3 weeks ago
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The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Mikayla Matthews has sensationally quit the top-rated reality series, calling it 'toxic'.
The hit Hulu show is currently filming its sixth season, but Matthews has decided to step away amid her ongoing feud with Taylor Frankie Paul.
In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram on Monday, the 26-year-old said that she will 'not be continuing the show at this moment'.
Although she didn't name Paul directly, Matthews alluded to Paul's reported involvement in season six of the series as the reason for her exit, saying, 'I made my decision over a week ago, after hearing some news.'
Just last week, Page Six reported that Paul would officially return to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives for its sixth season with the full support of ABC and Disney behind her.
Not mincing any words, Matthews wrote, 'I've said from the beginning of this that I'm not comfortable being a part of something that continues to platform behavior I don't agree [with], especially given my own experience growing up in a home with multiple forms of abuse.'
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Mikayla Matthews has sensationally quit the top-rated reality series, calling it 'toxic'
The hit Hulu is currently its fifth season, with plans for a seventh season as well, but Matthews has decided to step away from the show amid her ongoing feud with Taylor Frankie Paul.
She continued, 'There's no amount of money worth going against my morals or changing the stance I've had since I first saw and heard the things that made me feel this strongly. And for me personally, continuing to directly profit from this behavior feels wrong and unethical. It feels like a disservice to the children, everyone's healing and the millions of people watching.'
While Matthews said that the Hulu series had 'helped me provide for my family', she insisted once again that she couldn't continue while 'toxic behaviour' was being platformed.
'Supporting an ADULT doesn't mean constantly making excuses for toxic behavior while giving unconditional sympathy and grace with zero accountability or change. I was in that enabling cycle for years, and I'm not going to be a part of that again!' she wrote.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Disney for comment.
Whitney Leavitt also quit The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives after filming wrapped for season five, although she left to focus on her growing acting career.
Demi Engemann was let go from the series after season four, but is set to appear on the upcoming Hulu competition series The Mob in October.
The rest of the cast have been filming season six over the past few weeks and were recently spotted on location in Europe.
Matthews was seen with her castmates in Paris, so it's likely that she will still appear in a number of episodes next season.
Although she didn't name Paul directly, Matthews alluded to Paul's reported involvement in season six of the Huly series as the reason for her exit
Whitney Leavitt also quit The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives after filming wrapped for season five, although she left to focus on her growing acting career
A seventh season has also been confirmed by Hulu, although filming hasn't started yet.
Season five of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives hit streaming services last week and largely centered around Paul as she returned home from filming ABC's The Bachelorette.
After returning home, Paul started sleeping with her on-again/off-again baby daddy Dakota Mortensen again, despite the fact that he had a girlfriend at the time.
Paul was also freshly engaged to Doug Mason, who proposed to her on the finale of The Bachelorette.
On top of that, she was also still dating Ben Lambert, an aspiring musician that she met on TikTok.
In March, Paul's season of The Bachelorette was abruptly yanked from ABC's schedule the day before it was set to premiere in the wake of a resurfaced video from 2023 that showed her attacking Mortensen during a domestic dispute.
During the shocking encounter, the mother-of-three was seen throwing metal chairs at Mortensen, one of which accidentally hit her own child. Paul has also accused Mortensen of domestic violence, which he has denied.
The pair were then in a custody battle over their two-year-old son Ever until June 1, when a judge lifted mandatory supervision for Paul's parent time with the toddler.
Paul is currently in the midst of an ongoing custody dispute with her baby daddy Dakota Mortensen
Paul and Mortensen are pictured with their son Ever, who they share custody of
The mother-of-three's season of The Bachelorette was pulled from ABC before it even aired after a shocking video of her in a domestic dispute was leaked online
The judge issued Paul custody of Ever on the same midweek day each week without overnights. She was also granted alternating weekends. Mortensen will remain the 'custodial parent' on holidays.
The former couple has also been banned from 'making disparaging remarks of one another' in public, including on social media.
While Paul has been barred from disparaging Mortensen, she has continued to fight on social media with her Hulu castmates, including Matthews.
Matthews has also taken digs at Paul, including posting a shady TikTok video about her over the weekend.
In an Instagram post on Sunday night, Paul addressed her future on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and her ongoing feud with her castmates.
'Stayed off my phone most of the day then got on just to see more videos directed to me and as a group they are STILL going and if I respond I'm in the wrong,' she wrote.
'The only reason I'm continuing the show is to share my story and hopefully help people. I originally had no desire to be around them either but I have a bigger purpose I'm aiming towards and need to focus on that only. I have a good heart at core and I just need to remember I'm not this evil person they want me to be.'
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