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The two moms have different recollections of a situation that led to MomTok backlash

Whitney Leavitt Defends TikTok Her Son Was Hospitalized
Whitney Leavitt/Instagram; Demi Engemann/InstagramWhitney Leavitt (left), Demi Engemann

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

Whitney Leavitt feels like she hasn’t been forgiven for a MomTok mistake.

In conversation with Taylor Frankie Paul on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, the influencer says she feels Taylor gets grace from the group that she isn’t given.

While the women discuss this, downstairs, the rest of the cast discusses Whitney’s insecurity around a TikTok she received criticism for. The video was filmed while her son was hospitalized in the NICU with RSV and pneumonia. She was criticized for seeming carefree amid a serious situation and filming a dancing video as her infant slept.

“The first couple of days were scary, but he was getting better. So I’m thinking let’s do something fun and I made a video,” she explains of her thoughts at the time.

“People felt like I was using my child’s sickness for clout or attention. Everyone was so quick to forgive Taylor online for swinging and I feel like I still get bashed on every video.”

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Jessi Ngatikaura defends Whitney, saying that she made the video in good spirits because her little boy was doing better. “What her intention was, was not what was received.”

However, Demi Engemann offers a different perspective, stating that Whitney told her that her intentions were “to get likes and clout.”

The admission came during an intimate moment between the two women. They had decided to try ketamine therapy together, which is when Demi says Whitney told her this truth. The session had occurred months before filming, Demi explains in a confessional.

“Coming out of ketamine, you are feeling things very deeply. Truths are coming out about yourself that maybe you wouldn’t otherwise admit. And in that moment, she admitted to me that video that she posted was for sympathy, likes, clout, recognition and to gain her following.”

Whitney Leavitt Defends TikToking While Her Son Was Hospitalized with RSV

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“I think I might even have a video of her admitting that,” Demi casually tells the group.

“Whitney tends to dismiss your feelings or even gaslight you when you express that certain things happened or that you felt a certain way,” Demi says in a confessional.

“She seems to flip the script and become the victim of her own chaos and I’m sick of it. It’s exhausting. You pushed me a little bit too far, Whitney. I’m going to set the record straight at all costs.”

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is currently streaming on Hulu.

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