The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stars Jen Affleck and Zac Affleck gave a uncommon joint interview the place they slammed misconceptions about their marriage, misinformation about their funds and extra.
Through the Wednesday, Could 28, episode of “The Viall Files,” Jen, 25, and Zac, 28, first broke down what led them to actuality TV — and revealed how the expertise nearly ruined their relationship.
“We had been so weak and we shared every thing about our faith and our life and our marriage,” Zac stated. “I actually assume we went a little bit bit naive into the present — simply probably not understanding what to anticipate or what actuality TV even is.”
Whereas Jen claimed she had the choice to do the present herself, it was all the time the plan for them to affix as a pair.
“They had been actually within the dynamic of those Mormon wives with their husbands. To be trustworthy, within the first season there’s a few different {couples} that had been considerably energetic. However actually Jen and I had been essentially the most energetic and strongest within the church on the time,” Zac continued. “So I believe they had been actually intrigued of that dynamic.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered in September 2024. At first, the dialog revolved round whether or not Zac and Jen are associated to Ben Affleck (which was initially sure, however their reply has since shifted to no). Because the season continued to play out, Zac and Jen’s dynamic was questioned as they navigated ongoing points, together with allegations that he was controlling.
Pulling again the curtain on their marriage — and their beliefs — got here at a value.
“Generally you simply really feel known as to one thing and you may’t clarify why,” Jen detailed. “It’s not simple being weak as a Mormon and displaying what truly occurs generally in Mormon relationships. I really feel like we’re doing the arduous factor however doing the suitable factor by exposing what truly occurs.”
Jen expressed hope that her involvement within the present would begin a dialog, including, “Hopefully individuals inside the Mormon tradition can have a look at our relationship and replicate on theirs and say like, ‘Hey, I believe we sort of battle with that too. Or possibly my husband has fed into the patriarchy and isn’t treating me proper.’ I wish to be an instance of that. Folks aren’t going to love that, sadly.”
In accordance with Jen, she has “misplaced plenty of pals” because of this. “I’ve misplaced plenty of pals and respect due to that,” she added. “I don’t care. I’m displaying up.”
Maintain scrolling for the largest revelations from Jen and Zac’s joint podcast look:
How Jen and Zac Met
“There’s a Mormon relationship app known as Mutual. It’s sort of like Tinder nevertheless it’s only for Mormons. I used to be shifting after my freshman 12 months of faculty. I had simply gotten again from my LDS mission to the Dominican Republic,” Zac recalled. “I obtained the Latina fever and was searching for somebody spicy.”
Zac despatched Jen a message — which she initially ignored — the night time earlier than he moved to Hawaii. Regardless of not having plans to get right into a relationship, Zac known as his first date with Jen the “most important night time” of his life.
“We ended up relationship after which Jen was going to go on an LDS mission after that. She determined to not flip in her papers and he or she gave me an ultimatum,” Zac stated earlier than Jen joked she determined to “go on a actuality TV present” as a substitute of her Mormon mission. “That was years later. Again then, she was going to go on a mission and he or she stated, ‘I’m not going to go on a mission and I believe we should always get married.’”
He continued: “So I began saving up my cash. I truly took a mortgage from my dad and purchased a hoop and proposed. We obtained married like 10 months later.”
The place the Cash Points Got here In
A serious story line on Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was Zac’s alleged playing downside. The reality? In accordance with Zac, a lot of the conversations about his funds had been misconstrued on display screen.
“My medical faculty tuition — that by no means occurred. I hadn’t even been accepted to medical faculty when that season was filmed. There wasn’t even a deposit to pay for varsity as a result of I hadn’t been accepted into a faculty but,” he revealed. “So plenty of these issues that had been stated by the women had been hurtful and unfaithful and has led to plenty of backlash on social media, which has been actually unhappy.”
Jen, nevertheless, disagreed with Zac’s remark about her not paying for his medical faculty.
“It was my plan. I had a dialog together with your dad and mom and stated, ‘I want to pay for med faculty,’” she famous, which Zac didn’t see the identical manner, including, “I don’t wish to argue that. The truth is my dad had saved up a bunch of cash. He wished to assist pay for that. He had saved that cash apart.”
Zac clarified that he was by no means given the cash, saying, “He straight paid that to the college. That was by no means cash I ever noticed or touched. That was straight from him to the college. Then as soon as I withdrew from medical faculty, that wasn’t cash I obtained to maintain.”
Zac and Jen’s Different Funds
Along with cash from MomTok paychecks and actuality TV earnings, Zac broke down what he was bringing to the desk earlier than they joined the present.
“The tremendous widespread factor in Utah is the place each summer season youngsters exit from Utah to totally different states and so they promote pest management or alarms door to door,” Zac stated in regards to the idea of Mormon summer season gross sales. “Folks make lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} in a summer season. I’ve buddies who’re millionaires simply promoting pest management door to door. That’s what I used to be doing to supply for a household early on.”
After taking a step again from being the first breadwinner, Zac admitted it has been powerful.
“It nonetheless generally makes me insecure. Generally I’m at dwelling on a random Tuesday as a keep at dwelling dad or I’m on the trampoline park with my two youngsters and I’m like, ‘What the hell am I doing with my life?’” Zac admitted. “I’m grateful that that’s even a chance. I nonetheless assume I wish to work out what I wish to do. However again at the moment, it was actually arduous as a result of this dynamic had switched.”
Shocking Revelation About Increasing Their Household
Talking of youngsters, Jen and Zac beforehand welcomed two youngsters and are presently anticipating their third child. Viewers noticed how stunned the pair had been by Jen’s third being pregnant however the second was simply as stunning — for Zac, at the least.
“We had one after which a second child again to again. Jen — like, six months after she gave start — she obtained pregnant once more together with her second child,” he stated earlier than claiming, “I obtained tricked into it. She took out her IUD with out telling me.”
Zac known as that time period “anxious” and famous it was earlier than they obtained into remedy. Jen, in the meantime, discovered the revelation about her second being pregnant extra humorous, including, “Whoopsies, I forgot to inform you [I took my IUD out].”
How Their Marriage Almost Ended
Zac and Jen went by way of a separation between seasons 1 and a pair of of Mormon Wives. In accordance with Jen, she was very critical about the opportunity of ending her marriage.
“I mainly instructed him after I was in a spot the place I wish to stroll away from the connection, ‘I’m doing this. That is what I really feel proper about. You possibly can come together with me. You possibly can assist me on this or you possibly can stroll away,’” she recalled. “I used to be not against divorce. I used to be actually doing what I felt was proper. Due to that, I really feel like our relationship has by no means been stronger as a result of I’ve discovered my voice and I’m nonetheless within the strategy of that.”