Warning: This article discusses sexual abuse.
Conner Leavitt is opening up about his past.
In a previously unaired scene from season one of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives—shown during the season two reunion July 1—Whitney Leavitt’s husband said he was the victim of sexual abuse as a child.
While discussing his addiction to porn and his previous presence on a dating app while married to Whitney, Conner explained in the clip that he wanted to get to the root of his struggles.
“I needed to get help, so we started going to therapy and trying to figure out why,” he shared, “and I knew why—something I have only shared with Whitney and my therapist and my family.”
Through tears, Conner continued, “When I was a little boy, I was raped. And when I was finally honest with that emotion and that memory, everything made sense.”
In the confessional interview, Conner then looked at Whitney and confessed, “The validation I needed? I hate that I did that to you, but I’m so proud that I was able to be honest with you and start working through some really, really hard stuff.”
After the clip aired, Conner—dad to kids Sedona, 4, Liam, 2, and Billy Gene, 8 months, with Whitney—thanked everyone for “their sensitivity around this topic” and shared that he had a prepared statement for the group since he doesn’t “trust myself or my emotions when talking about this.”
“That was a very difficult part of my past and something I’ve worked hard to heal from,” he read aloud. “And it still hurts. I know so many people carry experiences like that, even though they may not talk about them.”
“For me, those experiences shaped me and developed really destructive habits, but they don’t define who I am today,” Conner emotionally continued. “What matters is how we grow, how we find resilience and how we support each other moving forward.”
With a note of encouragement, he concluded, “Healing is possible, and your story doesn’t end with what happened to you.”
Conner’s costar Mikayla Matthews, who shared her own abuse story on Mormon Wives, also said that he called and encouraged her to go therapy.
“I think it really meant a lot to me because I know me and Whitney, we’re going through a lot,” Mikayla explained, referencing her feud with Conner’s wife, “and he still wanted to call me and check in on me and make sure that I knew that I had support from someone that had gone through something similar.”
To learn more about the cast of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, keep reading.
Mayci Neeley
TikTok: 2.5 Million Followers
Instagram: 1.1 Million Followers
Mayci Neeley is married to Jacob Neeley with a blended family of three kids.
Taylor Frankie Paul
TikTok: 5.7 Million Followers
Instagram: 1.6 Million Followers
Taylor Frakie Paul shares two kids with her ex-husband and welcomed her third child with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
Whitney Leavitt
TikTok: 3 Million Followers
Instagram: 982K Followers
Whitney Leavitt has three kids with her husband Conner Leavitt.
Layla Taylor
TikTok: 714K Followers
Instagram: 614K Followers
Layla Taylor is mom to two kids, who she shares with her ex-husband.
Demi Engemann
TikTok: 1.2 Million Followers
Instagram: 691K Followers
Demi Engemann and husband Bret Engemann have a blended family with three kids.
Jessi Ngatikaura
TikTok: 1.3 Million Followers
Instagram: 1 Million Followers
Jessi Ngatikaura shares a daughter, son and stepdaughter with her husband Jordan Ngatikaura.
Jen Affleck
TikTok: 2.4 Million Followers
Instagram: 1.3 Million Followers
Jen Affleck and husband Zac Affleck have three kids together.
Mikayla Matthews
TikTok: 3.3 Million Followers
Instagram: 1.1 Million Followers
Mikayla Matthews and husband Jace Terry are parents to four kids.