OPINION: ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ is getting too toxic to be fun

Honestly, what is going on with 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' right now?

I say that as someone whose job is to follow pop culture and who genuinely loves this show. But over the past week, the drama has gone from entertaining to completely overwhelming.

It all reignited when Taylor Frankie Paul’s 2023 domestic abuse video resurfaced. Since then, it has been nonstop chaos, not just from the women, but from their husbands and exes as well.

Let’s start with Taylor and Dakota. Their relationship has always been messy, one of those dynamics where viewers constantly wonder why they don’t just call it quits. And for a moment, they did. They broke up, Taylor had what felt like a fresh start (even teasing a Bachelorette-style reset), and it looked like she might finally move on.

But then, in true reality TV fashion, she went back to Dakota. Soon after, police were reportedly called for another domestic dispute, and just like that, we were right back where we started. To make things even more chaotic, the Bachelorette concept has now been scrapped entirely.

Then came the next wave of drama: Jessie announcing her divorce from Jordan. To be honest, that part didn’t feel entirely surprising. Their relationship had become increasingly toxic, and it seemed like both of them needed out.

But Jessie didn’t just quietly separate; she went public in a big way. On Call Her Daddy, she accused Jordan of cheating, allegedly hiring escorts, not working, and being a terrible partner overall. Naturally, public opinion swung quickly against him.

And then… everything flipped.

Within a day, a blind item appeared on DeuxMoi (essentially real-life Gossip Girl) claiming Jessie had been seen kissing Chase, Miranda’s ex-husband and a direct link within their friend group.

At first, it felt too outrageous to be true. Surely not.

Except it was.

Jessie reportedly sent flowers to Miranda, Miranda posted them, and then confirmed the situation. Suddenly, the narrative changed again.

And here’s where it gets wild: this now makes Jessie the third person in the group linked to Miranda’s ex. Layla gets a pass, as her involvement was before Miranda’s marriage, but both Taylor and Jessie? That’s a pattern.

It’s messy in a way that stops being fun and starts feeling exhausting.

And that’s the bigger issue. This show had all the ingredients to be a standout reality hit: friendship dynamics, lifestyle voyeurism, and a bit of scandal. But it feels like it may be tipping too far into toxicity.

The best reality TV always has a balance. You want drama, absolutely, but you also want moments of levity, humour, and escapism. When it becomes relentless, when it’s just toxic, toxic, toxic, it can stop being enjoyable to watch.

So the question now is: has 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' gone too far?

Is this just a particularly chaotic chapter, or are we watching the beginning of the end?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see.