From the suggestion that Mormon women are “raised” to be housewives to receiving laughing gas for Botox, the dancer — who’s been LDS her whole life — weighs in on some of the show’s portrayals of the daily lives of Mormon wives in Utah.
Former Dancing with the Stars pro Lindsay Arnold — who was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — is sharing her thoughts on the buzzed-about new Hulu series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
In a nearly eight-minute video shared to her TikTok on Monday, the professional dancer gave her two cents on the reality show — which follows eight Mormon TikTok influencers who make “MomTok” videos and live as LDS women in Utah — while drawing from her personal experience as a practicing Mormon, a reality TV veteran, and a mom.
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“I have been part of the Church since I was born. The Church has been a very positive thing in my life, and just like with any religion, culture [or] family, all of us have our own individual experiences of how those things affect our lives, affect our viewpoints, just affect everything about who we are as people,” Arnold, 30, said after introducing her video. “And just as much as I can see that the Church has brought light and positivity to my life, I do understand that it’s not the case for everyone. … My experience is not somebody else’s, vice versa.”
‘Funny Things’
The DWTS alum started off by addressing what she described as “funny things” from the show. She started with a moment from the show’s title sequence, which features all of the women holding hands and wearing matching light blue peacoats while posing together in front of a Mormon temple.
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“If you’re wondering what the blue coat is in the Mormon Church, there’s literally nothing that that has to do with,” she joked.
Arnold also shared her thoughts on several of the women receiving laughing gas to get Botox, saying she’s been receiving many DMs about it.
According to the reality star, she’s had Botox “so many times,” but has never been offered laughing gas. “That must have been very special and unique to that location,” she said. “But I just thought it was so funny how they made that such, like, a Utah thing, like, ‘We all get laughing gas and get high.'”
Mormon Stereotypes
Arnold went on to weigh in on some of the apparent Mormon beliefs and practices that were referenced in the show, including that women are “raised” to be traditional wives.
“Never once have I felt like I was being raised to be a housewife for my husband and children,” said the SYTYCD alum, who shares daughters Sage and June with husband Samuel Lightner Cusick. “My parents were the biggest propellers in me pursuing my professional career, dancing. There was never a moment of like, ‘Well, no Lindsay. You need to stay home and just be a mom ’cause that’s your calling in life.’ I personally was never taught that in church growing up or ever perceived anything like that.”
“I have always been supported by my husband, who is also LDS, to pursue my career, my goals,” she added.
Meanwhile, Arnold — who lives in Utah — said she’s met “almost all” of women from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. While she didn’t reveal names, she did note that she had “no negative experiences with any of them,” and said reality television doesn’t “give you the full picture of who a person is.”
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Un-Reality TV
Referencing her time on reality TV, Arnold dove into how certain things — or people — can be portrayed on television, saying that producers want to “create entertainment.”
“I’m not gonna say that there wasn’t some serious stuff that went down, for people who believe this,” she explained. “But I want you to understand that that’s exactly what the producers of this show wanted out of this. When it comes to reality TV, you are looking to create entertainment. Every single producer on that show, their main goal is to create entertainment. … It’s very easy for producers, reality TV, to paint a picture that they want to paint. Now, with that being said, they can’t force someone to say things.”
Arnold said scenes can be cut to portray certain narratives, noting that the “narrative can be swayed in so many different directions.”
“I think it’s just important for us all to remember that,” she said, adding that she’s learned to “never say something that you don’t fully mean” or “stand behind because it can be used against you.”
“At the end of the day, they made some really entertaining TV, so can you blame ’em?” Arnold said.
Arnold starred in Season 9 of So You Think You Can Dance, and appeared in her first season of Dancing with the Stars in 2013 for Season 13. Arnold has competed on 15 seasons on the ABC reality competition series, last appearing on Season 30 back in 2021 before stepping away to start a family.
