Mayci Neeley has had numerous story lines cut from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — including her reliving her past sexual assault.
During an exclusive interview for the newest issue of Us Weekly, Mayci, 30, expressed gratitude for how her memoir, Told You So, has allowed her to address topics that she hasn’t always had the platform to share with an audience.
“Now that the book is coming out, I can share more of my story. Because I only got to share [on the show] stuff about [my son’s father] Arik — which I was super grateful for — since that’s what matters most to me,” she explained. “Sharing that part of my story is the hardest part for me to deal with to this day.”
Mayci also struggled with a past relationship with a guy she referred to as “Dick” in her memoir. Throughout the novel, Mayci revealed she experienced domestic violence, sexual abuse and more trauma while dating Dick in college.
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“For a while, the hardest part for me was dealing with the abuse that I dealt with and my sexual assault. So I brushed over it when I was filming for season 1 but it was all cut out of the show. I wish it wasn’t because I went back to the place where I got sexually assaulted and talked about different stories that happened to me there,” Mayci shared about the “very traumatic and heavy” experience. “But there’s so many women that can relate to that. I feel like it humanizes the show.”
The reality star, who has been on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives since it premiered in 2024, is hopeful she will get a platform to elaborate on her experience in future seasons.
“There is so much more to it than what was shown on the show,” Mayci added. “Maybe then we can capture that on the show and give perspective and show a different light to the situation. I’ve always wanted to work on projects to help other women. I hope that maybe this can be a door to open that for me.”
While reflecting on past attempts to shine a light on screen, Mayci admitted that seeing the conversations end up on the cutting room floor wasn’t easy, saying, “It’s very traumatic and going back to certain places — knowing they can get cut — is hard. Sometimes it is hard to watch because we have real stories and I’m so glad that they were able to show them in season 2.”
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Mayci has since learned to create more boundaries when addressing her personal life.
“So now when I go into certain things that may be traumatic, I tell them, “I’m not sure I want to do this because I’m not sure if you’re going to cut it out.’ I feel like I’m more aware to protect my peace now with what I want to do and what I don’t want to do,” she shared with Us. “The show, though, is so successful for a reason so I also trust what they’re doing. I can’t be mad at the same time for that reason.”
Told You So ultimately became a place for Mayci to show sides of herself that haven’t been explored yet on screen — and offered her the place to rework through past trauma.
Told You So is out on October 7.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
