Jen Affleck, star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, candidly reflected on her tumultuous year amid ongoing speculation about her marriage to Zac Affleck.
The 25-year-old took to TikTok on December 31, 2024, to share a heartfelt video of herself in tears. She captioned it, “The hardest year of my life. But one that will forever change me and who I want to be.”
The video featured an emotional voiceover from Queen Latifah’s speech in the film Last Holiday: “Wasted too much of my life being quiet. I was afraid, I guess. You know how it is. You keep your head down and hustle and hustle.”
Jen’s post received overwhelming support, including messages from her co-stars. Taylor Frankie Paul, who also appears on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, shared her own struggles on TikTok, amid rumors of her split from Dakota Mortensen.
Taylor, 30, expressed similar sentiments, writing, “2024 was the worst year of my life.” In another video, she reflected, “I didn’t think my 20s would be so trying, so full of gain, joy, learning lessons, loss, pain, confusion, love, betrayal, shame, guilt, heartbreak, happiness, and sadness all mixed.”
Taylor’s TikTok chronicled the highs and lows of her relationships, including her ex-husband Tate Paul and Dakota, before ending with her alone with her children. Meanwhile, Dakota posted a TikTok showing himself moving into a new apartment after the holidays.
The first season of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered in September 2024, spotlighting a group of Mormon mom influencers in Utah. While much of the season focused on Taylor and Dakota’s relationship struggles, Jen and Zac’s marriage also garnered attention.
Initially portrayed as a devout Mormon with a picture-perfect life, Jen revealed cracks in her marriage during the latter part of the season. The tension escalated when Zac accused her of lacking “values or morals” following a girls’ night out in Las Vegas.
“Zac’s making me feel like I did do something, like I cheated on him or something. I clearly didn’t do anything, and he knows my heart and my intentions,” Jen shared in a confessional.
“It’s so upsetting that he doesn’t believe me or trust me. I would never do anything to jeopardize our marriage, and it makes me sad that he doesn’t feel that way.”
After the episodes aired, Jen defended Zac and gave an exclusive update in September 2024. She revealed that the couple had been in “nonstop therapy” since filming wrapped and credited it with improving their relationship.
“If anything, [watching the show] is just going to be exposure therapy at this point. We’ve healed and now we’re ready to talk about it once it comes out,” she said.
Jen also addressed her decision to leave MomTok, explaining that it wasn’t solely due to her relationship. “It had a lot to do with just me and figuring out everything,” she clarified.
“There are so many factors — not just our relationship — like religion, friendships, and my children. In order to make the right decision for me and my family, I really had to take a step back and ask myself, ‘How am I going to move forward and what’s best for us?’ You’ll just have to wait for season 2 to see what happens.”
Since filming, the couple relocated from Utah to New York for Zac’s medical school. However, with the renewal of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives for a second season, fans speculated about the state of their marriage. Neither Jen nor Zac has directly addressed the rumors.
In December 2024, Jen reflected on her personal growth via Instagram Story. “Choosing to step away from social media has been one of the best things I’ve done for my mental health,” she wrote.
“I can’t lie — these months have been some of the toughest I’ve faced, but they’ve also helped me gain clarity about myself, my relationships, and the mother and friend I aspire to be.”
Zac, whose Instagram account remains private, has a bio that reads, “Official Fan Page of Jen, Nora and Luca @jenniferlaffleck,” signaling his continued support for his wife and family.
