Beyond the Hype: A Candid Look at Mormon Wives and the Reality of Mormonism

The recent docuseries, "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," has sparked widespread interest and debate about the lives and practices of Mormon women. To shed some light on the misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding the religion, Taylor Frankie Paul and Mayci Neeley, two stars of the show, appeared on The View. "One thing I always say to everyone is that we're not polygamous, which is so funny, because she was swinging," Neeley laughed, referencing Paul. Paul and Neeley, both 30 and 29, respectively, are part of the #MomTok group, a collective of Mormon TikTok influencers from Utah who gained fame for their dancing and social media presence. The show delves into their lives, revealing that they are not the traditional, cookie-cutter Mormons that many people assume they are. "You can be Mormon and wear a tank top. You can also be more of a trade wife. You can do it all," Neeley emphasized. Paul, who was at the center of the "soft swinging" scandal that ended her marriage to Tate Paul, used her appearance on The View to clarify what the term really means. "We opened up our relationships playing games, being intimate all in front of each other. So we weren't like, full-on switching, per se," she explained. "I would have called it just inexperienced people married very young," Paul added. The women also spoke about their upbringings, which they both agreed were "not very traditional. " "The way I was raised in California is very different than Mormons in Utah," Neeley said, who's an Orange County native. Paul, from Salt Lake City, Utah, shared that she did what she wanted while still attending church on Sundays, emphasizing that everyone has different experiences and doesn't fit into the same box. However, not all of the cast members have been thrilled with the show's portrayal. Mikayla Matthews, 24, one of the stars, expressed disappointment that her journey with an undiagnosed chronic illness was excluded from the series. "I did know that my story wasn't going to be in it because I was asked questions about the drama. What was disappointing for me is that I'm not really in the series at all," she said. Matthews also shared that she'd be "scared of stepping foot in church" after the release of the series, citing the potential backlash and judgment from the community. Despite this, she believes that the show has already sparked an important conversation about sex and gender roles within the Mormon community.