Mormon Wives’ Jen Affleck Says She’s “Not Doing the Best” Amid Divorce

“What’s funny is there was no reinventing this time,” the 27-year-old admitted. “I just showed up as me. I feel like for the past seven, eight years of my life, I’ve tried to mold myself into who I think people want to see, whether it be for my marriage or for TV or for the world. And this year was the first time that I really felt like I was reclaiming my identity and who I actually am.”

So, “going into the season, I just poured my heart into it,” she added. “Nothing was storyline; everything was real.”

That meant allowing the cameras to track her difficult chapter as it played out.

“I’m obviously not excited for people to see all the painful parts of the show,” she continued, “but I’m looking forward to people seeing the real, real me—and I guess I’m still trying to figure out who the real me is as well. So, we’ll see that unfold in the future.”

As for how Jen showed up to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County, fans can tune in for the premiere on Thursday, November 12 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

While Jen has in large part remained publicly silent on her divorce—though she did share two videos from her and Zac’s relationship, highlighting his less-than-ideal behavior—Zac shared a five-minute video sharing insight into their split. 

“This is something we’ve been talking about for a long time,” he said of their breakup in the Nov. 5 TikTok. “Jen came to me about a year ago, after Dancing With the Stars, and told me she was unhappy and wanted a divorce. And I basically begged her to stay, told her I’d work on things, fix things, become whoever she needed me to be.”

It was during this time that Jen became pregnant with their fourth baby, who will join siblings Nora, 5, Luca, 3, and Penelope, 16 months.

And, much like Jen, Zac wants to make sure their children remain his and her priority. 

“That’s really my priorities,” he shared. “I feel like probably the thing that’s eating me alive the most is I feel like I failed my kids, and I’m worried that I’m going to cause them damage. And I just hope that we can still give them a normal childhood, but as far as that goes, Jen and I are definitely on the same page of wanting to give them the best the best life we can.”

As for why their marriage came to an end, he reflected, “Marriage is hard. Having your marriage in the public is hard. Raising kids is hard. And I think slowly over time we lost that spark.”

Meanwhile, for a closer look at where Jen and Zac’s SLOMW: OC costars stand in their love lives, read on. And don’t miss the premiere of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County on Nov. 12.