Hulu has once again stirred the cultural pot with its latest unscripted drama, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
A Show With Little Faith in the Faith It Portrays
At first glance, the show promises a peek behind the curtain of Latter-day Saint womanhood—but as many viewers quickly notice, it delivers something else entirely.
Rather than a genuine exploration of the lives of Mormon women, Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives offers a sensationalized portrayal centered more on sexual liberation and emotional spectacle than any authentic connection to the faith it references.
From the opening episodes, the disconnect is jarring. The show is replete with high-end cocktail parties, raunchy jokes, profanity, and intimate relationship drama—elements far removed from the values of most active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The characters, while often dressed in the cultural trappings of Mormon life—think temple wedding photos and coordinated Sunday bests—have clearly moved on from the doctrines that once defined them.
The Spectacle of Post-Faith Identity
One of the most striking themes in Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is how the cast navigates their new identities post-religion. Rather than processing faith transitions privately or with nuance, they broadcast their rejection of former beliefs for public consumption.
And what replaces those beliefs? A worldview shaped by the sexual revolution, where freedom is elevated above responsibility and personal gratification becomes the ultimate goal.
This isn’t just a subtle shift in values—it’s a complete redefinition of purpose. As Washington Post critic Ashley Fetters Maloy observed, the cast rarely asks what God might think of their choices. Faith has become aesthetic, not spiritual. It’s in the matching pajamas and choreographed holiday traditions—not in prayer, community, or covenant.
The show’s central figures proudly espouse a form of liberation that mirrors the ethos of the 1960s feminist movement. Like Helen Gurley Brown’s “Sex and the Single Girl,” they champion delayed motherhood, sexual autonomy, and the abandonment of traditional roles. Yet the outcomes speak volumes: failed relationships, strained families, and personal regret.
The Emotional Toll of ‘Sexual Freedom’
The core tension in Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is this: the cast claims freedom, but often reveals pain.
In one especially unsettling episode, a group of women plan a Halloween “liberation” for their friend Jen, staging a provocative performance meant to humiliate her conservative husband. While Jen goes along with it in the moment, she later admits to feeling deeply uncomfortable and even violated.
This pattern of regret repeats. Women on the show confess to broken trust, emotional damage, and confusion about their life choices. Yet these consequences are often blamed on the church—not on the behaviors that caused the pain. The irony is sharp: the very doctrines they dismiss may have been the protective boundaries they needed.
Author Louise Perry, in The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, calls this modern mindset “sexual disenchantment”—a condition where sex is seen as a casual pastime rather than a meaningful act. The women in Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives embody this philosophy, but their experiences suggest that it may not deliver the empowerment it promises.
Mormon Values vs. Media Narrative
For many practicing Latter-day Saints, the show is a misrepresentation at best, a mockery at worst. Statistically, Latter-day Saints are among the happiest and most committed married couples in the United States. They experience lower divorce rates, higher levels of education, and significantly lower rates of poverty and out-of-wedlock births.
These outcomes aren’t accidental—they’re the fruit of deeply held beliefs about family, morality, and community. In contrast, the women of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives seem adrift, chasing a version of empowerment that frequently ends in heartbreak. Their portrayal is hardly representative of most Latter-day Saint women, whose lives are rooted in faith and purpose, not just aesthetics.
Conclusion: A Reality Show That Misses Reality
In its pursuit of drama and ratings, Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives tells a story—but not the one viewers might expect. Instead of offering insight into Latter-day Saint womanhood, it showcases the emotional wreckage left behind when faith is discarded but its symbols are retained. It’s a story not of freedom, but of fragmentation.
Yes, it may draw clicks and conversations. But underneath the glossy edits and social media virality is a deeper question: what do we lose when we trade enduring values for fleeting liberation?
