Season 3 also blew the lid off Jessi’s affair with Marciano. What was in the water at Vanderpump Villa? During the second season finale, Marciano told Layla that he had sex with Jessi.
Eventually, the SLOMW star admitted that she and Marciano shared a couple of kisses, claiming that she and Jordan were separated at the time. Jessi even passed a lie detector test. However, Marciano and Jessi did have an emotional affair.
After Jessi ended her relationship with Marciano, she and Jordan decided to separate on a trial basis. Meanwhile, Demi threatened to reveal Jessi’s affair to the world. However, she didn’t follow through on her bluff.
Following this chaos, the once close friendship between Demi and Jessi fell apart. Plus, Demi reportedly tried to get a pay raise by suggesting that the show cut Jessi. That is cold. Their fiery feud divided MomTok, with Whitney ultimately siding with Demi.
Whitney Leavitt’s SLOMW return was tied to Dancing with the Stars
Whitney was able to shed her villain persona in Season 2. However, she wasn’t filming for Season 3 until Dancing with the Stars came calling. Waltzing in the ballroom was one of Whitney’s dreams, and she decided to make her SLOMW return in hopes of nabbing a spot on DWTS.
After a rough MomTok meeting, Whitney shared her goal. “But I know two things for sure,” she explained in her confessional. “One, I’m clearly not welcome in MomTok. And two, I’m gonna get Dancing with the Stars.”
In fact, Whitney told her SLOMW co-stars, “I’m not coming back to the sisterhood. I’m gonna start my own MomTok.” Such a bold claim.
While Whitney wasn’t the only MomTok member to land a spot in the ballroom, her casting was controversial because of her dance background. Her co-star, Jen, was also cast in DWTS Season 34. While neither woman won the Mirrorball, the competition reignited a rivalry between the former friends.
After all, Whitney slayed in the ballroom. While she fell just shy of the DWTS finale, Whitney ended up having her Broadway dreams come true. She landed the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago for a limited run. Bravo!
Taylor slept with Dakota Mortensen ahead of filming The Bachelorette
During Season 4, Taylor was preparing for her stint as ABC’s The Bachelorette. She was a surprising and controversial pick. Still, Taylor’s friends and family were excited about her opportunity to find love and hoped it would be the end of her toxic relationship with Dakota. Sigh.
So, when Taylor and Dakota hooked up during a trip to Los Angeles for the DWTS premiere, the SLOMW ladies were disappointed. Naturally, they questioned whether Taylor was ready to take this next step as the Bachelorette. However, once Taylor discovered that Dakota was seeing one of her acquaintances, she was reportedly done.
Since Dakota wasn’t happy about Taylor’s new starring role, what happened next shouldn’t be a shock. The night before she left to film the dating series, she and Dakota reportedly hooked up. The next morning, Taylor said she wasn’t feeling well and took a later flight to begin filming. Not a promising start for her new gig, handing out roses.
Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette was canceled
As Taylor began to promote The Bachelorette premiere, news broke that she and Dakota were involved in an open domestic violence investigation from February 2026. Reportedly, there were accusations from both parties. Meanwhile, both Dakota and Taylor were ordered to undergo psychological evaluations by the Utah Division of Child and Family Services.
Amid these messy allegations, filming for Season 5 of SLOMW was paused. Then, disturbing footage of the 2023 domestic violence incident between Taylor and Dakota was leaked. After the video surfaced, Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette was shelved. The network issued a statement, which read, “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.”
In turn, Taylor also spoke out about the cancellation. “Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” her statement read. “After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.”
Meanwhile, the future of SLOMW is unclear. Hopefully, filming will resume for Season 5 so fans can watch MomTok rise from the ashes.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is available to stream on Hulu.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788. You can reach the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or access RAINN’s online chat service.
TELL US – WHICH WAS THE MOST SURPRISING SLOMW SCANDAL?
