Whitney Leavitt and her husband have had infidelity issues — even beyond the MomTok scandal.
Thus far, it seems that each member of the cast of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has some twist or hook.
In this case, her husband, Conner, was on Tinder.
To his credit, Whitney’s husband has admitted to it. He’s also opened up about childhood trauma. But it’s his claims of an “addiction” that might not sit well with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives viewers.
Whitney Leavitt’s husband, Conner, was on Tinder
Fair warning: the discussion of Whitney Leavitt’s husband’s Tinder scandal delves into serious, upsetting topics including sexual assault and child abuse.
So, as you can see detailed in the TikTok video below, Whitney and Conner had their own scandal alongside the broader Mormon MomTok drama of Taylor Frankie Paul and others.
Conner was on Tinder. While he has insisted that he was not seeking an affair (which many on social media doubt), he did admit to using the dating-and-hookup app.
In a very somber, almost 7-minute video, Whitney Leavitt and husband Conner delved into his Tinder scandal.
Conner explains that he did have a profile on Tinder, but emphasized that “it really stemmed from an addiction.”
It sounds like Whitney’s husband is alleging that he has a “porn addiction.” As we have previously detailed, this fictitious condition is not recognized by the broader psychiatric community. However, while “porn addiction” is often a fringe right-wing talking point that has been widely debunked, anything can become a self-destructive habit.
Why was Whitney Leavitt’s husband on Tinder?
The more important issue was why, if he was allegedly feeding an “addiction” and not seeking a hookup, Conner was using a dating app at all. Not the motive — but the root cause.
A tearful Conner opened up about how he had learned from his therapist that compulsively seeking out sexual material in a self-destructive manner is not uncommon in childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors.
This is when he revealed that he was a victim of sexual assault when he was only 5 years old. Conner expressed that he regretted not having told his wife long before this.
Though people like to say that “children are resilient,” children actually have fewer coping mechanisms for trauma than adults. Sexual assault is a horrific crime at any age. However, a 5-year-old will almost inevitably respond differently than an adult. It becomes a formative trauma.
It is extremely normal for people to find various coping mechanisms to process trauma throughout their lives. Sometimes, they take the form of simple behaviors like food, exercise, and sex. They can take the form of (actual) addictions like alcohol, nicotine, opiates, and more. Long-term processing of trauma can also manifest as self-destructive behaviors (such as, for example, creating a Tinder profile when you’re a happily married man).
We are, of course, devastated for what Whitney Leavitt’s husband suffered. One can only hope that he has been able to process the evil that he experienced through counseling. In that way, perhaps the Tinder scandal was exactly the wake-up call that he needed.
