I'm Sorry, The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives Cast Need To Stay In Utah

If you’re confused about the state of MomTok, you’re not alone. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is in total disarray, from a cast member’s messy divorce to Taylor Frankie Paul’s ongoing domestic violence investigation, which caused Hulu to pause filming Season 5.

Jen Affleck recently moved to Orange County, where she’s reported to be leading a new Mormon Wives spinoff, and not long after, her castmate Mikayla Matthews followed suit. Whitney Leavitt is starring in the Broadway show Chicago, with no plans to leave New York anytime soon, and that’s led some fans to advocate for a Whitney in the City-like spinoff.

However, there’s enough drama in Salt Lake City to fill a whole season, like Jessi Draper finally getting divorced — only to kiss her co-star Miranda Hope’s ex-husband. Not only should Hulu get cameras back up ASAP, but they should make MomTok come back home, and keep the Mormon Wives in Utah.

To be clear, I’ll follow this cast in any form we get. I’d happily watch Whitney take over the Big Apple or Taylor even if she moves to, like, South Dakota to get away from her ex. And the Mormon Wives spinoff focusing on the Mormon community in the OC (my hometown) is a genius idea. In the words of Dance Moms’ Abby Lee Miller, “We’re all gonna have fun,” no matter where these girls live.

But The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reaches true greatness when the original cast is home, or at the very least, traveling as a unit. In Sex and the City terms, Utah is practically the tenth Mormon Wife (or ninth, if you no longer consider Demi Engemann a part of the cast), and the show just might not have the same impact if there are so many spinoffs keeping them away from each other.

The drama wouldn’t hit as hard if the whole group weren’t there to give us every side of the story and get through it together. Even Whitney acknowledged how much cameras are missing while talking to Good Morning America, asking, “Do you see what’s going on in the world right now?”

There are also fewer chances for the girls to make their silly TikTok dances when spread out across the country, which is what this entire show was founded on. Mormons doing ketamine therapy has much less shock value on the East or West Coasts, where most wouldn’t bat an eye. Plus, are they still Mormon Wives in a place that doesn’t have the dirty soda shop, Swig? I’m genuinely not sure.

According to TMZ, some of the cast are ready to film again, which is a sign in the right direction. But now, only five of the ladies are still in Utah, and who knows if they’re willing to film with Taylor yet, given her situation. It would be a shame for MomTok to split up just two years into the show’s run, when Mormon Wives has so much life (and drama) left to give. So Hulu, do whatever it takes to get them home, even if it means holding back on spinoffs for now.