DWTS' Lindsay Arnold Reacts to Buzzy Mormon Reality Series as a Fellow Church Member: 'Not How I Was Raised'

Mar. 15, 2025

Lindsay Arnold and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast.Photo:Tiktok; Instagram

Tiktok; Instagram

Lindsay Arnoldis opening up about her experiences growing up Mormon.

“I didn’t even know if I was gonna comment on this at all,” Arnold begins her video.

“I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, otherwise known as being a Mormon. I’m also a mom. These are some of my thoughts, some of my takeaways from watching the show — me being someone who’s involved in reality television for close to 11 years of my life.”

Arnold explains that while the church has been a “very positive” presence in her life, she understands “all of us have our own individual experiences of how those things affect our lives, affect our viewpoints and just affect everything about who we are as people.”

“Just as much as I can see, that the church has brought light and positivity to my life, I do understand that it’s not the case for everyone and I feel like that goes with any religion or any culture or family. My experience is not somebody else’s and vice versa. I’m not here to take away anybody’s experience or anyone’s voice on how something affected their life personally,” she acknowledges.

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The professional dancer then addresses some of the common reactions to the show people have shared with her. Arnold notes she’s “never matched blue coats with anyone at church really ever,” referring to the promotional shots where the women are seen in matching blue peacoats in front of a Mormon church.

“The other funny thing I was dying at, I’ve gotten so many DMs about it, was the whole laughing gas while getting Botox situation,” she says, referring to when the women talk about how getting laughing gas while getting Botox is a loophole “high” for Mormons.

“I’ve gotten Botox so many times. My dad and my sister both are cosmetic injectors, and they’ve never offered laughing gas. I’ve never got it. Most of my friends, they get Botox, haven’t got it,” she shares.

“So that just must have been very special and unique to that location. But I just thought it was so funny how they made that such like a huge thing, like we all get laughing gas and get high. I mean, sounds awesome, good for them but that’s definitely not like a universal experience.”

The women ofMormon Wivesoften explain frustration over their conservative upbringings that made them feel like they had to be submissive to their husbands. This is another point that Arnold says differs from her own experience.

“I grew up in LDS church and never once have I felt like I was being raised to be a housewife for my husband and my children. I felt that my parents were the biggest propellers in me pursuing my professional career dancing. There was never a moment of like going, ‘Lindsay, you need to stay home and just be a mom because that’s your calling in life,'” she says.

Arnold wanted to clarify as someone public about her faith that, “that’s not how I was raised. That’s not what I believe.”

Reiterating that others might have had different experiences, she says she isn’t criticizing but rather acknowledging another side.

She acknowledges she’s met “almost all of the girls in person,” while living in Utah and she’s had “no negative experiences with any of them.”

“I think it’s been obvious to see that people have chosen villains. They’ve chosen their favorites. They’ve chosen people that are like giving red flags and just have really like jumped to their assumptions of every person, not incorrectly. Like I’m not going say that there wasn’t some serious stuff that went down for people to believe this, but I want you to understand that that is exactly what the producers of this show wanted out of this,” Lindsay says.

“Now, I am not saying it isn’t real, but I do want to point out the back end,” she continues, using examples of how editing can manipulate a situation.

Arnold says that while there are people who are upset about the show, she was entertained.

“Just as much as I would never judge somebody for their experience in the church, I hope people cannot judge me and just as much as I understand that not everybody has a positive experience in the church, doesn’t mean that I can’t have a positive experience,” she concludes. “And I hope that we can all just see that across the board and that’s kind of all I have to say about it.”

source: people.com