The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Mikayla Matthews has announced she plans to donate the money she would have earned filming the remainder of Season 6 following her departure from the Hulu reality series.
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Mikayla, a 26-year-old mother of four, took to Instagram on Thursday, September 17 and posted two childhood photos while explaining the motivation behind her decision.
"This little girl is a huge part of why this whole situation has mattered so much to me and why I haven't been able to stay silent about it and will never stop talking about it," Mikayla captioned the photos.
"When I said there's no amount of money worth changing my stance on all of this, I meant it. So I will be donating the money I would have made from the rest of the season to the National Children's Alliance, which supports children and families affected by multiple forms of child abuse."
Mikayla said the donation is about more than leaving a situation she did not feel comfortable being part of.
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"It's about using the money I'm willing to lose to support something I deeply care about and has affected every part of my life to this day," she wrote.
"I meant what I said, and I want my actions to reflect it and continue to reflect it."
Mikayla's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives co-star Layla Taylor expressed her support by posting a clapping emoji in the comments.
McCall DaPron and Chandler Higginson, who will appear on the upcoming The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County spinoff, also praised Mikayla's decision.
"Love this so much," McCall commented, while Chandler called the move "so powerful."
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Laura Turner, director of development and strategic initiatives for the National Children's Alliance, subsequently thanked Mikayla for supporting the organization.
"We are so grateful to Mikayla for using her platform to support our mission of helping children recover from abuse," Laura said in a statement to People.
"Her support helps the work of Children's Advocacy Centers across the country, but her message also inspired fans to do the same."
Laura added, "It's remarkable what people can do when they point their goodwill in the same direction."
Mikayla previously discussed surviving childhood sexual abuse on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
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Mikayla first publicly revealed she is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse during the show's second season, People reported.
During a May 2025 appearance on "The Squeeze" podcast, Mikayla alleged three different people had abused her at different points during her childhood. She said the abuse began when she was 6 years old and continued until she was 15.
Mikayla announced on September 14 that she was leaving The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. She clarified the following day that her decision was prompted by being informed that an unnamed cast member was returning to the show.
"The ONLY reason I'm leaving the show is because I was told a certain person was coming back," Mikayla wrote via Instagram Stories, pretty clearly referring to her co-star Taylor Frankie Paul.
Mikayla claimed she had warned the show's production team before agreeing to film Season 6 that she would not participate if the unidentified person returned.
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"Because it's UNETHICAL and kids are involved," Mikayla wrote, adding that "the barstool video everyone else saw" was not the only alarming incident she had personally "seen and heard" that she doesn't agree with.
Mikayla was apparently referring to footage that surfaced in March and showed Taylor throwing a chair at her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen during a 2023 altercation while one of her children was nearby.
"I filmed [Season] 6 cause that person was not there," Mikayla wrote. "Then we were told she was coming back. I said great, then I will not be participating, god bless and goodbye, haven't filmed a day since."
Mikayla said she intends to meet her "contractual obligations" but will not participate in the show beyond what her contract requires.
Meanwhile, a source close to Taylor told People that the #MomTok creator is "focused on continuing to move forward" and she "can't control the choices other people make."
Hulu halted production on Season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives in March amid Taylor's ongoing legal and custody dispute with Dakota, with whom she shares son Ever True, 2.
At the time, Taylor and Dakota had made dueling allegations of domestic violence and also filed restraining orders against each other.
Sources had also told People that several Mormon Wives cast members wanted nothing to do with Taylor and refused to work with her.
That same month, the 2023 video of Taylor assaulting Dakota leaked online and prompted ABC to cancel Taylor's The Bachelorette season.
When Mormon Wives resumed filming its fifth season this past spring, Taylor's involvement was limited and she was only asked back to the intro credits.
However, Mormon Wives has been renewed for sixth and seventh seasons, according to Us Weekly, and Taylor revealed last week on Instagram that her role on the show will continue because she wants to share her truth and hopefully help people in similar situations.
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Taylor's announcement may result in even more women leaving The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.