Jessi Draper Only Has One Reality-TV Nemesis

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Jessi Draper admits she has many regrets, particularly regarding her time on reality TV. While appearing on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (known then as Jessi Ngatikaura), her relationship with Marciano Brunette from Vanderpump Villa became a central storyline on both shows, contributing to Hulu’s growing presence in the reality TV landscape. “Filming an affair was a huge turning point in my life,” she explains, “but I hope my experiences can help others and allow me to grow from my errors.”

When The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives first came out, it totally blew up online. Everyone was debating whether the women on the show fit the traditional ‘wife’ mold or were breaking away from it. It felt like everyone wanted to understand what made that community tick – even people over at The Bachelor tried to capitalize on it, though that didn’t really pan out. But the online community around the show, which people started calling ‘MomTok,’ is still going strong. As Erika Draper put it, and I totally get this, the best friendships are the ones where people actually check in on you when you’re going through a tough time – Taylor Frankie Paul has definitely been there, and honestly, so have I recently. Just having friends call and ask if you’re okay? That makes all the difference.

It really hit home for us when celebrities started noticing our work. It’s still amazing to think people like Lana Del Rey are watching our show!

If you had to sum up your character in five words, what would you say? Chaotic, fun, dramatic, a little crazy—and hopefully, someone people like!

Looking back, filming an on-screen affair was a really pivotal moment for me, both personally and professionally. I hope that experience can be a learning opportunity, not just for myself, but also for viewers, reminding everyone that it’s okay to make mistakes – we all do.

If I could revisit one scene from my work and alter it, it would be the storyline involving an affair. I regret that happening, particularly how public it was – it was a significant error in judgment. I also struggle with expressing emotion and being vulnerable in front of the camera, though I’ve been improving. It’s difficult to convey the depth of feeling when people are only seeing what’s on the surface.

What do people usually think about when they need to express strong emotions? For me, recently it’s been remembering my grandmother, who passed away. Just talking about it makes me want to cry – it’s a really emotional topic.

You know, I haven’t been super into reality TV lately, but if I had to jump into someone’s shoes right now, it’d definitely be Stassi Schroeder. I’m a big fan – she’s just naturally amazing on camera. I actually texted her this morning telling her exactly that – I said she’s just so good at TV!

Do you have a major rival on reality TV? For me, it’s definitely Demi Engemann. I hope we can be friendly in the future, but she’s really the only person I consider an enemy.

Who’s the villain on your show?
I think the villain on my show is my ex-husband, Jordan. Sorry.

I definitely miss having privacy. I unintentionally made it harder on myself by sharing details about my life online – like posting about my car. Now, when I’m driving, people are constantly taking pictures and videos, and waving. It’s really sweet, but sometimes I wish I hadn’t shared that information.

If you want to become a reality TV star, my advice is to be genuine and open. Audiences can tell when someone isn’t being themselves, so just be authentic and show your true personality.

If I could choose any two reality stars to join me on The Traitors, I’d pick Kris Jenner – she’s incredibly strategic. I’d also bring Mayci Neely from my season because she’s great at staying neutral and I think she’s really good at recognizing manipulative people.

Would you prefer to be someone who betrays others, or someone who remains loyal? I’d choose to be a betrayer – I believe I’d excel at it.

Right now, I’m really enjoying the TikTok trend where people recreate the scene from Jordan’s “But she’s not filming.” I just find it really funny!

It can be tricky knowing when to avoid conflict and when to get involved. The key is to be genuine and ask yourself if the situation directly affects you. If you’re forcing yourself into a situation just to create drama or be part of something that isn’t yours, it won’t come across as sincere.

The wives are really leaning on each other for support right now. They’ve developed close friendships, and have a group chat where they encourage one another. They emphasize that the most important thing in a friendship is checking in on each other during difficult times – and both Taylor Frankie Paul and I have been going through tough periods recently. Just having friends call and ask how you’re doing makes a huge difference.

We’re eager to have you back on camera! A lot has changed in my life since our last shoot, and I’ve grown as a person. I’m hoping we can resume filming soon so I can share everything that’s happened.

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2026-05-04 16:18