Whitney Leavitt is going to dance to her own tune.
During the recently-released season three of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, tensions between Whitney and the rest of the MomTok group—including fellow Dancing With the Stars contestant Jen Affleck—bubble over when Whitney is accused of only returning to film so she could get on the ABC dance competition.
It’s an assumption Whitney will happily own up to.
"After last season, I did decide to step away from the show, but I never quit MomTok,” she said in a Mormon Wives confessional. “I was always in MomTok, still a part of that group. I just really needed a break, but then I heard from my team Dancing With the Stars was going to cast someone from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and that’s a motivator. I'll come back for that."
The 32-year-old’s hesitancy to return, she explained, was feeling like she'd never be accepted back into the group which, in addition to Jen, includes costars such as Taylor Frankie Paul and Jessi Ngatikaura. And indeed, during a group hang at a birthday early in the season, Whitney admitted she felt like she was greeted with “hostility.”
"This is exactly why I didn't want to come back,” she later said in a confessional. “But there's this amazing opportunity, Dancing With the Stars, and it's something that I want. So, I'm going to go after it, and there's no shame.”
For Jen—who would ultimately compete alongside Whitney during DWTS’ 34th season—Whitney’s return to Mormon Wives raised some red flags.
"I definitely think Whitney is only here for herself and her own opportunities, and that our friendships within the group were actually never real or genuine to her,” Jen said in a confessional, later adding, “It’s frustrating for me because since the day I met her, I told her I wanted to go on Dancing With the Stars—like that is literally one of my dreams. The minute she sees there’s an opportunity, she’s like, ‘Oh wait, I’ve always wanted it.'”
As for Whitney, the frosty reception to her reentry into the MomTok friend group left her with a bad taste in her mouth.
"MomTok is a business,” she said in a later confessional. “MomTok is not this sisterhood, friendship, rara, and I don't care what they f--king say. At the end of the day, you don't care about my feelings. You don't care about me, you care about yourself. Okay, noted. Let me start doing that then."
For more on the season three cast of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, read on.
Mayci Neeley
TikTok: 2.6 Million Followers
Instagram: 1.2 Million Followers
Mayci Neeley is married to Jacob Neeley with a blended family of three kids.
Taylor Frankie Paul
TikTok: 5.8 Million Followers
Instagram: 1.9 Million Followers
Taylor Frakie Paul shares two kids with her ex-husband and welcomed her third child with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
Whitney Leavitt
TikTok: 3.2 Million Followers
Instagram: 1.1 Million Followers
Whitney Leavitt has three kids with her husband Conner Leavitt.
Layla Taylor
TikTok: 771K Followers
Instagram: 674K Followers
Layla Taylor is mom to two kids, who she shares with her ex-husband.
Demi Engemann
TikTok: 1.2 Million Followers
Instagram: 696K Followers
Demi Engemann and husband Bret Engemann have a blended family with three kids.
Jessi Ngatikaura
TikTok: 1.4 Million Followers
Instagram: 1.1 Million Followers
Jessi Ngatikaura shares a daughter, son and stepdaughter with her husband Jordan Ngatikaura.
Jen Affleck
TikTok: 2.5 Million Followers
Instagram: 1.4 Million Followers
Jen Affleck and husband Zac Affleck have three kids together.
Mikayla Matthews
TikTok: 3.3 Million Followers
Instagram: 1.2 Million Followers
Mikayla Matthews and husband Jace Terry are parents to four kids.