‘Mormon Wives’ Villain Whitney Leavitt Knows Exactly What She’s Doing

By Emma Chance | TV | September 26, 2024 |

By Emma Chance | TV | September 26, 2024 |

If you live on my side of the internet, then you know the major discourse lately has been about the Hulu reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and its breakout villain, Whitney Leavitt. See my and Dustin’s previous articles for a recap.

Whitney’s villain status was a surprise to everyone, including her. She started as the odd woman out of the group because she didn’t have the same wavy hair extensions as the other moms of MomTok, and honestly, that made me want to like her. But as the episodes continued, it was clear she was getting the villain edit. Then I wondered if she was editing herself.

“Definitely, there were moments that I could feel it,” Whitney recently told The Cut of being cast as the villain, but she admitted, “No one can make you do something or say something on the show; these were choices that I willingly made. As far as leaning into this quote-unquote villain era, I mean, yeah, I didn’t love what I watched of myself either.”

This is the most reality television villain thing to say: I didn’t realize I was the villain until I saw the edit, which I didn’t love, but, hey, that’s what happened, so I guess I stand by it. She also did the classic thing of saying there’s unaired footage that makes her look like an angel when she admitted she regrets some of the things she said to her co-stars or gossip she spread, adding that she apologized, “but that wasn’t in the show.”

“There were a lot of apologies said, specifically from me, that we had filmed. I would have loved for those scenes to have been on the show.”

Look, in real life, Whitney might be lovely. As she reiterates in the interview, she had a lot going on in her marriage at the time of filming, so maybe she needed some grace. But that wasn’t her storyline on the show—her storyline was conflict with the other women because it’s a show and there needs to be conflict amongst the main characters because story runs on conflict. If anything, getting the villain edit is a compliment, because it means you’re the most interesting.

And I think she knows that. She’s been poking fun at it on her socials ever since. This woman wants a homestead, she needs this reality show income!

@whitneyleavitt

all good things come to those that wait 😇🤫

♬ original sound - 𝘑 𝘩 𝘰 𝘳 𝘥 𝘺

Even in this interview, she knows all the right things to say. When asked where she stands with the other women, she said, “I’m sure amends will be made and we’ll move on and then figure out what the next drama is.” As for a second season and if she’d participate, she said, “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Andy Cohen couldn’t have conjured this woman up in his dizziest daydreams. She knows what she’s here for, which may not be what she thought she signed up for, but she’s willing to put her ego aside for the assignment. She knows what she’s doing, and thank God. Someone has to. When there is a season two, I hope she comes correct.