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Mikayla Matthews is not continuing with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, announcing her departure shortly after season five dropped on Hulu last week.
The reality star, who is also a credited executive producer of the show, shared an Instagram post where she said she is “not comfortable being a part of something that continues to platform behavior I don’t agree” with.
“I made my decision over a week ago, after hearing some news, that I will not be continuing the show at this moment,” Matthews wrote Monday. “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.”
Matthews’ Mormon Wives co-stars showed her support in the comments section. Mayci Neeley wrote, “My girl [red heart emoji] love you bb,” while Layla Taylor added, “I love you.” Miranda Hope and Whitney Leavitt shared similar messages of support under the post.
As The Hollywood Reporter confirmed last week, Paul will return for season six of Mormon Wives, which is in active production. Matthews has already filmed for season six, so it’s unclear whether she will officially exit the cast mid-season six or for Mormon Wives‘ seventh season, which has already been ordered by Hulu.
Matthews did not share an explicit reason for her exit; however, the show has been riddled with controversy in recent months following a production pause due to an alleged domestic incident involving Paul and her ex Dakota Mortensen, which preceded ABC‘s later decision to pull Paul’s season of The Bachelorette.
Paul and Matthews have been embroiled in a nasty social media feud that sparked after ABC pulled The Bachelorette season 22. The installment was yanked from air a few days before its release after a video of Paul throwing barstools at Mortensen from a 2023 domestic violence incident, which led to her arrest. On April 21, Hulu revealed that production was picking up, confirming that Paul did not return to film confessional interviews, but only to participate in the opening title shoot. (THR previously reported that the ball was in Paul’s court on a Mormon Wives return, and the team behind the show wanted her to return when she was ready.)
Tension between Paul and Matthews boiled over online when Matthews took to her Instagram Stories with a lengthy statement addressing that she was “setting boundaries” with Paul. Matthews addressed The Bachelorette lead’s turbulent relationship with Mortensen, which encompasses a history of domestic violence. In her statement, she made a comparison about her health and skin flare-ups to Paul’s relationship with Mortensen, which led Paul to fight back.
They have since continued to trade blows online, with season five of Mormon Wives shedding light on the downfall of their friendship. Before filming paused and Matthews made her statement, she and Paul fought throughout the duration of the fifth season, and have been squabbling online (as recently as Sunday night) since the show’s release on Sept. 10.
“This show has been a huge part of my life and has helped me provide for my family. I’m so grateful for the experience, and will continue sharing my story, my health and advocating for myself and others,” Matthews wrote on Instagram. “This shouldn’t be ‘relatable’ or entertainment in anyway. 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.”
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to reps for Hulu and Matthews for additional comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
English (US) ·