Why Is Whitney Leavitt Leaving 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives?'

whitney leavitt rests her face on her hand leaning against a dining table in a still from the secret lives of mormon wives season 4 — (Image credit: Disney/Fred Hayes)

Whitney Leavitt has officially grown past #MomTok. The villain-turned-fan-favorite announced her departure from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on May 3, after starring in the Hulu reality show for four seasons.

The Dancing With the Stars alum revealed the news in a theatrical fashion: During her final night playing Roxie Hart in Broadway's Chicago, Whitney integrated her departure into a scene during which her character reads newspaper headlines. "What is that?" she said while pointing to the paper, per TMZ footage. "Whitney…let me see… 'Whitney Leavitt Announces She’s Leaving The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives!'"

News of Whitney's exit comes days after Hulu resumed production on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 5 after a month-long pause. It's currently unknown whether Whitney will be featured as a full-time cast member on season 5; according to Variety, she filmed scenes "documenting her Chicago experience" ahead of the filming pause.

Article continues below

MAYCI NEELEY, MIRANDA MCWHORTER, WHITNEY LEAVITT, JESSI NGATIKAURA, MIKAYLA MATTHEWS all stand together in dresses smiling posing for an iphone photo in secret lives of mormon wives season 4 — Whitney Leavitt (middle) poses with the *SLOMW* cast (l-r Mayci McNeeley, Miranda McWhorter, Jessi Draper, Mikayla Matthews) in season 4.

Since SLOMW's debut in September 2024, Whitney has pursued wider opportunities in entertainment, including Dancing With the Stars season 34, Chicago, and her upcoming holiday movie All for Love. Her run in Chicago broke box-office records, with the musical earning its highest recorded total ticket sales when Whitney's former DWTS partner, Mark Ballas, joined her as Billy Flynn for her final month of shows.

In a February interview with Variety, Whitney hinted that she was open to leaving the Hulu reality show while sharing her experience juggling SLOMW and Chicago. "They’re following me while I’m in New York, but I don’t know how that would look for future seasons. It wouldn’t make sense. People want to see the group together," she told the outlet. "Part of me is like, ‘I can’t do both,’ because both are so time-demanding. Even filming season 5 has been really hard."

Demi Engemann and Whitney Leavitt at 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' season 3 reunion. — Demi Engemann and Whitney Leavitt during *SLOMW*'s season 3 reunion.

When asked whether she would leave the series, she said at the time, "I don’t know. Because this is what I wanted, and I wasn’t shy about sharing that. So at what point do you move on to the next journey?"

As for what's next for Whitney so far, she and her husband, Connor Leavitt, put their Utah home up for sale in late March, with plans to permanently relocate to N.Y.C. Though Whitney's next steps are unknown, Connor is set to follow her theater footsteps; per PEOPLE, the Mormon dad has joined the off-Broadway show 11 to Midnight for a three-week engagement.

TOPICS

CATEGORIES

Quinci LeGardye is a Culture Writer at Marie Claire. She currently lives in her hometown of Los Angeles after periods living in NYC and Albuquerque, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. In 2021, she joined Marie Claire as a contributor, becoming a full-time writer for the brand in 2024. She contributes day-to-day-content covering television, movies, books, and pop culture in general. She has also written features, profiles, recaps, personal essays, and cultural criticism for outlets including Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, HuffPost, Teen Vogue, Vulture, The A.V. Club, Catapult, and others. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her watching the latest K-drama, or giving a concert performance in her car.