‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Star Jennifer on Family Member Ben Affleck & Her Marriage Struggles

Jennifer Affleck and Mikayla Matthews are among the #MomTok influencers who make the reality TV jump on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Cameras followed them for the Hulu series as they attempt to move forward following the “soft swinging” sex scandal in 2022 that rocked the friend group to its core. 

And just in case there is some confusion, this Jen Affleck is not the one from the block getting divorced from Ben Affleck. Although the 25-year-old cast member is married to Zac, who is technically distant cousins with Ben and Casey Affleck. The conservative Mormon pulls the weight as her husband focuses on school. She is paying the bills through content creation while taking care of the kids. It’s a household dynamic not traditional within the community. The two’s marriage goes through tests this season. 

Things haven’t necessarily been easy for Matthews either. She saw her world turned upside down becoming a mom at age 16. The now 24-year-old has connected with audiences on social media by being open about working through eczema flare-ups. 

We caught up with the ladies to talk about the drama this season and why they wanted to do the show. 

Did you have any trepidation about putting your lives out there? 

Mikayla Matthews: It’s definitely scary to put our lives on blast. I think social media is different because it’s curated by us. We’re able to pick and choose what we are posting on social media. It’s tricky on a reality show because it’s completely out of our hands. We just have to show up and be authentic to ourselves and hope that is what is portrayed on screen. I did have some mixed emotions. 

Jen Affleck: A hundred percent. I think everyone is used to my dancing videos. I think they are going to be shocked when they see this other side of me. Not just the dancing side of me. Although I still dance on the show. 

Mikayla Matthews (Disney/Pamela Littky)

Jen, with Zac being cousins with Ben specifically. Seeing what he goes through being in the public eye, did Zac have any worries about being a part of this show? 

Jen: We aren’t connected to [Ben]. In fact, my husband has never even met him. He is a distant cousin. He is actually my husband’s dad’s second cousin. Only his dad has met him once when he was very little. It’s more of a joke than an actual family relative. Technically, celebrity blood runs through his veins. 

I bet you’re happy on the name change end regarding J.Lo. Now when people do a search for you it may be a little easier. 

Jen: It’s so funny because her name is actually Jennifer Lynn Lopez. My name is Jennifer Lynn Affleck. It’s crazy. 

Mikayla, you’ve been open about the struggles you face with a skin condition. What was that like to bring that relatability? 

Mikayla: It was very important to me. I went a couple of months while filming where it was so hard. I would cry literally every time I had to go out in public because I was so embarrassed with my skin. So having to be on camera all day with a group of stunning women who look amazing. I had to show up with no makeup and wasn’t able to wear certain clothes for a time because of how uncomfortable it was. I had to be basically stripped down to my raw self. It was important to relate to those women who were going through something similar. It’s okay to take opportunities. These are life-changing opportunities that are coming my way and I don’t want to turn them down because I’m hating the way I look. I think it’s important to find.  Hopefully, viewers feel comfortable sharing themselves as well. 

MAYCI NEELEY, JESSI NGATIKAURA, LAYLA TAYLOR, MIKAYLA MATTHEWS, JENNIFER AFFLECK, DEMI ENGEMANN (Disney/Natalie Cass)

Jen, you talk about how the husband-wife dynamic has evolved within Mormonism. You talk about being a breadwinner while Zac is in school. There is a trip to Las Vegas that causes other issues. How would you describe what viewers will see this season between the two of you? 

Jen: I don’t want to say too much because I want people to watch for themselves, but people are definitely going to have a lot of questions after this show. All I can say is I learned from it, even though a lot happened. It was still a win for me. 

Mikayla, you were in the middle of Taylor and Whitney’s rift. How was it going through that? 

Mikayla: It’s funny because I feel like I’m in the middle but not involved. I kind of just eat my way through every situation. I am always there with a snack just watching everything go down. I don’t like to be involved in the drama, but I still like to be in the middle of the drama somehow. It was difficult though. I feel like I did get close to Taylor through the process of filming. But yeah, I was getting a lot of good tea. 

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There is a little bit of drama that happens during your birthday party. 

Mikaya: Honesty, I went in thinking it was going to be a fun time to celebrate with me as it should be when it’s your birthday. That’s not how it turned out at all. It kind of blew up into this huge thing. Definitie, unexpected. I’m going to need a birthday doover at some point. Maybe I’ll do my half-birthday.

Jen, you work hard to stay true to your beliefs but the environment may make it difficult. I’m sure there are those traditionalists within your community who may be rolling their eyes about reality TV. How are you managing that? 

Jen: I think for the longest time I put a lot of pressure on myself, especially being the really Mormon one in the group. Even being an influencer, people are aware I’m a member, I’ve always put pressure on myself to be perfect and portray that I have a perfect marriage. If you look at my social media, that is what you see. I realized after doing the show that this needs to change. People will need to show their true colors. Show their imperfections and flaws. I think if we can do that, we can help the culture and people can feel more welcome. 

 The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiere, September 6, Hulu