Season 34 of “Dancing With the Stars” is shaping up to have quite a cast — “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” stars Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck are set to compete this fall, the women announced during the reunion special for the Hulu hit on Monday night.
Both Leavitt and Affleck have been on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” since Season 1 premiered on Hulu in September 2024. The show quickly became the streaming service’s most-watched unscripted series — and when Season 2 debuted on May 15, its ratings quickly outpaced the first season, drawing five million views in its first five days.
In Season 1 of the show, Leavitt was painted as the series’ villain, since she kept removing herself from the #MomTok groupchat, and alienated herself from the group of influencers. But in the show’s second season, Leavitt tried to make up with the group, and had mostly succeeded (Mikayla Matthews remained unswayed).
Affleck had a rough time during Season 2. She was estranged from her husband, Zac, and the season’s early focus was on their marital difficulties — as well as arguments she was having with other members of the cast. She then found out that she was pregnant with her and Zac Affleck’s third child, and they got back together — but she stopped filming with the show because of prenatal depression. Affleck, by the way, has not yet announced that the baby has been born, and in her June 27 post on Instagram, she said she’s in labor (during a nail appointment).
In a recent interview, when Variety asked Taylor Frankie Paul, the show’s central figure, whether Affleck is back in #MomTok, Paul struck a welcoming note. “She stepped away for her mental health and is taking it step by step. She’s been wanting to come back, and we’re very welcoming to her,” Paul said. “And I of all people can resonate with her being in a low place. That was really hard to watch on the show, her struggling. For me, take as much time as you need for whatever reason, because we don’t know what goes on behind your closed doors. Jen, take care of yourself and when you’re back, we’re ready for you.”
The duo are the third and fourth celebrities that have been announced for Season 34, alongside wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin (the son of the late Steve Irwin and brother of Season 21 champ Bindi Irwin), and model and influencer Alix Earle.
“Dancing With the Stars” is set to air on ABC and Disney+ in the fall and will stream the next day on Hulu. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough will return as co-hosts and the main three judges will remain Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
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