Taylor Frankie Paul wasn’t the only Secret Lives of Mormon Lives star involved in an internet scandal. Whitney Leavitt, another founding member of #MomTok, came under fire when she posted a video of herself dancing in the hospital as her baby battled RSV. While Leavitt insisted she didn’t post the TikTok for clout, her co-star Demi Engemann claimed she had a video of Leavitt admitting otherwise.
In the Hulu reality show’s fourth episode, titled “The Book of Truth,” Engemann tells the other #MomTok members that she has a video of Leavitt confessing to posting the controversial clip for clout when she was coming out of a ketamine treatment. But Leavitt, who recently spoke to DECIDER via Zoom, doubled down on her initial stance.
“After many months and days of therapy, no, I did not make that video for clout at all. You could be processing something else under that drug and then you’re just spitting out all of these things,” she said. “So [for Demi] to have filmed that and to have kept that and to have stated that to everyone else in such a personal, intimate moment was very hurtful.”
That was only the start of Leavitt’s problems with the other ladies. By the end of the first season, not only does most of the cast unfollow her on social media, but she also decides to leave #MomTok for good.
Despite removing herself from the group, one person who seems to have stuck by her side is Mayci Neely, who told DECIDER, “Whitney and I are so close and I think that, like, what happened on the show never would change that. I think we just know each other so well.”
In a new interview with DECIDER, Leavitt opened up about her husband’s Tinder scandal and whether she’ll ever come back to #MomTok, while Neely revealed whether she thinks Dakota Mortensen is guilty of cheating on Paul after receiving that bombshell confession on social media. Check out the full interview below.
DECIDER: #MomTok has gone through a lot from the swinging scandal to Taylor’s arrest. What are you hoping people take away from the show?
WHITNEY LEAVITT: I really hope that people take away more so for individual viewers that they can just find someone to relate to, find a cast member to relate to with whatever it is that they’re going through in their personal lives.
MAYCI NEELY: Yeah I would agree with that. Like everyone’s going through something – if you’re on TV, if you’re not on TV. And I think that it’ll be great for someone to relate to us, you know, know that they’re enough and that they’re worthy and that we all have the same struggles.
Mayci, you were the first one to meet up with Taylor after the swinging scandal. What made you decide to reunite with her?
MAYCI: I think with everything going down, Taylor behind the scenes — online, she was getting a lot of hate, right? But she also was behind the scenes with our whole #MomTok group. There was a lot of drama that was going on that I don’t even know if it’s even on the show because it happened before we started filming. But people were really isolating her and making her feel like a horrible person. And I was like, I would never want her to feel that way. I wouldn’t want anyone to feel that way no matter what you did or no matter what happened. And so I feel like me, Mikayla, Whitney especially reached out to Taylor. We wanted to just be a good friend to her, and I realized that we were more alike than I thought, and I wanted to get to know her even more.
Whitney, it was so heartbreaking to see you open up about Conner’s Tinder scandal in the first episode. What made you decide to address that on-camera? And where did you find the courage to do so?
WHITNEY: It definitely wasn’t, “Hey, let’s go ahead and talk about this today.” It was a certain question that was asked that just happened organically and naturally. I think if it wasn’t that way that it wouldn’t have come across as so raw and authentic. But I’m grateful that we did. It was hard to be vulnerable in that moment, but I’m grateful that we were.
Out of everyone, I feel like you two have the most genuine friendship. But even the best of friends can hit bumps in the road. Mayci, would you say Whitney is fully out of the doghouse now for missing your launch party?
MAYCI: No [laughs]. She delayed me at the airport in L.A.. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little salty about it. That’s a conversation for a different time. But no, Whitney and I are so close and I think that, like, what happened on the show never would change that. I think we just know each other so well. Like, I know what upsets Whitney. I think she knows what upsets me. And I feel like we just know each other so well. Nothing could really change that.
Whitney, it seems like Demi was really the one trying to turn everyone against you. I want to get your response to her claim that you allegedly admitted to posting the RSV video for likes and clout after a Ketamine treatment?
WHITNEY: I remember talking about it when we were filming. I’m not sure if it’s in the show, but one, it was such a personal moment for me, in that treatment. And I’ve never done it before. It’s a very intense drug. And even after, you’re still kind of on it when you get the IV out. So I just don’t really feel like I was in the right place. And after many months and days of therapy, no, I did not make that video for clout at all. You could be processing something else under that drug and then you’re just spitting out all of these things. So [for Demi] to have filmed that and to have kept that and to have stated that to everyone else in such a personal, intimate moment was very hurtful.
Mayci, do you think Dakota is guilty of the confession you received? And can you say anything about what came from that phone call you made to Jenna?
MAYCI: It’s hard to say. It’s a pretty bold confession. I think the hard part here is you don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle, right? So it’s like this person who’s writing this confession could have the whole timeline of their relationship wrong. So I feel like for me, I wouldn’t say, “Oh, he’s guilty.” You never know if people are doing things just to create controversy. Because it’s anonymous. If this person would have messaged me with their handle, I would have been like, “OK, this is something that is probably true.” So with that regard, because it’s anonymous, I would say it’s like a 10% chance. But if that person wanted to come forward with the real username, then [that] might be a different conversation. And as far as the ending, I don’t want to give anything away. It’s a cliffhanger for a reason and hopefully we have a Season 2 so it can show everything.
By the end of the season, Whitney, you decide to take a step back from #MomTok. But a couple of recent TikTok videos show that you’ve been back in the mix a little bit. What was it like to reunite with everyone? And does this mean you’re back for good?
WHITNEY: That’s a hard question to answer. It’s not like I can’t not be in a room with everyone, like, I can do that. But as far as, like, the future of it, I really want to watch the first season before making that decision.
What’s your favorite TikTok trend right now?
MAYCI: Very demure, very nice.
WHITNEY: I love Jules. I love her.
MAYCI: Yeah, all those videos. I love to say that now. It’s probably annoying. My husband, like, probably hates me.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is currently streaming on Hulu.
The post ‘The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives’ Star Whitney Leavitt Says It’s “Hurtful” That Co-Star Demi Engemann Recorded Her Ketamine Treatment: “It Was Such A Personal Moment For Me” appeared first on Decider.
