When The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reunion aired, fans were expecting drama. But not a full-on truth dump that left nearly every cast member exposed. And that started within the first five minutes! From shady text messages to behind-the-scenes manipulation and long-held grudges finally surfacing, this reunion quickly went from buttoned-up to temple garments being thrown away. While the season had its moments, the reunion proved that the real tension had been simmering off-camera all along.
Whether it was Demi Engemann’s alleged puppet-master moves, Jessi Ngatikaurai’s surprise receipts, or Mikyala Matthews finally spelling out her issues with Whitney Leavitt, the cast didn’t hold back. And thank goodness, because they gave us the perfect amount of reality TV chaos. Here’s a breakdown of the messiest, most memorable moments from the reunion couch.
Demi Engemann called out for coaching costars on SLMW
Jen Affleck was livid after Demi told the host that her step back for mental health reasons felt “performative.” And the new mama refused to bite her tongue. Jen gave her former friend quite the verbal-lashing as she stated, “She knew that I was gonna confront her about Italy.” Jen explained that Demi had learned no one would be on her side and wanted to “control the narrative.” It was evident that Jen and the rest of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast had grown tired of Demi’s chess moves.
One of the most unexpected moments came when several cast members accused Demi of trying to “coach” them during filming. With phone in hand, Jen played the audio. Demi could be heard saying, “The takeaway, in my opinion, should be this: ‘Demi and I have very different ideas and different boundaries in our marriages, and what I value and what I really appreciate is the open and honest communication and relationship that Demi and Brett share. I think it’s amazing and it’s something that I admire, and I may have jumped the gun in judging her about that, and it wasn’t fair for me to hold that over her head.’” Demi can then be heard saying, “Then it doesn’t go into detail about what may or may not have happened with certain cast members from the show. It’s more of a personal standpoint.”
Jess Ngatikaurai read Demi Engemann’s sexy texts
Jessi was once the best friend of Demi, but the tides have changed. During the reunion, she pulled out receipt after receipt, which exposed Demi’s flirtatious attitude with Marciano Brunette. If the coaching accusation wasn’t wild enough, Jessi came armed with a second round of receipts. But this time, of the NSFW variety. In a jaw-dropping moment, she read aloud text messages allegedly sent by Demi. The messages included flirty emojis. Demi wrote, “Get excited hahah baptized by fire. Is this how you sweet-talk all the ladies!?” Marciano responds, “Baptized by fire. Oh no all right if that’s what you want for me. I didn’t realize I was sweet-talking you.”
It’s about this time that it all gets a bit much. The message then shows a photo of oysters with Demi writing “Gonna hurl.” Marciano writes, “Don’t be a baby.” With Demi adding, “It’s no different than swallowing cum and I wholeheartedly stand by that.” Marciano responds, “Ha ha so fun fact about Demi doesn’t swallow. Got it.” The self-proclaimed Queen Bee of the group ends her message with an eggplant emoji, a clam emoji, and a water squirting emoji. The revelation had the cast and the viewers questioning how far Demi was willing to go to keep her name in the spotlight. I mean, for someone who talks about morals, she sure sends some interesting texts.
Mikyala Matthews explains why she hates Whitney Leavitt
For the entirety of Season 2, Mikayla found it extremely hard to stomach the idea of Whitney returning to MomTok. Fans of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives have speculated all season about the tension between Mikyala and Whitney, but the reunion was the first time Mikyala put it into words. Unseen footage aired which showed Mikayla at one point trying to be a good friend to Whitney amid her husband’s porn addiction. But Whitney couldn’t take accountability for being lazy within the friendship and always demanding more. According to Mikayla, Whitney pretends to be everyone’s friend, but she’s manipulative behind the scenes.
Whitney denied the claims, insisting Mikyala was projecting, but the damage was done. Mikyala revealed she had moved on from their friendship months ago and had no plans to reconcile. Whitney tried her best to get the last swing in, explaining that she felt personally victimized by Mikayla’s social media videos. She even yelled, “Newsflash, Mikayla, that’s being a bully.” The exchange was raw, uncomfortable, and completely captivating, the kind of reality TV moment you can’t script.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is available to stream on Hulu. The show streams on Disney+ in the UK.
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