Swinging, drug use and affairs – in the modern Mormon church
Life as a Mormon has been kept behind closed doors for the most part – until Taylor Frankie Paul and her hip gang of Mormon women took to our TV screens to bare it all.
Every reality show needs a good dose of drama and controversy, and that’s exactly what this eye-opening group of women provides.
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Strict rules prescribe no sex before marriage, a ban on coffee and alcohol as long as there is ‘adultery’ unequivocally condemned by the LordD.’
But Taylor Frankie Paul claims the rules are being broken on a grand scale as she claims to expose the shocking secrets of her group of Mormon mothers known as ‘MomTok’.
It all started thanks to TikTok, where many Mormon women like Taylor Frankie Paul, Nara Smith and Hannah from Ballerina Farm were able to build a life outside the home.
Like most religions, Mormons, the main branch of the Latter Day Saint movement, have a set of values and moral codes to follow.
And it’s a life of debauchery, including gentle swinging, drug use and highly charged divorces.
What really happens behind closed doors is revealed with the hit TV show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, where Taylor reveals some dark, hidden secrets.
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FULL SWING
Taylor first came into the spotlight on TikTok, where she was seen with Mormon mothers Camille Munday And Miranda McWhorterwho she often joked was her ‘sister wives.’
But in May 2022, Taylor posted a video announcing her split from her husband as she showed herself in a new home surrounded by boxes.
Later there was another post with a cryptic message: “My life is falling apart. And I can’t even say why… without taking them all with me.’
The internet sleuths soon discovered that the drama involved Taylor and other couples (whom she never publicly named) involved in soft swinging – which led to her divorce.
She revealed in a livestream that she and her partner had an “open relationship” while raising their two children and began hosting soft swinger parties with friends – meaning there was couple swapping, but no sex.
In the Viall Podcast she says: “It wasn’t even a conversation [when it started]. I think we were all drinking and partying… and then the guys said, ‘You girls need to make out. Break up. It’s hot.’ And we were like, ‘Okay, it’s hot.’ So we break up.
“And that’s that and I feel like I did that in my younger years, so it wasn’t an issue for me.”
According to Taylor, the same thing happened at the next party.
She reveals: “And then I thought, ‘Let’s take your clothes off and take lingerie pictures together while we’re making out.’ It just escalated.”
Later, a game of blindfolded spin the bottle followed, with Taylor revealing how the other women’s husbands would kiss her and she had to guess who it was.
But there was one couple in particular that she and her husband had invested in and they had built an even closer relationship compared to the other couples at the swinger parties.
Without naming names, Taylor reveals how she, her husband and the unnamed couple were willing to go to any lengths when swapping partners, but her husband decided to end it before it could happen.
Taylor claims that she had already developed feelings for her friend’s husband and that he had felt the same way – which led to them going ‘all the way’ and Taylor and her husband filing for divorce.
Camille and Miranda, who were part of MomTok before the drama escalated, have not been seen or mentioned in the TV show and have both denied being part of the parties.
But shortly after the swinger scandal became public knowledge, Miranda and her husband also separated.
The show now follows the lives of Taylor and fellow Mormon women Demi Engemann, Jennifer Affleck, Jessi Ngatikaura, Layla Taylor, Mayci Neeley, Mikayla Matthews and Whitney Leavitt.
Who is TaylorPaul?
Taylor Frankie Paul is a social media influencer best known for her presence on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Here is a general timeline of her career:
Become famous
2020: Taylor begins to gain popularity on TikTok. Her content mainly includes comedy, dance routines and lifestyle videos. She is quickly amassing a large following thanks to her engaging and relatable content.
Late 2020: By the end of the year, Taylor has become one of the more recognizable faces on TikTok, especially within the “Mormon MomTok” community, which consists of Mormon moms sharing their lives and experiences.
Career highlights
2021: Taylor continues to grow her influence on TikTok and expands her presence to other social media platforms such as Instagram. She collaborates with other influencers and brands, further increasing her visibility.
2022: Taylor’s personal life becomes an interesting topic as she shares more about her experiences and challenges, resonating with many of her followers. Her authenticity helps her maintain a loyal fan base.
2023: Taylor remains active on social media and continues to create content that appeals to her audience. She explores new opportunities, including potential partnerships and brand deals.
Personal life
Taylor is open about her life as a mother and often includes her children in her content. She also shares insights into her marriage and family dynamics, which are an important part of her online persona.
Current activities
In 2023, Taylor Frankie Paul remains a prominent figure in the social media landscape. She is active on various platforms and interacts with her audience through regular posts and interactions.
Please note that specific dates and events may vary as Taylor’s career is constantly evolving and new developments may occur.
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MIRROR SHEET
Where adultery is completely condemned by God the view of the church – you would think that those in the spotlight and married would be more careful.
But it seems some can’t resist a little danger, including Whitney’s husband Conner, who decided to hit Tinder using old photos of himself to find women to hang out with while Whitney cared for their child.
When Whitney discussed the issue on the show, the women started asking questions, prompting Whitney to clarify that while there was no physical cheating involved, the issue had been going on, “our entire marriage.”
“Full of conversations with women and pictures and all that stuff,” she says, clarifying that Conner both sent and received nudes. “It makes me feel like my whole marriage was a lie.”
Of course, there’s also the matter of Taylor swinging with her ex-husband and a group of friends, but it also seems like her new boyfriend and father of her third child is in trouble too.
At the end of the series, Dakota was questioned about when he was dating a woman named Jenny, with Taylor saying that if she found out he was seeing them both at the same time, she would “1000% break up with him.”
On recent TikTok videos, Taylor has hinted that the couple may have split, as she cryptically wrote, “I’m not slowly changing in the 2022 me,” the time she was going through her divorce and the ‘swingers scandal’ .
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CAFFEINE BAN
According to the church, coffee and tea were banned as part of God’s Word of Wisdom, as they claim it was used as a substitute for alcohol in the 18th century – also a big no-no among believers.
However, some of the rule-breaking Mormon women are seen enjoying vodka and wine, especially Jessi who says it doesn’t affect her faith in the church.
Taylor even shared a recent TikTok video of herself having a cup of coffee while cleaning her house — and we can’t blame her for being a busy mom of three with a newborn.
She also had an arrest in 2022, which was captured on the show after she got drunk and threw a chair at her partner, but has now been sober for over a year.
Many Mormons, and the church, claiming that some rules should not be questioned and should simply be taken as the Word of God.
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HIGH TIMES
Although Mormons generally follow the Word of Wisdom—God’s code of conduct that forbids caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and recreational drugs—there appear to be loopholes that Mormon women ignore.
And while the use of drugs is only allowed for medicinal purposes, Whitney admits to using ketamine in therapy sessions while Demi also confessed that it had even strengthened her marriage.
In one episode the women decided to go to the clinic to get some Botox and while they were there they were able to have fun laughing gas before you are injected.
“It’s a party,” Whitney says, giggling. When producers asked her if the group is “coming for the Botox or the nitrous oxide,” she replied, “For both.”
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CHURCHES SAY
In one statement released by the Church prior to the TV show’s release, they cited recent “productions” that portray Latter-day Saints in an inaccurate manner.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like other prominent global faith communities, is often the center of attention in the entertainment industry,” the statement said.
“Some portrayals are honest and accurate, but others resort to stereotypes or gross misrepresentations that are in poor taste.”
