Before she filed for divorce, Jen Affleck revealed on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County just how bad things have been between her and Zac Affleck.
The former couple’s marriage issues were front and center when The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered in 2024. After a brief offscreen separation, they got back together before Jen, 27, gave birth to their third child in July 2025.
By the time season 5 premiered in September, Jen and Zac, 30, were once again facing challenges. She admitted to questioning their future before announcing her pregnancy with baby No. 4, which was explored further on Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County spinoff.
A week before the premiere in November, news broke that Jen officially filed for divorce from Zac after seven years of marriage.
“The same reason why I filed for divorce is the same reason why it was really hard,” Jen exclusively told Us at the time. “It was this fourth child. I had to ask myself very hard questions like, ‘Is this the type of relationship I want this child to look up to?’ When I realized it was a no, that’s when I realized that I needed to make a change. You’ll see a lot of that unfold in season [1 of the spinoff].”
Keep scrolling to see what Jen shared about the end of her marriage on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County:
Making a Decision
Jen’s first confessional in the Mormon Wives spinoff addressed her ongoing challenges with Zac, saying, “A lot of things have happened the past couple of months that have made me realize that something needs to change. I have hit my breaking point and I’ve decided that I want to move forward with a divorce.”
Jen acknowledged that Zac didn’t know the severity of the situation.
“That’s part of the reason why I moved. It is because I don’t want anyone to know that this is what I’ve been feeling and experiencing,” she continued.
A Challenging Choice
Jen admitted to the cameras that she was jealous of Aspyn Ovard’s ability to find love after her divorce from Parker Ferris, saying, “Seeing what Aspen’s gone through in the past couple of years, there’s a lot of resemblance with what I’m going through right now. It also just makes me emotional that she’s gotten so much hate for her being in a throuple. She’s gotten everything she’s wanted out of it: love, emotional support, partnership. And I desperately want everything that she has.”
The reality star admitted she was also jealous of former costar Whitney Leavitt’s relationship with husband Conner Leavitt.
“There’s nothing I can say to justify how I acted during mine and Whitney’s friendship. But what I can say is that it did stem from being envious of her and Conner’s relationship because I really feel like they were such a good example for myself and the relationship that I was wanting and seeking for with Zac,” she told the cameras after reuniting with Whitney.”
While Jen wanted to officially file for divorce, her being pregnant with baby No. 4 complicated things.
“I just feel so much guilt and shame that I let this happen again. I thought moving to California, it could be a chance for Zac and I to really have a fresh start but it’s only caused more issues,” she explained. “When I got pregnant with Penny, I was definitely questioning my marriage with Zac but I think having Penny convinced me that it was worth trying again. But that’s not happening this time.”
Trying to Get Support From Her Family
Later in the season, Jen confided in her loved ones about the issues in her relationship, saying, “I am gonna move forward with us doing a divorce. For me, I’ve been miserable most of our marriage. In fact, I want to say I’ve been miserable our whole marriage and that’s just the truth.”
Jen, who didn’t receive support from her family, noted that Zac “hasn’t changed a lot of his behavior.”
“I’m not surprised with their reaction just because they are members of the church. They have the perspective of anyone can figure it out. But I don’t think they understand that the situation is a lot different and that I’ve given Zac way too many chances,” she explained in a confessional. “I’m just feeling ashamed now for myself.”
Financial Issues
After hinting at Zac’s past issues with debt, Jen revealed how much of their money Zac lost, saying, “I went to check our bank and the money is gone. There was over $100,000 in there. He’s done this before multiple times — whether it was through online poker or it was through investing crypto. I said, ‘You’re not allowed to do that anymore.’ Because he’s done this multiple times. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve gone through this in our marriage. Whether it was poker or sports betting, now I’m seeing that he invested a ton of money in Bitcoin without telling me and lost it.”
Jen stayed with Bobbi Althoff after realizing what Zac had done. (Zac, for his part, didn’t appear in any episodes of the spinoff.)
Dating Again
Jen was asked whether she would “keep the law of chastity” after getting divorced, to which she replied, “I’m still pregnant, OK? I support sleep culture, if that’s what you wanna do. Go have fun. I probably wouldn’t be physical unless I actually knew that … I’m not gonna give that part of myself to another man until I’m really ready.”
Seeking Legal Counsel
The show followed Jen to an appointment with a divorce attorney, where she questioned whether she would be “able to handle life without Zac.”
“There’s a lot of fear but you should never base a decision off of fear,” she said. “So I’m doing everything that I can to remove the fear but I can’t help but be drowning in it right now.”
Despite taking another step toward divorce, Jen admitted she “had sex” with Zac again. “It was awesome,” she said.
