‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ cast member exits amid Taylor Frankie Paul drama

A few days after Season 5 premiered on Hulu, a cast member announced her departure
‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Season 5 cast members pose for the camera (Cover Image Source: Instagram | @whitleavitt)
‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Season 5 cast members pose for the camera (Cover Image Source: Instagram | @whitleavitt)

‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Season 5 saw cast members including Whitney Leavitt, Jessi Draper, Mikayla Matthews, Taylor Frankie Paul, Layla Taylor, Mayci Neeley, and more reunite. However, the cast lineup may change for the upcoming season of the Hulu show. On September 14, 2026, cast member Mikayla announced her departure from the show on Instagram. She wrote, “I made my decision over a week ago, after hearing some news, that I will not be continuing the show at this moment.” She added, “I’ve said from the beginning of this that I’m not comfortable being a part of something that continues to platform behavior I don’t agree especially given my own experience growing up in a home with multiple forms of abuse.”

Later in her post, Mikayla added that “no amount of money” was worth going against her morals. Expanding on this, she added, “There’s no amount of money worth going against my morals or changing the stance I’ve had since I first saw and heard the things that made me feel this strongly.” “And for me personally, continuing to directly profit from this behavior feels wrong and unethical. It feels like a disservice to the children, everyone’s healing and the millions of people watching,” she added. The former cast member also said that the show was a huge part of her life and helped her provide for her family. She expressed that she was grateful for the experience and will continue sharing her story and advocating for herself and others.

​Mikayla concluded, “Supporting an ADULT doesn’t mean constantly making excuses for toxic behavior while giving unconditional sympathy and grace with zero accountability or change. I was in that enabling cycle for years, and I’m not going to be a part of that again! love you all.” The announcement came a few days after the Hulu show’s latest season was released. 

A screengrab of Taylor Frankie Paul taken from 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' clip (Cover Image Source: YouTube | @hulu)
A screengrab of Taylor Frankie Paul taken from 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' clip (Image Source: YouTube | @hulu)

‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Season 5 was released after clips of an altercation between Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen surfaced online and led to a domestic violence investigation. The incident also affected filming, with production paused in March 2026 following the police investigation. Later, cast members returned to film confessionals for ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Season 5, which was released as a 5-episode season. Paul and Matthews have had several feuds over time, and Season 5 shed light on the decline of their friendship. It's important to note that Paul will return for Season 6, and Matthews has reportedly filmed for the upcoming installment as well. Hence, it's unclear if she will leave midway through Season 6 or if she will be absent from Season 7 onwards.

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