Whitney Leavitt is leaving โThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.โ
The reality star announced the news during her final performance of โChicagoโ on Sunday. Leavitt has played tap-dancing murderess Roxie Hart in the Broadway revival since February. TMZ published a video of the moment, in which a Broadway castmate shows Leavitt a newspaper mid-scene. Leavitt, in character as Hart, points to the headline and reads aloud: โWhitney Leavitt announces sheโs leaving โThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.โโ The audience is heard hollering and cheering.
Leavitt followed the big reveal with an Instagram video Tuesday morning and assured fans that, although the forthcoming season will be her last, she would still appear in Season 5 of the Hulu series.
โItโs honestly so crazy to me looking back on this journey, because I had been trying to get into theater, film, way before โSecret Livesโ even came into my life,โ she said. โThe reality show just fell into my lap organically and I said yes to it. Itโs definitely not the path that I had envisioned in my mind to get to where I am today, but I wouldnโt change a thing. I have experienced so much with this group of women, and through that process, I have also learned so much about myself.โ
Leavitt continued, saying that the โMormon Wivesโ had been through so much together, including more extreme highs and lows than audiences have seen. โNo matter what happens with our relationships, that is something that will always be a part of our life, that will always be a part of my life, and I wouldnโt change a thing.โ
โThe times Iโve walked away from โMomTok,โ it came from a place of anger and frustration,โ she continued. โBut this time, itโs significantly different, because Iโm leaving with gratitude. I feel content. I feel like this is a chapter thatโs closing in my life, and honestly, I believe thatโs how it was always meant to be. Iโm so grateful for โThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.โ Itโs gotten me where I am today. Itโs given me the opportunities that you all have seen. But Iโm ready. Iโm ready for the next chapter. And I cannot wait to share with you guys whatโs next.โ
Much like her โChicagoโ character, Leavittโs place in the spotlight has come with less-than-favorable tabloid fodder. She told โOprah Dailyโ that, although she doesnโt fully agree that sheโs a series โvillain,โ sheโs embraced her on-screen persona. Sheโs been candid about being a โvery ambitious womanโ and using โSecret Livesโ as a launchpad for a career in Hollywood โ and this isnโt the first time sheโs departed the show.
โI had walked away from the show,โ she told Gayle King about her brief hiatus after Season 2. โI wasnโt enjoying it anymore. I left the show, and then they were almost midway through the season, and I got a call from the producers, and they said, โIf you come back, we know that you really want this opportunity to go on โDancing With the Stars,โ but the only way that you would get this opportunity is to come back and film.โโ
Last year, Leavitt partnered up with pro dancer Mark Ballas and competed on Season 34 of โDancing With the Stars.โ She was eliminated in the semifinals, finishing in sixth place, but her โCell Block Tangoโ performance impressed casting directors of the long-running Broadway production. One thing led to another, and the reality star was headed to Broadway.
Although Salt Lake City may not be known for the excitement synonymous with the Big Apple, Leavitt has plenty of drama to keep her busy back in production on โMormon Wives.โ
The show hit pause in March amid a series of domestic violence investigations involving stars Taylor Frankie Paul and her on-again, off-again partner Dakota Mortensen. The Salt Lake County district attorneyโs office announced in mid-April that it would not be filing charges against Paul, and shortly after, the Hulu series said it would resume filming Season 5.
In the comments section of Leavittโs Instagram video announcing her departure, Paul wrote, โYou will be missed. Chase those dreams my girl. Iโm excited to see your next chapter.โ