Mikayla Matthews Reveals “The ONLY Reason” She’s Leaving Mormon Wives

Mikayla Matthews is the latest Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star to step away from the reality series, and her exit could have huge ramifications on the show because of why she’s departing. The surprise announcement came right after Mikayla’s heated fight with Taylor Frankie Paul in Season 5’s finale, and Mikayla has made it clear that Taylor’s continued presence on Mormon Wives is the core reason she no longer wants to be involved.

Mikayla announced her exit in a Sept. 14 Instagram post, which read: “I’m not comfortable being a part of something that continues to platform behavior I don’t agree [with] especially given my own experience growing up in a home with multiple forms of abuse. There’s no amount of money worth going against my morals or changing the stance I’ve had since I first saw and heard the things that made me feel this strongly. And for me personally, continuing to directly profit from this behavior feels wrong and unethical.”

Though she didn’t name names, Mikayla strongly implied that the reactions around Taylor’s recent legal issues informed her decision to leave: “Supporting an ADULT doesn’t mean constantly making excuses for toxic behavior while giving unconditional sympathy and grace with zero accountability or change. I was in that enabling cycle for years, and I’m not going to be a part of that again!”

In a follow-up Instagram story, Mikayla revealed Taylor had returned to film the upcoming sixth season, which prompted her to immediately cut her ties with Mormon Wives.

“The ONLY reason I'm leaving the show is because I was told a certain person was coming back. I told them before agreeing to do [Season] 6 that I wasn’t going to film if that certain someone came back. Because it’s UNETHICAL and kids are involved. And I’m being put in an unfair position because of the things I’ve seen and heard that I don’t agree with,” Mikayla wrote. ‘I filmed [Season] 6 cause that person was not there. Then we were told she was coming back. I said, ‘Great, then I will not be participating. God bless and goodbye.’ Haven’t filmed a day since.”

While Mikayla isn’t the first MomTok member to depart from the series (Demi Engemann and Whitney Leavitt have also recently left the show), she is the first to specifically call out the show’s handling of Taylor’s domestic drama as the reason for stepping away.

In the wake of Mikayla’s statements, both Layla Taylor and Mayci Neely have indicated they aren’t sure if they’ll continue with the series after Season 6. Jessi Draper has also confirmed Taylor’s volatile situationship Dakota Mortensen won’t be featured in Season 6.

Variety has confirmed Mikayla’s claims that Taylor is being brought back to film Season 6, and it’s looking that that decision may be the one thing that MomTok can’t survive, after all.