Yes, a couple on 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' is related to Ben and Casey Affleck. Here's what to know about Jen and Zac.
"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Jen Affleck has a connection to actors Ben and Casey Affleck.
Her husband, Zac Affleck, is a second cousin to the actors.
The pair are under the spotlight after the show featured a big argument they had.
A star of sleeper reality hit "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" has been thrust into the spotlight after the show depicted a big fight she had with her husband — who is, by coincidence, a second cousin to Ben and Casey Affleck.
The show had the most-watched premiere of any unscripted show on Hulu in 2024, even surpassing "The Kardashians," according to The Wrap.
It features eight women from "Mormon MomTok," including Taylor Frankie Paul, who made headlines in 2022 when she announced she was getting a divorce after developing feelings for a friend's husband. The couple had been engaging in "soft swinging."
But it's fellow influencer Jen Affleck's relationship with her husband, Zac Affleck, that show has caught fans' attention.
In the last three episodes of the first season, which premiered last week, the eight women traveled to Las Vegas to celebrate one of them, who had a birthday.
Zac is one of two men who tagged along. In the sixth episode, he threatened to divorce Jen after she and the others went to a Chippendales male stripper show.
The following episode showed them making amends, but other cast members called out Zac's behavior and advised Jen to leave the relationship. Jen has said that, after the series was filmed, she decided to stay because, "There is a side that people haven't seen, and I truly believe he's an amazing person."
Here's what to know about Zac and Jen Affleck and their relationship.
Jen's parents met at Brigham Young University in Utah
In an episode of the "Weekly Trash" podcast in August, Jen said her mother, Maria, was originally from Ecuador and converted to Mormonism when she met a group of missionaries. Maria met Jen's father, Rick, while they were both attending Brigham Young University in Utah.
Jen said she grew up with two biological siblings, two adopted siblings, and multiple foster kids in the Bay area in Northern California. Her family moved to Utah when she was 14, but Jen said she struggled to fit in because she came from a low-income family.
"I feel like we went from being like this normal family to like a broken family when we moved to Utah because it was just so much to navigate, and it was so hard for all of us," Jen said. "I moved here, and I was like, where do I belong?"
Zac and Jen met when she was 18 and they got married a year later
Jen said she met Zac on a dating app called Mutual in 2018 when she was 18 and he was 21. The pair got engaged six months later and married in the summer of 2019.
Per Jen's Instagram page, Jen and Zac had their first child, Nora Affleck, in November 2021, and their second child, Lucas Lowell Affleck, was born in August 2023.
Zac comes from a family of doctors, but Jen is currently the provider for their family while he is in medical school
At the time "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" was filming, Zac had graduated from Brigham Young University and was seeking to attend medical school to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who were both surgeons.
Jen also said there was a big wealth difference between her family and Zac's, and she had felt judged at times because of this.
In the pilot episode, Jen also says she had been the family's provider, using money from her social media career to support them while Zac attends medical school.
In the season one finale, Zac pushed for them to leave Salt Lake City and move closer to where he planned to attend medical school, even if it damaged Jen's social media career.
Zac and Jen have never met his famous second cousins
Neither of the famous Afflecks appears in the reality series, though Ben Affleck is name-dropped.
Jen said last week during an interview with People that Zac was only a "distant relative" and the couple had never met Ben or Casey Affleck.
"I'm hoping to meet him one day, too!" Jen said.
Jen auditioned to be part of 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' before joining Mormon MomTok
In the "Weekly Trash" podcast episode, Jen said she wasn't affiliated with Mormon MomTok before the show started filming. She auditioned for the TV show and was inducted into the MomTok group after she was cast.
Jen said the show helped her and Zac address problems in their marriage before he started medical school.
Jen and Zac are moving to Arizona
In the season one finale of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," Jessi says Jen messaged her that she is leaving the Mormon MomTok group.
Jen also shared on TikTok in July that her husband had been accepted into medical school, and her family would be moving closer to the school.
In the "Weekly Trash" podcast, Jen said she hoped to be part of a second season of the show and MomTok, despite their move to Arizona, south of Utah.
In an episode on "The Viall Files" podcast on Wednesday, Jen addressed her fight with Zac on the show, saying she and Zac had gone to therapy "non-stop" after filming ended.
"There was like a few moments where I was like, I don't know if I want to be in this relationship anymore," Jen said. But she added she had stayed with Zac because she believed he was changing.
"I'm not walking away right now because I do love him, and there is a side that people haven't seen, and I truly believe he's an amazing person," Jen said. "Maybe he didn't take accountability on the show, but he definitely did after."
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