In 2022, when a popular TikTok influencer mum alleged she and her then husband were “soft swinging” with other Mormon couples in conservative Utah, their lives made international headlines.

TV studios saw gold in a reality series, and ready to pounce.

Walt Disney Television’s unscripted entertainment boss, Rob Mills, said it all at the Reelscreen Summit 2024 in New Orleans back in January.

“We have a show that we’re working on now that we’re excited about, which is about a group of Mormon wives who are also swingers,” he told reporters.

Fast-forward to the launch of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on September 6, and his prayers have been answered, with the six-part series becoming the most watched unscripted season premiere on Hulu (and Disney+) this year.

It beat Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which is saying something.

According to The Wrap, it was also “buzzy” on social media, with the account for the show gaining the most new followers, engagements, comments, TikTok shares and TikTok views of all Hulu originals in their first season this year.

Series executive producer, Jeff Jenkins, the mastermind behind reality shows like The Simple Life, Netflix’s Bling Empire and My Unorthodox Life and Living Lohan, explains why.

He told Vanity Fair it pairs “a serious exploration of religion” with an “escapist, glamorous, sexy show about young people”.

“We have beautiful young women who are at inflection points in their lives.

“They’re very likeable, really fun to watch, really extroverted, really brave; they take risks – all of the soap opera type of things that we love in a good unscripted show.

“Then there’s this whole other piece that the ladies are bumping up against, which is their faith.

“That’s an immovable force. So how do I, as a young person, invite that into my life without perpetuating misogyny and without passing down trauma to my kids?”.

So what happens in the series?

In the season-opening trailer, one young Mormon mum explains what it is to be a practising Mormon.

“I love the Mormon Church but there are a lot of rules we have to follow.

“We were raised to be these housewives for the men serving their every desire and have kids by the time you’re 21,” says one of the stars, who admitted to having her first child at age 16.

The divisive whistleblower who lifted the lid on the swinging, Taylor Frankie Paul, said “f–k” this.

She had created the so-called MomTok hashtag in 2020 before the scandal, where the band of young women would dance in formation in leisurewear to hit songs.

Just innocent fun to pass the time of day in between showing pregnancy bumps and cute newborns.

Together the group which also included Mayci Neely, Mikayla Matthews, Demi Engemann, Jennifer Affleck, Jessi Ngatikaura, Layla Wessely, and Whitney Leavitt had millions of views online.

Their lives imploded when Paul lifted the lid on the swinging, with the sisterhood suddenly in disarray.

“Faith, friendship and reputations are all on the line. Will #MomTok be able to survive and continue to give the rulebook a run for its money, or will this group fall from grace?” reads the official Disney+ logline.

“The women agreed to be the stars of the series in a bid to move on from the initial scandal.”

Paul, 30, and Neely, 29, appeared on ABC America talk show, The View, on September 12 to “debunk misconceptions” about the religion.

“One thing I always say to everyone is that we’re not polygamous, which is so funny, because she was swinging,” Neely said with a laugh, referring to Paul.

“We’re like the modern Mormons … not everyone is so cookie-cutter. You can be Mormon and wear a tank top. You can also be more of a trad wife. You can do it all,” Neely said.

Paul, who kickstarted the scandal that ended her marriage to husband Tate Paul, also used her appearance on the show to explain what the term really means.

“We opened up our relationships playing games, being intimate all in front of each other. So we weren’t like, full-on switching, per se,” she said, clarifying that the “soft” term was “assigned” to her situation.

“I would have called it just inexperienced people married very young,” Paul added.

The women also spoke about the way they were brought up, which they agreed was “not very traditional”.

“The way I was raised in California is very different than Mormons in Utah,” said Neeley, who’s an Orange County native.

Paul, from Salt Lake City, said she “kind of did what I wanted, but still went to church on Sundays”.

Matthews told Newsweek the series has sparked an important conversation in the church around sex and gender roles.

“For me, at least, it’s going to be a positive thing – but I would definitely be scared to step foot in the church.”