Latest news with #WhitneyLeavitt
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Competition's Already Begun Between "TSLOMW" Stars Jen Affleck And Whitney Leavitt Ahead Of Their "Dancing With The Stars" Debut
Earlier this month on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 2 reunion, it was announced that Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt will be joining the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars. Jen and Whitney are taking their #MomTok moves to the DWTS dance floor! Related: This week, Whitney shared a TikTok of her and Jen gearing up for their upcoming "competition": @whitneyleavitt Before you get your garments in a twist, don't fret, it's all in good fun: Related: The good-natured joke was further confirmed in the comments: Related: My fave part of the video is Conner — Whitney's husband — who just looks happy to be there: They're even practicing their moves together since rehearsals won't start for a couple more months: @whitneyleavitt / Via Related: Jen and Whitney are joined by influencer Alix Earle and wildlife conservationist Robin Irwin on the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars. Until then, we must survive off of the morsels they give us on their TikToks: @jenniferaffleck / Via Stream The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu. Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity:
Hindustan Times
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Dancing with the Stars Season 34: Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt join cast
Two stars from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives are set to trade drama for dance in the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars. On the Reunion Special of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, host Nick Viall made a surprise announcement: both Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt will compete on Dancing with the Stars Season 34, as per an Entertainment Weekly report. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stars Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt are joining Dancing With The Stars Season 34 cast(Instagram/ @dwts) Affleck was revealed first. Castmate Jessi Ngatikaura shared, "This is like all she's wanted," while Taylor Frankie Paul added that Affleck has dreamed of it since she was little. Leavitt, a trained dancer, was happy for her friend and said she would be cheering her on. But the celebration doubled when Viall dropped another twist: Leavitt was also in. 'Whitney Leavitt, you are going to Dancing With the Stars,' he announced. ALSO READ: Jurassic World Rebirth first reviews: Critics hail special effects, but bemoan lack of depth in Scarlett Johansson film Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt's Reactions Leavitt hugged her husband, Connor, and then joined Jen, both thrilled to be moving to L.A. 'We're moving to L.A.! I hope you know you're going down! Just kidding. Bring it on,' Affleck joked. Connor replied, 'Well, know I'm not voting for you, Jen.' The two said they hope to be the last two standing on the show. Leavitt, often labeled the 'villain' of Secret Wives, said she is ready to take on the ballroom with Affleck by her side. FAQs: 1. Which The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stars are joining Dancing with the Stars Season 34? Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt are both joining the new season. 2. When was the cast reveal made for DWTS Season 34? It was revealed during The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Reunion Special by host Nick Viall. 3. What did Jen Affleck say after being announced? She said, 'We're moving to L.A.! I hope you know you're going down! Just kidding. Bring it on.'
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ben Affleck's relative and Mormon Wives star Jennifer joins Dancing With The Stars cast
Two stars from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives will now be applying the dancing skills they've learned from TikTok to a much bigger stage. Jennifer Affleck and Whitney Leavitt learned they will be joining the cast of Dancing With The Stars during the season two reunion of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Host Nick Viall unveiled them both as the newest stars joining the cast, with a pregnant Jennifer jubilantly exclaiming as she embraced Whitney, 'We're moving to LA!' Season 34 of Dancing With The Stars will reportedly premiere in the fall of this year and so far also has cast Robert Irwin, the son of the late Steve Irwin, and influencer Alix Earle. The big announcement was not the only water cooler moment to occur during the reunion, with Jennifer addressing her alleged family member, Ben Affleck. Jennifer previously claimed her husband Zac Affleck is cousins with Ben Affleck and his brother Casey, and while she had never met the famous actor, she said her father-in-law has. 'He's my husband's cousin, but we've never met him,' Jen previously told People. According to the outlet, her husband is Ben's first cousin once removed. Her father-in-law is first cousins with Ben and Casey. 'Zac's dad has [met them], when [Ben] was very little,' she continued. 'I'm hoping to meet him one day, too!' She clarified the celebrities were more 'like distant relatives.' A source has since disputed her claims to People, insisting there's 'no relationship', and the issue was brought up during the season two reunion - with Jennifer admitting they have yet to verify whether or not they are indeed related. 'I'm still wondering that,' Jennifer said when Nick asked her about the topic. 'I thought at first it was a joke and I was like, are they serious? Like, someone had mentioned they literally met him at a family reunion, so I was like, stoked about it. 'And then I asked his grandpa and his grandpa was like, "Let me sit you down and tell you, yes, we are related to this person and so-" You know how like with Mormons, there's huge odd family history, so I was like, oh, maybe we are related. Like, that isn't just a joke. 'But of course, I mentioned it. Press ran with it. I ran with it maybe a little bit too much. And it was never verified because we never actually met him. 'But like Ben Affleck, where are you? We're family.' Jen, meanwhile, and her husband are also expecting the arrival of their third child. The reality star announced her pregnancy in a People interview back in February: 'I was a few days late, and while it was a surprise, we both had a feeling there was another baby waiting for us,' she said. 'We were very excited, there were a lot of emotions after a very crazy year!' The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives follows Jen, Whitney and members of their 'MomTok' influencers group.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Reunion Surprise: Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt Joining 'Dancing With the Stars'
Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt from Hulu's hit reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives are joining the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars. The news was announced at the end of The Secret Wives of Mormon Wives' second season reunion special. Both women were eagerly hoping to be chosen, it appeared. The special's host, Nick Viall, shared that most of the MomTok ladies had auditioned for the season. He first announced Affleck as joining the cast, before adding a second 'surprise' that Leavitt would also be joining. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Secret Live of Mormon Wives' Prepare to "Expose It All" in Reunion Special Teaser Streaming Ratings: 'Sirens' Premieres at No. 1 Overall Streaming Ratings: 'Andor' Concludes With No. 1 Overall Ranking The main cast – Taylor Frankie Paul, Leavitt, Layla Taylor, Affleck, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley and Jessi Ngatikaura, Miranda McWhorter – and their husbands gathered for a drama-filled evening. Demi Engemann was noticeably absent and a large topic of conversation throughout the special as nearly all the women have publicly distanced themselves from her. Although Engemann wasn't at the reunion, she was on Viall's podcast, which was shown in clips throughout the night; the reality cast member said she couldn't attend because of a scheduling conflict. MomTok picked right back up on the drama that the 10-episode second season ended with. Some of the night's topics included showing receipts of the Engemann's cheating allegations and taking a hand vote on if Leavitt can take accountability on things and Leavitt's husband's past. Despite a reentry into MomTok, Leavitt remained at-odds with several members of the group. 'Newsflash, Mikayla, that's being a bully,' Leavitt shouted at her cast mate and fellow friend. Leavitt lobbed claims at McWhorter and Neeley, who both told Leavitt they have always been there with her. At one point in the evening, Viall even took a hand vote to see who thought Paul takes accountability – nearly the whole group – and if Leavitt takes accountability – just McWhorter. Viall even noted that he saw times when Leavitt didn't take accountability. Paul's dysfunctional relationship with her now-ex Dakota Mortensen was rehashed in the reunion special. 'We will never be together,' Paul told Mortensen. The central figure of MomTok shared several times that Mortensen had been unfaithful to her. Engemann, despite not being present, was a massive topic of conversation. At one point during the special, someone even said, 'She has no morals and values.' Leavitt, who is now close to Engemann, came to her defense several times. When Affleck shared a voice recording of Engemann telling Affleck what her story to camera should be, Leavitt acted shocked – the special, in one of its cheekier moments, showed a clip of Leavitt three hours earlier being coached by Engemann on what to say about her on camera. Affleck's husband claimed Engemann threatened the couple with a cease-and-desist. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast members and their husbands also used the night to discuss some of the more serious topics they touched upon during the season. Leavitt's husband, Connor Leavitt, spoke about his porn addiction before bravely sharing to the audience and other members of the cast that he was raped as a child. Taylor reflected on her decision to open up during season two about her body image issues and past suicide attempts. McWhorter shared about her past sexual abuse. Despite her feud with Leavitt, she shared that Leavitt's husband reached out to encourage her to go to therapy, which lead to the two women hugging at Viall's suggestion. The reunion special ended with a first-look at season three, which kicked off Neely shouting, 'MomTok survived.' In the short clip, the divide between Engemann and the rest of the group seemed to grow wide; the teaser even showing the once-feuding Engemann and Leavitt walking and holding hands before cutting to a clip of Leavitt saying she's starting her own MomTok. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
BBC News
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on swinging scandals, friendship fallouts and religious backlash
From allegations of infidelity to swinging scandals, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives offers a look into a version of Mormon life far removed from traditional public in suburban Utah, the TV series follows a group of Mormon women – most of whom rose to fame on TikTok and became MomTok influencers – as they manage scandals, confront marital breakdowns and clash over everything from business ventures to party beneath the sensational plotlines is a more complex story about the evolving dynamics within a tight-knit group of Mormon mothers have been making content online for the past five years but say the concept of reality TV still feels very new to them. "I've heard that eventually people learn how to play the reality TV game but that's not us yet, we're still trying to figure it out," Jessi Ngatikaura tells the BBC. "So you're getting to see the real us." What started off as a hobby has now become a job and the women speak openly on the show about the amount of money they make from reality TV and brand deals."It is totally our job now but we chose this and we could all walk away any time if we didn't want to be part of it," Jessi says. Whitney Leavitt explains that "naturally dynamics will change when there's more money and family involved and definitely some people get competitive" but reassures me the group are still friends off camera. Across the two seasons of the show, Jessi and Whitney have had challenging storylines play out - Whitney is presented as the villain in season one and at the end of season two it is alleged Jessi has had an affair. The pair speak candidly about the impact having your life watched and commented on by millions of people worldwide has had on them. "It's been hard coming to terms with the fact we have no control over the narrative and you don't ever really get over it," Whitney explains. "But you have to accept that and let it go."As the show follows the lives of nine friends, it's easy to see how some of them may create more drama for themselves in order to guarantee some screen time but Jessi insists that's not the case and no one "plays up but naturally emotions are heightened"."We're actually recording four or five days a week so we don't know what will make the final edit."Jessi says her explosive Halloween party was not manufactured by producers and there is just "naturally so much drama that we don't need to create more just for the show". 'Lots of resentment' Given the intensity of drama and filming demands, the presence of strong aftercare is essential and both women praise the production for its duty of care standards. "There are always therapists on hand and at first I was like why are Taylor and Jen having therapy all the time and now I'm having five or six hours of it a week," Jessi confesses. "I've found it's useful even if you're not going through a hard time." Whitney also accessed some aftercare in season one after being presented as the villain of the show."It totally sucked being the villain and I was angry, had a lot of resentment and was really sad. There were so many overwhelming emotions for me but I was proud that instead of running away I stayed and had those hard conversations I didn't want to have," Whitney says. Whitney was one of the members of the MomTok group that Taylor Frankie Paul publicly revealed was involved in "soft swinging", something she denies and caused a rift to form in their friendship. The open discussions around sex, marital affairs and alcohol on the show has caused some backlash from the Mormon church. "When the first trailer came out there was some backlash from the church because they were scared but actually we're showing you how we live the Mormon life and we all live it differently," Whitney says. Jessi adds the docudrama shows how "we are all normal and everyday girls, not people wearing bonnets and churning butter like you might think". The women say that not only has the church come to accept the show, they are also helping young women think about their faith differently. "We've definitely influenced people to question their faith, dive deeper into it or be more honest about it and I've had messages from some people saying that they're joining the church because of me," Jessi says. While their religion plays an important part of their life, they're keen to tell me that they are not the face of Mormonism. "There are Mormons who still get upset about it but we're just showing our version of it and I think that's empowering as hopefully people can relate to our stories and struggles."
