How the 2024 CMA Awards Ignited a Huge Reality TV Show Feud

When the CMA Awards invited a reality television star to present an award, they couldn't have imagined it would send the show's cast into a tailspin.

The CMA asked Taylor Frankie Paul from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives to present an award last fall, alongside Mitchell Tenpenny. It's not uncommon for the show to bring big names in pop culture in to help hand out trophies.

Onstage, Paul and Tenpenny joked about the idea of a Secret Lives of Nashville Wives show. Paul looked quite comfortable onstage and delivered her lines with ease.

The drama, however, came afterward, when she posted about her experience at the event. While she celebrated her accomplishment, none of the other cast members commented on her post.

This was an uncomfortable problem for Paul, who — like the other women on the show — makes her living posting on social media (a phenomenon in their realm known as MomTok).

Taylor Frankie Paul Calls Out Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Cast Over CMA Awards

Shortly after her post about the CMAs, Paul shared a video about the awkwardness she felt from the group, which ignited a fight among the women. The others felt they were being unfairly attacked and painted to be bad friends.

"Repost the CMAs TikTok of you," Jessi Ngatikaura wrote in the comments. "Post you on my story. Text you all day to congratulate and hype you up. Like this post. Free clip ins for filming and events like this. Free hair for your mom."

"S--t I forgot to comment even though I'm on vacation with my family and trying not to scroll too much," she continued. "I'm the worst friend!! Forgive me queen Taylor, I'll bow down now."

"Goals," Mikayla Matthews wrote. "So amazing, so proud. She is beauty and grace. Please let me stay in MomTok."

Meanwhile, reality cast member Demi Engemann appeared to reply with her own post regarding the drama.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Addresses CMA Awards Drama

During Season 2 of the reality show, the show followed the drama and the women's response to it.

The biggest issue seemed to be between Paul and fellow castmate Engemann. What likely started as a misunderstanding turned into a fight over who is queen bee of the social media group.

Paul has since apologized to the others via a group text, but Engemann refused to accept it.

"I wanted to come here and apologize for my petty post," Paul said. "I wasn't going to apologize because I truly felt off by it, however how I handled it was not okay. I didn't think about it big picture and that's on me."

"I appreciate the attempt but I do not accept this as a true apology," Engemann replied. "I would appreciate this apology so much more if you apologized and then shut up like you suggested Whitney [Leavitt] to do."

"You really need to learn how to appropriately handle conflict," she added.

The two continued to argue back and forth in the text thread, and the conflict continued on camera, with each throwing daggers. Both women brought up past legal trouble, rumors of an affair and comments made about the other women and their businesses.

Where Does Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Stand After the CMA Awards Drama?

Season 2 ended with Paul and Engemann at a stalemate. Engemann left the group because she feels like she couldn't continue to be in MomTok if Paul is associated with it.

The battle between the two women fractured their friend group, with others not wanting to take sides. If a resolution is coming, it won't be seen until Season 3 rolls around, given a new season is in the works.

What Is Secret Lives of Mormon Wives?

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is a reality television show that follows the lives of nine Mormon women living in Salt Lake City, Utah. The women are part of a social media influencer group they created called MomTok, which has become quite popular on TikTok and has led to many lucrative business deals for them.

Seasons 1 and 2 are available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+.