Jessi Draper Takes Social Media Break

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has its roots in #MomTok and influencing. But for now, one of the show’s stars is taking a step back from social media.

In a Nov. 19 video, Jessi Draper (who is still married, but no longer goes by her husband’s surname of Ngatikaura) opened up about the aftermath of Mormon Wives Season 3. Much of the season focused on her affair with Vanderpump Villa star Marciano Brunette, which she’s maintained included two kisses and texting, but nothing further.

“When something like that does come out, and you’re on reality TV, you can’t hide from it and you can’t have secrets,” she said. “So, we decided the best way was to be honest.”

However, that honesty meant exposing more than the affair itself — with Jessi getting real about her marriage and her claims of emotional abuse from her husband, Jordan Ngatikaura.

Jessi was particularly candid during a Nov. 19 appearance on The Viall Files, where she accused Jordan of toxic actions, including blackmailing, taunting, and yelling at her in “degrading” ways. Some of his behavior, she said, was even witnessed by their children. (Jessi shares two kids with Jordan, who also has a daughter from a previous relationship.)

Jessi explained on the podcast that Jordan is now in therapy and “has made a lot of changes.” Still, as she noted in her latest post, she’s “seeing a lot of negative comments about him, and I just want everyone to know that I’m sharing this, but I’m not trying to send that his way.”

While Jessi wants to help people facing similar relationship challenges, being so open has come with challenges. “It is so embarrassing, and it’s so hard to have everything put out there,” she said, adding that she has “so much more sympathy” for castmates who have faced similar scrutiny, such as Jen and Zac Affleck. “I didn’t help with that in Season 1, and I feel so bad about that.”

Now with her own relationship courting controversy, Jessi said she feels “a little bit hopeless right now … and I think reading the comments and seeing the videos obviously isn’t helping me, so I think I am gonna take a little break from social media for the next little bit.”

The hairstylist and entrepreneur thanked fans who have shared their support, and ended her message on a hopeful note: “It’ll pass, it’ll blow over, but I just need to take a break from all of it for my sanity.”

Sending Love

In the meantime, Jessi’s Mormon Wives castmates have her back — commenting their support on both TikTok and Instagram. “Love you so much ❤️,” wrote Jen.

“Love you Jessi ❤️❤️❤️,” wrote Mayci Neeley, whose husband, Jacob Neeley, sent his own hearts with the reminder: “No one’s perfect Jessi!”

Dakota Mortensen — whose relationship with Taylor Frankie Paul has been a controversial throughline on Mormon Wives — encouraged Jessi and Jordan to “lean on each other and keep moving forward.”