[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
#MomTok put aside the drama to get raw about some very difficult trauma in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives‘ Season 2 reunion!
Whitney Leavitt‘s husband Conner was revealed during the show to have a porn addiction. And that, as we all saw, is what the couple said spiraled into him getting caught on Tinder, a big storyline of Season 1.
Well, in reflecting during Tuesday’s reunion on how he got addicted to porn in the first place, he made a shocking revelation: he was raped as a child.
Related: The Latest Reality Star Begging Donald Trump For A Pardon…
As the couple reflected on their marriage struggles in the reunion, the special aired a never-before-seen confessional recorded in the first season. In the clip, Conner explained the work he needed to do to heal from past traumas and to fix his relationship troubles following his porn addiction and dating app fiasco, which he turned to for “validation.” He emotionally shared:
“I needed to get help, so we started going to therapy and trying to figure out why. And I knew why. Something I have only shared with Whitney, my therapist, and my family.”
After taking a deep breath through tears, he revealed:
“When I was a little boy, I was raped. And when I was finally honest with that emotion and that memory, everything made sense. The validation I needed? I hate that I did that to you [Whitney], but I’m so proud that I was able to be honest with you and start working through some really, really hard stuff.”
That’s not easy to do…
The room was left in tears after the clip ended — and many of the TikTok personalities noted they never knew about this until that very moment. Host Nick Viall also commended the reality star for bravely sharing his story. Conner expressed:
“I want to thank everyone here for their sensitivity around the topic. I don’t trust myself or my emotions when talking about this, so I wrote a few things down, if that’s okay?”
He began to read while pausing to cry as many other cast members did too:
“That was a very difficult part of my past and something I’ve worked hard to heal from. And it still hurts. I know so many people carry experiences like that, even though they may not talk about them. For me, those experiences shaped me and developed really destructive habits, but they don’t define who I am today. What matters is how we grow, how we find resilience and how we support each other moving forward.”
Conner shared a message to anyone tuning in who may have been through “something similar,” reminding them:
“Healing is possible, and your story doesn’t end with what happened to you.”
Wow. Well said. We’re so sorry to hear he went through that.
Later in the episode, Mikayla Matthews, who also opened up about being a surviver of sexual abuse as a child on the show, praised Conner, tearing up:
“Conner’s situation really touched me. I remember him calling me. He was one of the first people that called me and encouraged me to go to therapy.”
During this season, she shared she was sexually abused “for about four or five years,” ending when she was 15 years old. Having the support of someone who understood what she’d gone through was huge, she elaborated in the reunion:
“I think it really meant a lot to me because I know me and Whitney, we’re going through a lot, and he still wanted to call me and check in on me and make sure that I knew that I had support from someone that had gone through something similar.”
So nice to put aside any issues to be there for one another! On why she chose to speak out about her assault, she candidly detailed:
“Really, it just stemmed from suppressing all of this and having support around me, letting me know that it’s a safe place to open up about it, because I didn’t have that growing up.”
And while #MomTok still has its issues, Mikayla insisted this shows they have more in common then maybe they even realize at times:
“I love everyone. I know we don’t get along, but I really appreciate the support. And yes, we’re petty, we’re bitchy, we post stuff. We do stuff. But we’re all going through things, and that’s something we can all relate on.”
Oof. The friend group’s dynamic has been very complicated at times, to say the least. While Whitney still has mixed feelings on Mikayla, even she couldn’t help tearing up, and they even shared a hug despite an ongoing rift. They’ve all been through a lot. Being there for one another in the moments that matter is what is truly so important. It’s nice to see them thaw the ice, even for just a brief moment.
Props to Conner and Mikayla for speaking out on their pasts. We hope they continue to get the support they need to process and heal from this. Sharing their stories will no doubt help many viewers navigating a similar challenge.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via Hulu]
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