The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stars Taylor Frankie Paul and Mikayla Matthews have been taking photographs at each other in a weeks-long social media feud, igniting confusion about what their rift means for the present.
Their on-line squabble has compelled the solid of the fact collection that facilities on their private lives into selecting sides, with the middle of the battle seemingly erupting following the scandal that plagued Paul’s now-canceled Bachelorette season.
Each actuality stars have traded photographs at each other, although the foremost combustion boiled over when Matthews took to her Instagram Stories with a prolonged assertion addressing that she was “setting boundaries” with Paul.
Matthews subliminally addressed The Bachelorette lead’s turbulent relationship along with her ex Dakota Mortensen, which has encompassed a historical past of alleged home violence. In her assertion, she made a comparability about her well being and pores and skin flareups to Paul’s relationship with Mortensen, which led Paul to fiercely fight back.
From there, the 2 have taken to the feedback sections and Instagram Tales, and have unfollowed one another on social media. There’s been loads of posts made by each girls, with drama pages like The Mormon Wives Report and Secret Lives HQ resharing every new replace.
Season 5 of the Hulu collection beforehand paused filming amid an alleged February home violence incident with Paul and Mortensen. After that information broke in mid March, NBC Information reported that the Mormon Wives solid raised concerns about persevering with the present with Paul amid the alleged incident, earlier than ABC pulled her season of The Bachelorette from air after a video of her throwing barstools at Mortensen from 2023 leaked on-line.
On April 21, Hulu lastly revealed that manufacturing on season 5 was picking up, although issues are shaping as much as look a lot completely different. Paul is not actively filming Mormon Wives, although a supply instructed The Hollywood Reporter that the staff behind the present desires her to return when she’s prepared. In the meantime, Jen Affleck is filming for the brand new Orange County-based spinoff, and Whitney Leavitt is leaving the show.
It’s unclear if Affleck or Leavitt will end out further filming for season 5 of Mormon Wives; they, together with the remainder of the solid, together with Paul, already shot content material earlier than the present went on the manufacturing pause. THR understands that Mormon Wives season 5 is in manufacturing, and hopes to start filming quickly. With the extension of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County, the brand new present has opened up the door to attention-grabbing crossover alternatives between exhibits, a supply says.
Matthews, additionally earlier than she and Paul started combating on-line, has been candid in sharing her journey about leaving Utah (the place Mormon Wives was initially primarily based) to heal her pores and skin whereas residing with a power sickness. (Hulu declined to touch upon casting particulars for season 5.)
That’s left Mayci Neeley, Jessi Draper, Miranda Hope and Layla Taylor because the remaining Mormon Wives who’ve been showing public face for the collection. However now Paul and Matthews’ feud is creating solid division.
The quarrel between the Mormon Wives took a darker flip when Paul reposted a TikTok video shared by a creator who claimed she didn’t perceive how Matthews “could be talking about and advocating against childhood SA while you actively married your perpetrator.” On the present, Matthews has been open about experiencing abuse in her childhood. The start of her relationship along with her husband, Jace Terry, has been mentioned by followers on-line; Matthews was 16 once they met, and Terry was 21. She got pregnant lower than a month after assembly him.
Draper, who’s navigating a messy divorce of her personal, has proven public assist of Paul, as she’s returned the favor. That assist sparked a rift in her relationship with Matthews, who has argued that Paul’s put up and Draper’s continued assist amid her remarks was a contributing issue within the demise of their friendship.
Neeley voiced frustrations with Paul in feedback sections on-line, which resulted in Paul unfollowing her. The fixed back-and-forth is proving robust to maintain up with. Will it have a destructive implication on the collection?
Mormon Wives has tackled darkish issues previously. The collection launched on the crux of Paul’s 2023 home violence arrest, however the present was then nominated for an Emmy after its first yr. It had a stage of benefit to uphold as unscripted’s newest hit program.
Will the ladies’s tendency to carry their battle onto social media as an alternative of onscreen for the present damage that? With so many main occasions occurring since manufacturing paused only a few months in the past and cameras weren’t rolling, there’s no telling how producers will handle to squeeze in the entire missed moments into simply 10 episodes of tv.
Paul and Matthews’ feud additionally touches on two very delicate subjects for each girls; that of home violence and sexual abuse. Actuality exhibits are purported to be combative and dramatic, however The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives solid could also be crossing a line that might have the ability to come again from.
Paul has made it clear she’s not logging offline, whereas Matthews remains to be sporadicly addressing the drama in remark sections. Social media is the one factor that bonded the #MomTok girls of Mormon Wives and served as the idea for his or her present. Now it might be the one factor that might pull them aside.
THR reached out to representatives for Paul, Matthews, Draper and Neeley, however didn’t hear again by the point of publication.
