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Will MomTok survive this? Since the debut of Hulu’s reality TV show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, that’s all the internet’s been asking. The breakout show follows a group of friends who are part of a popular TikTok collective called MomTok as they navigate motherhood, Mormonism, drama-fueled swinging scandals, arrests and Swig’s unholy union of “dirty soda,” a combination of cream, syrup and fizzy carbonation. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives aired in 2024 and broke Hulu records as the streaming service’s most-watched unscripted premiere. Now season two is taking those numbers to new heights.
We caught up with Jessi Ngatikaura, the self-proclaimed “grandma” of the group (she’s 32) to chat about MomTok: The Unholy Tea, coming to the Palazzo Theatre on June 7.
How much has your life changed since that first season of the show?
I feel like my life is completely different than it was a year ago. We knew people would watch the show, but we had no idea it would become a cultural phenomenon. People dressing up as us for Halloween, and the Swig and Fruity Pebbles of it all—all of these things that took off online. It’s a really weird feeling to know that people have seen my labiaplasty journey and the ins and outs of our relationships and our friendships. We signed up to do the show knowing we’d be vulnerable and sharing the good and the bad. I just am so grateful that people connected with it. But it is weird that anywhere we go now, we get recognized.
Everybody loved the soda stuff. Now Swig is in Vegas. I don’t even drink soda and now I want to go check out Swig.
(Laughs) Yes! It’s so true how Swig blew up. It’s funny because it was only in I think two or three scenes in the show, and it just took off because it’s such a part of our daily lives.
What’s interesting is there are people who aren’t even on TikTok or know about MomTok but they’re obsessed with watching Secret Lives. What’s keeping them hooked?
I think people are curious about Mormon and Utah culture specifically. I think that got people interested. But once you tune in and you see the raw emotions of Taylor and Dakota’s relationship, and Jen and Zac, and then our friend group as a whole, navigating all of this drama, and then also coming together as a sisterhood and being there for each other ... I think a lot of women specifically can relate to having a friend group where you have really close friends, but also some enemies, you know? And the ups and downs that come with being a girl.
There seems to be a real sisterhood at play. Has doing the show brought you closer together in some ways?
Yeah, definitely. It’s weird because reality TV isn’t necessarily the ideal breeding ground for friendships, because there’s drama and there’s story lines and things you have to live through because it’s our real lives. But I will say that it also bonds you in a really unique and cool way. I’ve met some of my best friends through this show. I’ve lost friends through the show as well, but I have girls in my life now that will be there forever, and I’m so grateful for that. We can only understand what we’re going through on this journey. And it’s so amazing to have friends by your side, going through it with you.
MomTok is full of lifestyle stuff, viral dances, but you also challenge cultural norms of female roles in the Mormon church. I know you left the church a while ago. After that, where were you able to find a community?
The amazing thing about the Mormon church is that built-in community. You can move anywhere in the world but you move into a ward, and you automatically have a family around you. So when you leave the church, it’s kind of like exiling that, and it’s scary. I would say, for me though, I have my business [JZ Styles] and amazing employees. My family works for me. I have friends that work for me, and I’ve always had really supportive, close friends in my life. Some are Mormon, some aren’t. I got lucky, because even when I left the church, all of those people were still supportive. So I feel like my business has really been my community.
What does MomTok mean to you these days? Has the focus changed at all?
I think it means more to me now than it ever has. In the beginning, it was just us moms getting together, making fun videos, having a break from our kids and whatever. But now it really is women who lean on each other in the really good times and in the really bad times. As the season unfolds, you guys will see that there are a lot of things we all go through personally that are really hard, and having those friends there for you through it, it’s just amazing. So MomTok really just is such a support system for me specifically now.
When the show came out, some people felt it wasn’t a good portrayal of the church. Do you feel that criticism has died down? Does it matter?
Well, I think that religion and culture is all personal to you. Everyone can have a different experience within the same religion. And for me, I felt like it was accurate of Utah County, which is where we live, and how Mormonism is in our specific city. So I think a lot of Mormons have seen that. A lot of people who live in Utah are like, “No, this is accurate.” But maybe someone who lives in California that’s Mormon is like, “No, it’s different here,” and that’s valid. But I do think that as time goes on, the Mormonism of it all doesn’t matter as much as what’s actually happening in our lives, and the story being told and the way people connect to us.
You girls were featured on the new season of Hulu’s Vanderpump Villa. How was it working on Lisa Vanderpump’s show?
I’ve always loved Vanderpump Rules, and Lisa, she’s a business owner, and me as a business owner, I had so many questions for her. It was really exciting. And then getting to meet Stassi [Schroeder], that was a surprise. I was like, fangirling. It was so cool to go to a castle for a few days and have fun. It’s a show where there’s cameras everywhere … [and] we didn’t have our phones for three days. Just the experience of connecting with the person in front of you and talking to them without checking your phone, it was a really good wake up call for me. I was like, I actually love this, and I need to be less addicted to my phone. Overall, it was amazing.
One of my favorite episodes was when you saw Chippendales in Vegas. Every reality TV show seems to have a Vegas episode. Why do reality TV stars love bringing their drama here?
For our show specifically, we have the saints and the sinners, so it was a natural fit. But I think it’s just because Vegas has so much going on, there’s always something to do. It’s not like it would be a boring episode, and for those that drink, there’s things to do. For those that don’t drink, it causes controversy. So I think it’s just like a really fun place to have any story unfold.
What kind of tea are you spilling at the show at the Venetian?
We’ve never gotten a chance to do a live show for our fans, and we’re so excited to be able to connect with them in person. There’s different VIP packages. We have games. We have interactive audience experiences. There’s a Sinner’s Sunday confessional segment where we’re going to read confessions like what happened on season one. We’re going to include some of the husbands. There’s surprise guests. And I’m excited because I know that the people coming are people who loved our show, and they’re our type of people, so we’re really excited to just give that back to them and have a good fun night all together.
MomTok: The Unholy Tea Live Show June 7, 10 p.m., $62-$132, Palazzo Theatre, ticketmaster.com.
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