Salt Lake City, Utah — Jessi Draper, a star of the Hulu reality series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, opened up about the emotional turmoil in her marriage to Jordan Ngatikaura during a candid episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast on March 25. The 33-year-old influencer detailed allegations of emotional abuse, infidelity on both sides, and the factors that led to their divorce filing earlier this month, painting a picture of a relationship marked by control, fear, and eventual liberation.
Draper and Ngatikaura, who married in 2020, share two young children: son Jagger, 5, and daughter Jovi, 3. According to Draper, she informed Ngatikaura of her desire for a divorce on March 13, and he filed the paperwork just six days later on March 19. The couple has not yet disclosed the split to their children, a decision Draper described as weighing heavily on her. "I felt so trapped in that marriage. I couldn’t do anything right. I was so beaten down emotionally, and I was just so deeply unhappy," she said on the podcast, hosted by Alex Cooper. "He made me feel like I couldn’t leave, and for my kids, too. I was just really, really upset."
The revelations come amid the ongoing buzz around The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, a show that follows a group of Mormon women navigating modern life, faith, and relationships in Utah's tight-knit communities. Draper, known for her entrepreneurial ventures in fashion and wellness, credited the series with exposing cracks in her marriage that had long been hidden. Production on season 5 of the show was paused recently, partly due to unrelated drama involving castmate Dakota Mortensen and his ex-girlfriend Taylor Frankie Paul, but Draper suggested the break allowed her personal issues to surface more prominently.
Central to Draper's account is her admission of an emotional affair with Bravo personality Marciano Brunette, whom she met while filming Vanderpump Villa in 2023. She described Brunette as "the first person who was nice to me" during a low point in her marriage, admitting that they kissed but emphasizing it was not physical beyond that. "It wasn’t OK," Draper acknowledged, framing the incident as a "cry for help." The couple subsequently took a 90-day separation to work on their relationship, but Draper said the damage lingered. This episode occurred months after the pair celebrated their anniversary in late 2023, a period Draper now views as a facade of reconciliation.
Draper alleged that Ngatikaura's infidelity predated her own misstep, claiming he had engaged with escorts prior to the premiere of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives in August 2023. "I had an escort service reach out to me, and they sent me screenshots of his phone number and messages, and he was trying to meet up with them," she said, asserting there was "so much proof." Us Weekly, which first reported on the podcast episode, noted that representatives for Ngatikaura have not responded to requests for comment on these claims.
"In the last year, I’ve told him, actually, a few different times [that] I want to get divorced. But he always calms me down," Draper explained. "I had been in limbo for a while, and anyone that’s lived in limbo knows it’s excruciating."
Emotional abuse forms a recurring theme in Draper's narrative. She accused Ngatikaura of a "history of being emotionally abusive," including monitoring her social media, accessing her phone, and even "listening in" on home cameras, which forced her to change her number. Draper described his controlling tendencies, such as dictating how she should run her business, parent their children, and even questioning her whereabouts constantly. "I think Jordan wants someone submissive. I was kind of like that in the beginning. Then it started to this place where I’m like, ‘No,’ and I would fight back," she recounted. This resistance, she claimed, escalated tensions leading up to the split.
During a therapy session amid their separation, Draper said Ngatikaura admitted to his role in the cycle. "We started going to therapy during our separation, and in therapy, he finally admitted, like, ‘I do know I got you to this place. I am the instigator in this. I started this cycle, and it was emotional abuse.’ He has said all of those words to me," she alleged. However, she anticipated he might deny these statements now, predicting he would label her a "bad mom" for airing their issues publicly. "Jordan will ‘hate’ her podcast episode," Draper forecasted, adding that the exposure "does suck for our children."
Post-separation dynamics included allegations of blackmail. Draper claimed Ngatikaura drafted TikTok videos using text messages she sent to Brunette, threatening to post them whenever angry. "Anytime he was mad at me, he’s like, ‘I’m gonna post them. I’m gonna ruin your life,’" she said. Though she expressed deep regret for her actions with Brunette — "I shouldn’t have done what I did, I regret it so much" — she described the blackmail as a breaking point she could never overcome.
The couple's intimacy also deteriorated, according to Draper. She revealed that after reuniting briefly, her body rejected physical closeness: "Since the separation and getting back together, my body has told me. Anytime he tried to have sex with me, I would clam up." Notably, she admitted to one final encounter after the divorce filing. "I was drunk and sad, and I just was like, ‘I miss my family,’" Draper explained. "It was a good closing of the chapter."
Financial aspects of the divorce were addressed, with Draper clarifying that a prenuptial agreement protects her businesses. "I don’t have to give him anything for my businesses, but I will have to pay alimony and child support, most likely," she said. "I might have to do some sort of payout. We haven’t gotten there." Her decision to change her last name to Draper was framed as a strategic business move, separate from the marital dissolution.
Beyond her personal story, Draper touched on broader cast dynamics. She portrayed Mortensen as the "other woman" in her marriage, noting Ngatikaura's frequent phone calls with him, including during a police report filing related to Mortensen's 2023 altercation with Paul. The incident, captured in a leaked video, led ABC to pull Paul's season of The Bachelorette just before its premiere. Production on Mormon Wives halted to avoid on-camera mishandling of the scandal, prioritizing mental health. "We just didn’t want to be filming and say the wrong thing on camera, not knowing the full story yet," Draper said.
Draper expressed disappointment over Paul's lost opportunity on The Bachelorette, describing her friend's transformation during filming. "She stepped into a really confident, amazing era," Draper noted. "It was like the old Taylor again. I’m so sad, because I really wanted people to see that side of Taylor, and maybe one day they will." This subplot underscores the interconnected web of relationships within the Mormon Wives circle, where personal dramas often spill into professional and public spheres.
As Draper navigates single motherhood and co-parenting, she emphasized her resolve to break cycles of mistreatment. "What I’ve had to come to terms with is that I will tell my children about my mistakes," she said. "I don’t want my daughter to ever be treated the way I’ve been treated." Her "Call Her Daddy" appearance, which garnered significant attention online, highlights the platform's role in amplifying women's stories of empowerment amid adversity.
The divorce proceedings are ongoing in Utah courts, with no public timeline for resolution. Ngatikaura has remained silent, but sources close to the couple suggest mediation is underway to minimize impact on the children. For Draper, the podcast served as a pivotal moment of awakening. "Eventually, Jessi ‘woke up one day’ and ‘something flipped,’" as she put it, marking the end of years of fear and indecision. As The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives eyes a potential return, Draper's disclosures may reshape the narrative of faith, fidelity, and feminism in the series.
This story reflects broader conversations in reality TV about authenticity versus exploitation, especially within religious communities. While Draper's account provides intimate details, it remains one-sided pending any response from Ngatikaura. Fans and observers await further developments, as the couple's high-profile split continues to unfold in the public eye.