.png){kind=logo}
1 week ago
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt broke her silence after podcast hosts Nick Viall and pregnant wife Natalie Joy were accused of mom-shaming her.
“I didn’t listen to the full episode,” Leavitt, 32, told The Cut on Thursday, February 19, of the infamous episode of “The Viall Files” podcast. “I was so confused because I was like, ‘This feels so left field. Is this because I always say no to your podcast?’ Legitimately, that crossed my mind.”
Leavitt explained why she initially chose not to speak up.
“I didn’t wanna respond because sometimes no response is the best response. But that perspective to me is crazy,” she continued. “I would want my mom, my daughter, any woman, to go fulfill her dreams. It seems like such an obvious thing to me. I don’t need to state the obvious. And honestly, the internet did it for them.”
Which 'Mormon Wives' Are Friends — And Which Are Feuding — After Season 2
The clarification came after the couple recently discussed Leavitt’s plans to play Roxie Hart on Broadway’ Chicago.
“I am curious because, obviously, we had Taylor Frankie Paul being The Bachelorette, and she received a lot of criticism for leaving her children and prioritizing her and her career and finding love. I am curious how Whitney is managing both,” Joy, 26, who shares 2-year-old daughter River with Viall, 45, said on the December 3 episode of their podcast. “She just did Dancing With the Stars for three or four months. She has kids on a school level — maybe they are homeschooled. I don’t know. To shift to Chicago in New York, that takes so much of her time. How is she managing being a mom?”
GettyViall, meanwhile, pointed out that Whitney, 32, had husband Conner Leavitt‘s support since he is “very hands-on” when it comes to their three kids: Sedona, 6, Liam, 4, and Billy, 15 months.
Joy related it back to her and Viall, who are currently expecting twins, saying, “Obviously, we are very busy and are constantly on the go. But we realize that once she is in school, our life has to drastically slow down.”
After the snippet was shared on social media, Viall and Joy received backlash for not supporting Whitney’s decision to balance her career and motherhood. This came after Viall’s complicated past with Whitney. He previously expressed on his podcast that he had made an effort to feature Whitney — only for the interview to never happen.
The duo reunited at the season 2 reunion, which Viall hosted and where things got even more tense. Whitney said in the July special that she felt she was being called out” by Viall “constantly.”
‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Then vs. Now: How Cast Looked Pre-Hulu Show
Viall, however, denied being too harsh as a host.
“We are up-front that we are fans of the show. So, as the host, I tried to have that balance between obviously being host and being objective,” he explained on the “Viall Files” podcast. “I was also making sure everything was addressed.”
The former Bachelorette contestant wasn’t prepared for Whitney’s claims that he had it out for her.
“I was a bit surprised when Whitney did not like my line of questioning,” he said. “When it comes to the past two seasons, I think the perceived lack of accountability of Whitney is something that I wanted to have a chance to address with her.”
Viall continued: “Whitney is one of my favorite characters — other than Taylor, [she] is probably one of the most irreplaceable people on the cast. She’s one of my favorites.”
While Whitney hasn’t directly addressed Niall’s recent podcast, her husband shared some thoughts.
“Teamwork looks different for everyone,” Conner captioned a TikTok on December 4 of him with his kids. “This is how we do ours ❤️ couldn’t be more proud of @Whitney Leavitt.”
