The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Recap: It’s Making Me Uncomfy

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As a movie and pop culture obsessive, I’ve been noticing something really curious with the ‘MomTok’ trend. It seems like a lot of these moms are wearing clothes with pretty strong anti-male messages – things like ‘boys lie’ or telling men to be quiet – while still being in relationships with men and navigating a world that often feels designed to hold them back. I saw one mom, Layla, wearing a hat with a pretty blunt message, and in a recent episode, Jessi was sitting with her emotionally abusive husband wearing a tank top covered in patches saying ‘boys lie’! It’s this weird contrast, like a childhood ‘no boys allowed’ sign, but for grown women. It makes me wonder if these fashion choices are a way to vent frustrations without direct confrontation, maybe a small step towards empowerment? Or, honestly, could it all just be sponsored content and am I overthinking it? It’s a fascinating little detail that keeps popping up, and I can’t help but analyze it.

It turns out Dakota isn’t being honest, and Jessi threatens to tell Taylor about inappropriate messages he sent to someone close to her if he doesn’t confess himself. He hasn’t come clean yet. They’re currently relaxing in bed, looking through photos from Stagecoach, and Taylor expresses her continued affection for him. It’s clear this drama will be used as a highlight reel for the upcoming season of The Bachelorette.

I’m jumping ahead a bit, but it’s really tough for the mothers on the show to keep track of everything. They film and release seasons so quickly that they’re often talking about events from months ago – like at the recent season two reunion – while they’re currently dealing with new drama in real time. This current drama could even reveal spoilers for season two, and it’s all happening while they’re already filming the end of season three! It’s completely confusing.

Following a difficult filming session with Nick Viall, Whitney and Conner took their kids to the park to relax and process everything. They discussed being stunned by the evidence revealed, particularly Demi’s text messages to Marciano and the recording of her conversation with Jen, in which she essentially told Jen what to say and how to act. That recording, more than anything else, revealed a lot about Demi’s character and her manipulative tendencies. Because of this new information, Whitney now feels she needs to talk to Demi to get a clearer picture of what happened.

Before moving forward, let’s address the central idea of MomTok: becoming known as a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. This conversation starts with Mayci and Jacob, who are at the grocery store because Jacob thinks Mayci eats too much fast food. While shopping, they talk about Jacob’s gay cousin and how they both feel different from typical members of their faith. As a result, MomTok plans to host a Pride event to demonstrate their support, particularly in response to a problematic new law in Utah, House Bill 77.

Jen has a surprisingly genuine conversation with Ezra, a professional dancer from Dancing with the Stars. They share similar backgrounds – both are Hispanic, from Utah, and grew up Mormon. However, Ezra is gay, and when his parents learned this, they made him stop dancing. He eventually moved away from Utah and cut ties with his family. Later, his entire family left the church, and his mother even got a pride tattoo. After sharing his story, Ezra playfully asks Jen, “God doesn’t give you something you can’t handle… wanna film a TikTok?” It’s a fantastic moment. Those struggling on MomTok should watch out, because Ezra is a natural performer who embodies the spirit of the brand perfectly. It doesn’t matter that he isn’t a mom – many Real Housewives aren’t wives either. It’s all about the image!

Now, Whitney will be talking to Demi to finally understand the meaning behind those cryptic “eggplant, water, clam” emojis, and to address other important issues that came up after the reunion. Demi claims to have explanations for everything: those flirty texts are just how she communicates with friends, the nickname she uses for Marciano was a playful invention of her daughter, and Marciano FaceTiming her daughter was a mistake. As for why she talks to Marciano despite potentially being his abuser, she says it’s both a reaction to past trauma and a strategy to keep a sexual assault from being revealed. If you need any further information, Bret has all the details.

After listening to Demi, Whitney went back to the hotel and immediately told Conner everything because she felt something wasn’t right. Conner agreed that it was strange Bret would order food for his wife’s abuser, and emphasized he’d do anything to protect Whitney and their children if she reported being assaulted. Whitney suspects Demi isn’t being completely truthful, either with her or with herself. Ultimately, Conner wants to believe the person who claims to have been touched inappropriately, but he’s finding the story doesn’t quite add up. It’s surprising to see Whitney and Conner reacting so calmly and maturely – if someone had predicted that at the beginning, I would have laughed! But that’s the best part of watching reality TV – being proven wrong. People are complex.

At a MomTok event in Utah, sponsored by Swig, things are unfolding with a lot of drama. Taylor is enjoying some classic funeral potatoes, but Jessi is upset because Dakota is there indulging in extravagant behavior and trying to win back his ex. Despite a chaotic guest list, everyone is surprisingly on their best behavior. Mayci strikes up a conversation with Joseph, Jacob’s cousin, asking about his experience coming out to his family and comparing it to her own experience telling her parents she was pregnant while at BYU. Mikayla then curiously asks about changes at BYU regarding LGBTQ+ policies, even though the school hasn’t publicly supported the community. Later, Mayci and Jacob plant a pride flag in their yard, feeling that MomTok should actively use its platform to support the LGBTQ+ community. This leads to a pointed question: will the group now commit to supporting progressive candidates and policies in future elections?

Earlier in the episode, Jace and Mikayla attended couples therapy – with the same therapist who previously suggested Mikayla see a sex therapist, so it doesn’t seem like a long-term solution. They revisited their issues with opening up emotionally and their different levels of sexual desire. Jace worried Mikayla wouldn’t be motivated to work on things, but the therapist pointed out that wanting to create a healthy relationship for their children could be a strong incentive. This seemed to help. During a conversation about their birth plan, Mikayla revealed to Jace that her abuse began even before age 15, with instances happening when she was six, and she felt responsible for protecting her abuser. Jace was deeply affected by this (and understandably so!), and he vowed to be her first safe person. I really hope Jace doesn’t turn out to be a villain – or even just a typical problematic man – on this show.

This show continues to feature problematic men, and Taylor recently found out about Dakota’s infidelity. Her therapist actually warned her she was about to receive difficult news – which is a strange thing for a therapist to do, honestly. The therapist wanted to deliver the news in a session with both Taylor and Dakota, but Taylor was leaving for Los Angeles, so Dakota told her directly about his affair with someone connected to Demi’s family. I understand why Demi’s daughter’s name is being kept private, but it seems odd to censor the name of a friend of Liann’s mother, who is likely an adult. I’m sure social media will uncover it soon enough.

Honestly, things are a bit of a disaster right now, and I’m hearing Taylor’s really upset she’s going to have to distance herself from Jimmy Kimmel during filming. She was briefly optimistic last week, but that’s gone now. It’s wild because, on top of everything, she’s about to be flooded with attention – apparently, five limousines full of potential partners are headed her way! But you know what really matters? The incredible bond she shares with her friends – that sisterhood is what’s truly important.

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2025-11-14 06:58