There is never a dull moment when it comes to MomTok, and this season is no exception. With friendship drama, crumbling relationships, and unexpected revelations, season five of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has given fans lots to talk about. There were so many storylines this season that I almost couldn’t keep up, including Taylor and Dakota’s continued drama since season one, part two of Jen and Whitney’s explosive fight, Taylor vs. everyone, the season getting cut short after five episodes, and what we know has happened since the filming of season five. The drama is never-ending, and I’m selfishly hoping it never does, because it makes amazing TV that I’m binging all in one sitting.
The Taylor and Dakota Saga Continues
Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen’s drama is never-ending and is the focal point of season five. The season begins after Taylor comes back from filming her season of The Bachelorette. She goes into detail about her season and how she ended up engaged to Doug Mason at the end of The Bachelorette. She gets back from filming and immediately continues relations with Dakota while still being engaged to Doug. Taylor is also still in communication with Ben Lambert, who she was seeing in season four. Needless to say, Taylor was in a sticky situation. Taylor claims she still loves Dakota, but cannot be with him due to him breaking her trust many times in the past, and officially breaks things off with him. They still figure out co-parenting their son, Ever. At the end of the season, before the production pause, Taylor calls the other members of MomTok and reveals to them that Dakota, after a blowout fight, called Child Protective Services on Taylor regarding their son. This shocked viewers and the other moms. Taylor strongly denies the allegations.
Whitney and Jen Finally Face Their Issues
Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck’s season five drama picks up after their already complicated experience together on Dancing with the Stars. Jen questions Whitney’s intentions and whether their friendship was ever genuine. At the end of season four, Jen’s husband, Zac, confronted Whitney, claiming that Whitney has been a bad friend to Jen, despite Jen and Zac staying in Whitney’s house while they were filming Dancing with the Stars in Los Angeles. Whitney, during the time of filming, was playing Roxy in Chicago on Broadway, and the members of MomTok went to New York City to watch her opening night. Whitney was shocked to find out Jen was going, considering their fallout. Their tension continued when Jen tried to congratulate Whitney on her Broadway role and apologize for some of their previous issues. During their conversation, however, the two struggled to see eye-to-eye. Whitney ultimately ended the conversation by saying they were “moving on” and walked away, leaving their friendship unresolved. The group filmed a TikTok together after this confrontation, which Jen refused to be in, and was filming her own content seperately. This didn’t sit well with the group, and they thought Jen was pouting. She didn’t like that the group was continuing their friendship with Whitney after all the blowout fights between the moms and Whitney in the past.
Momtok on the brink
Taylor had her fair share of fights this season, not just with Dakota, but with the other members of MomTok as well. Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley, and Jessi Draper were taking the brunt of Taylor’s wrath, since they were the only people holding Taylor accountable for her actions. Mikayla was especially vocal about Taylor’s relationship with Dakota, and this caused a lot of tension between the two throughout the season. Taylor’s friends would continue to give her advice, and she would get defensive and turn against her friends. They questioned whether Taylor’s actions were actually good for her or not, and she didn’t want to confront that thought. The biggest confrontation between Taylor and the other members of MomTok was at Jessi’s housewarming party, with Dakota there. Taylor becomes emotional as her friends confront her about repeatedly returning to Dakota. Taylor eventually storms out of the house, but returns and shows her true vulnerable side, revealing how hurt she actually is and how she can’t get out of this vicious cycle of returning back to Dakota. She apologizes to her friends, but there’s still a question that goes unanswered: “Does this apology actually resolve the tension, or simply just end the argument?” We don’t see the answer to this, because production stops soon after.
When the Cameras Had to Stop Rolling
What made season five so compelling compared to other seasons was the production pause. Only five episodes were released from this season due to a sudden pause in production in March 2026. The reason for this pause was an open domestic violence investigation between Taylor and Dakota. The other members of MomTok decided to halt production due to this. At the time, Taylor and Dakota were both making allegations against each other. Also, right before Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette was set to be released, Dakota released unseen footage from Taylor’s 2023 arrest, where we can see Taylor and Dakota in a heated argument, and Taylor throws a stool at Dakota. Instead of hitting Dakota, she accidentally hits her 5-year-old daughter. Many people spoke out against Taylor, even though she had already been charged with the crime. Others criticize Dakota and his convenient timing of releasing the footage right before the release of The Bachelorette.
After the Cameras Stopped: What Happened Next
Just because the cameras are off does not mean the drama has stopped. Jen is pregnant again, which has come with a lot of criticism from fans, due to Jen getting severe prenatal depression during her pregnancies. Fans think she should prioritize the children she has now, believing she can’t fully be there for her children in this depressive state.
Jessi and her ex-husband Jordan Ngatikaura officially got divorced, and their tumultuous relationship was the focal point of season four. Now, Jessi is seen to be dating Marciano Brunette and appears to be happy. At the end of season five, Layla Taylor breaks up with her boyfriend Mason McWhorter. Layla has now come out as bisexual and has a girlfriend. She soft-launched her girlfriend, but eagle-eyed fans were able to identify her as TikToker Kelsie Chesser from her tattoos.
The fifth season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives demonstrated that there can always be dramatic moments, even when the cameras stop filming. From the complex story between Taylor and Dakota, the fallout between Whitney and Jen, and the troubles in Taylor’s relationships with her friends to the unplanned hiatus of the show, there were lots of events that kept the audience guessing. So, with so much going on behind the scenes, it is obvious that MomTok keeps evolving, and the cast’s lives are never easy on or off the screen. With the fifth season ending, it will be interesting to see how the show develops and what next season has in store for us!