‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Needs to Be Your New Messy Reality Addiction

If you thought the Real Housewives franchise had cornered the market on designer drama and Instagramable meltdowns, Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is here to bless your screen—and stir your soda—with something a little messier, a little holier, and a whole lot thirstier.

Set in the pastel-perfect suburbs of Utah and baptized in a 64oz Diet Dr. Pepper, this series is like Sister Wives met Euphoria in a Stanley Cup. If you haven’t binged season one, you have some major catching up to do. But season two, which just dropped May 15, takes it straight to the celestial kingdom of chaos.

What is The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives?

In short? It’s Hulu’s answer to the question: What happens when Mormon mommy influencers start swinging—literally and metaphorically?

Originally propelled into the spotlight by TikTok creator Taylor Frankie Paul, who casually dropped the term “soft swinging” (aka everything but sex) in a now-infamous confession, the show follows a group of LDS-adjacent Utah moms navigating marriage, motherhood, friendship, and the spiritual whiplash of viral fame and suburban scandal.

Season one introduced us to the sinner vs. saint energy of MomTok. Season two? It’s adding plot twists, therapy-worthy breakdowns, and new cast member Miranda McWhorter, who may or may not have participated in the OG swinging scandal but is here to stir the (sugar-free) pot.

‘Taste of Taylor’ breaks it all down

Taylor Strecker welcomed cast member Jessi Natiqara (or “Just Jessi”—“I have socials for a reason,” she quipped) onto Taste of Taylor, and from the jump, it was clear this cast is as unfiltered as the soda taps at Swig.

Strecker admitted, “You were hands down one of my favorites from season one,” to which Jessi responded, “Season one was, I mean… crazy. Crazy.”

And about that infamous “soft swinging” blue ball of a storyline? “You will see more of it in season two because Miranda comes in, and she was one of the swingers,” Jessi revealed. “She and Taylor were best friends, then had a fallout over it, and hadn’t spoken in three years, and then she comes back.”

The drama, according to Jessi, gets “explained more.” As in: “She gives more context to the swinging, and I think that actually answers a lot of questions. They call it soft swinging, so basically, everything but sex is what they were doing. And Taylor got in trouble because she went outside of that rule. She did it alone—so that’s cheating.”

Taylor Strecker summed it up best: “Swinging blue balls. A lot of people said that.”

Season two’s emotional exorcisms (and soda-fueled chaos)

This season isn’t just about swinging scandals and passive-aggressive brunches. It’s also about betrayal, redemption, and reality TV’s favorite recurring character: the internet.

Strecker and Jessi both pointed out that “the internet is the extra character in every reality show,” with Reddit threads, TikTok theories, and comment section detectives driving the narrative.

Case in point: season one villain Whitney Leavitt, who Jessi says “didn’t realize she was the villain until the show aired,” and now seems to be on a redemption arc—maybe. “She comes back and makes peace,” Jessi admitted, “but when she’s with Demi… I have to keep my distance.”

Speaking of Demi: last season’s fan-favorite turned queen bee turned into season two “bitch,” according to Jessi. But the tables may have turned. “She tried to get me kicked off the show,” Jessi shared. “She wanted more money, and we all had to get equal pay… I should’ve done more about it at the time. But she talked shit about my business too. That was it for me.”

And yes, this is the new VPR

“Honestly, it’s giving Vanderpump Rules,” Taylor joked, to which Jessi replied, “Are they the new VPR? You might be.”

And honestly? She’s not wrong.

Between cast implosions, contract disputes, fourth wall breaks, husband confessional cameos, and off-screen drama spilling into Hulu promo events, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has all the ingredients for a modern-day reality masterpiece: scandal, sisterhood, soft swings, and a little bit of Jesus.

Why you need to watch

If you’re wondering whether this show is worth your time, the answer is yes, especially if you love:

• Messy drama with a veneer of pastel perfection
• Genuine friendships dissolving in real time
• Frenemies forming alliances based on shared hatred
• Choreographed TikTok dances that feel like cry-for-help performance art
• Women navigating motherhood, fame, faith, and filtered reality with a Diet Coke in hand

And if you still need convincing? Just know that Lana Del Rey is a fangirl over this show.

“She followed me, messaged us, and invited us backstage at Stagecoach,” Jessi said. “She asked, ‘Is Whitney really like that?’ She watched the whole thing on her honeymoon.”

Grab your Stanley, pour the soda, and get ready for emotional baptisms, friendship exorcisms, and possibly the messiest Mormon moment since Under the Banner of Heaven. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is streaming now on Hulu, and baby, it’s a blessing.