Mormon Mom to Broadway Star: Whitney Leavitt

The name on everybody’s lips is going to be Whitney! If you have been keeping up with Hulu’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Dancing with the Stars, your TikTok For You page, or her upcoming role on Broadway, you have likely heard of Whitney Leavitt. 

Whitney Leavitt gained online notoriety in 2021 after posting a video of her Dancing in the hospital room with her newborn son, suffering from respiratory syncytial virus and pneumonia. Despite the initial backlash, Leavitt continued her online career and now boasts over 3 million followers on TikTok.

She joined a Utah-based group of mom TikTokers who focus on family and lifestyle content called “MomTok”. The group blended drama into their family-friendly content after other members’ scandals went viral. 

The influencer has begun to break into mainstream media, starring in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives alongside other “MomTokers” and was cast for season 34 of Dancing With the Stars (DWTS). 

Despite her polarizing online presence and following her elimination from DWTS, Leavitt announced that she would star as Roxie Heart in Broadway’s Chicago. The influencer’s presence on Broadway represents true passion and perseverance, showcasing the journey of influencers integrating into traditional media.

Controversy appears to follow Leavitt, as her role on DWTS seemed unfair to some fans, given her background in dance, specifically her degree in modern dance from Brigham Young University (BYU). 

Those viewers thought her experience gave her an unfair advantage, with TikTok commenters stating that, “considering she is a trained dancer, she is irrelevant,” and that “weirdly, they have actual dancers on as amateurs.” 

But others came to her side, with one supporter explaining that “everyone is WILDLY overestimating a BYU modern dance degree.” 

People continued to weigh in on the season three release of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, where she appeared to use her position on the show to gain opportunities. A significant plot point in the third season revolves around Whitney rejoining the cast to be considered for DWTS. She was labelled an opportunist and a fake friend, but some viewers’ opinions changed upon seeing her in the ballroom.

Anyone can admit that Leavitt is a talented performer. She is enthralling to watch and, despite her previous dance experience, impressed the judges with her improvement and skill.

The discourse on Leavitt continued, with people continuing to critique her. In contrast, others actually predicted her future Broadway opportunity in the early days of the season, as one commenter put it, “she is a true performer, Broadway will be calling.”

To the haters’ dismay, Broadway did call. And Whitney Leavitt picked up. 

The role of Chicago’s Roxie Heart is often stuntcast, meaning celebrities are brought onto the Chicago stage primarily for the publicity and ticket sales their name will bring, rather than their theatrical skills. This specific role has been held by notable women in media, including Pamela Anderson, Lisa Rinna, and former DWTS contestant Ariana Madix. 

After her performance of “Cell Block Tango” on DWTS, Leavitt was contacted by Chicago’s casting team, and after her elimination, she landed the part.

The musical follows Roxie, a housewife who murders her lover and is sent to jail. While incarcerated alongside other lady killers, she competes for the attention of a renowned lawyer and the public’s sympathy in hopes of freedom and making a name for herself. 

Considering Leavitt’s motivation surrounding breaking into traditional stardom, this role suits her perfectly. Although Leavitt was not on trial for murder, her polarizing role on reality television is reminiscent of Roxie’s experience attempting to sway the public opinion in her favour with undertones of desperation for fame. 

More recently, Trisha Paytas, another aspiring actress with, at times, a controversial social media presence, was stuntcast in Broadway’s Beetlejuice. Although Paytas’s name also holds some infamy, she was welcomed to Broadway by fans, both new and old, with open arms, with significantly less criticism than Leavitt. 

Public discourse on Leavitt’s starring role is unsurprisingly mixed, with some lacking an understanding of stunt casting and others buying tickets.

Spectators have brought a whole new dimension to the conversation. Sure, Leavitt can dance, but can she sing? Leavitt seems to be leaving that question unanswered until her debut on February 2nd, teasing fans on TikTok and leaving viewers to speculate about her vocal abilities.

The other pressing question on everyone’s mind is what this budding star will do next. She has already announced a holiday film that is in the works, but will she return to MomTok? And will she continue to perform on Broadway in other projects? The world seems to be opening around this natural-born performer, and I have to say, I am excited to see what’s in store for her career.

The pipeline from influencer to mainstream media star is interesting in its own right, but with Leavitt’s added layer of mommy influencer, it becomes even more impressive. I find her story to be compelling. Five years ago, she was a stay-at-home mom living in Utah, posting dancing TikToks for fun, and now she is breaking into stardom and bouncing from coast to coast as a mother of three. 

Whitney Leavitt has faced constant online criticism, yet still possesses the courage, passion, and drive to pursue what she loves doing. And with that, I will say the woman’s name truly is on everybody’s lips.