When Miranda McWhorter made her entrance at a group event in season 2 of “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” the tension was undeniable. She admits it was “nerve-wracking” having to face the ladies of the popular Hulu series amid the fallout of the “soft swinging” scandal. But, she wouldn’t have done it if she weren’t “ready to hit that head on.” Here’s what to know about the newest full-time cast member of “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Follows Utah-Based TikTok Influencers
In the fall of 2024, Hulu released “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and it immediately became the streamer’s most-watched unscripted season premiere. The series follows a group of Tik-Tok influencers from Utah, known as “MomTok,” amid the fallout of the 2022 “soft swinging” scandal.Â
That scandal began when #MomTok influencer Taylor Frankie Paul revealed during a TikTok live that she had violated an agreement she made with her then-husband Tate Paul about their “soft swinging” lifestyle with other Mormon couples.
âSoft swinging is when you do other things but you donât go all the way. Thatâs what happened with us. The agreement was ⦠as long as we were both there and we saw it and we knew it, it was OK, and the second it goes behind without each other, youâve stepped out of the agreement. And I did that,” Paul said in the video.
What Miranda McWhorter Tells Her Side
Paul’s revelation quickly went viral and rocked her friendship group — which included McWhorter, her best friend and fellow mom influencer. It also affected the TikTok presences of everyone in their group. But McWhorter and her now ex-husband, Chase McWhorter, initially denied any involvement and left Paul to take the heat all on her own.
However, when “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” premiered in September 2024, Chase McWhorter admitted to Us Weekly that he and his ex-wife were part of the soft swinging group. After leaving the Mormon church, Chase explained that the parties began during the pandemic because couples would get together, “get trashed,” and play games like “spin the bottle.”
âIt was never predetermined that we were going to be doing, like, swinging. Thatâs what we always thought was a little bit misrepresented in Taylorâs story, as she presents it,â he said. McWhorter has not publicly shared much about her side of the story. But, she made it clear to Josie Van Dyke on her “Weekly Trash” podcast that even though the world thought she and her husband were full on swinging, that wasn’t the case.
The couple announced they were divorcing in 2024, and McWhorter says that she and now ex-husband were having marital problems before the #MomTok scandal. They remain on good terms, and are committed to co-parenting their two children, Brooks and Cohen, together.
After the split, McWhorter started dating her landlord, Jake Baum, and says she is open to the possibility of getting married again and having more kids.
Miranda McWhorter Felt Empowered to Share Her Story on ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’
Hulu approached McWhorter to be part of season 1, but she says it “just didn’t feel right” at the time. She was hesitant about being in the public eye after the scandal broke because she had “already got exploited on the internet” without her consent.
But when it was time to start season 2, McWhorter changed her mind. She told TODAY.com that she wouldn’t have done that if she “wasn’t ready to hit that head on.”
“I had done a lot of healing prior to that, and there were a lot of things that I came to terms with that I finally felt empowered and comfortable sharing with the world,” she said..
“As nerve wracking as it was, I think it definitely was a very healing situation for me to be able to finally put it behind me. I quickly realized that I wasn’t going to be able to do that unless I could be fully transparent with myself and with everyone around me.”
On the show, McWhorter admitted that her former best friend wasn’t lying about what happened between the two couples. After Paul gave a list of things that happened, including “sex in the shower with our husbands all together” and “sex in the same bed at the same time,” Miranda came clean.
âUmmm … I mean, Taylorâs not wrong. I came here to take accountability. So, yeah, weâve had sex in the same room. We had crazy parties in Mexico.â
Season 2 of “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” is now available to stream on Hulu.
Tell us! Do you think Miranda McWhorter was a great addition to season 2? Let us know in the comments below.
The post Miranda McWhorter Calls Joining Season 2 of SLMW ‘Healing’ appeared first on EntertainmentNow.