The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt has responded to backlash after podcast co-hosts Nick Viall and Natalie Joy were accused of mommy shaming.
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In early December, Nick, 45, and Natalie, 26, came under fire for suggesting that Whitney was prioritizing her career over her children.
"I was so confused," Whitney admitted, "because I was like, 'This feels so left field. Is this because I always say no to your podcast?' Legitimately, that crossed my mind."
Whitney, 32, went on to explain why she decided to remain tight-lipped about Nick and Natalie's comments for so long.
"I didn't wanna respond because sometimes no response is the best response. But that perspective to me is crazy," she said.
"I would want my mom, my daughter, any woman, to go fulfill her dreams. It seems like such an obvious thing to me. I don't need to state the obvious. And honestly, the internet did it for them."
Whitney -- who competed on Dancing with the Stars' 34th season late last year and has filmed four seasons of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, the fourth of which premieres in March on Hulu -- shares three kids with husband Conner Leavitt: Sedona, 6, Liam, 4, and Billy, 15 months.
On the December 2 episode of "The Viall Files," Nick and Natalie discussed Whitney's plan to move to New York and star as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway.
"I am curious -- because, obviously, we had Taylor Frankie Paul being the Bachelorette, and she got a lot of criticism for leaving her children and, like, prioritizing her and her career and finding love and whatever," Natalie began.
The surgical technician, who shares two-year-old daughter River Rose with Nick, continued, "I am curious -- and this is just a human-level, mom-level question of just, like, how [Whitney] is managing both."
Natalie acknowledged how Whitney's career "skyrocketing" after competing on Dancing with the Stars for months.
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"I know she has kids on a school level -- maybe they are homeschooled, I don't know. But do be in L.A. for four months doing Dancing with the Stars and then to now shift to New York doing Chicago, that takes so much of her time. How is she managing/prioritizing being a mom?"
Natalie said she imagines Whitney's kids -- who lived in L.A. during Whitney's DWTS appearance -- have a schedule and daily routine in their home state of Utah.
"I think Conner is very hands-on and is a stay-at-home dad," Nick pointed out on the podcast, adding how Natalie's question was "fascinating."
Nick elaborated, "To Natalie's point... Whitney has gone from, 'Okay, we're uprooting our life and moving to L.A. and we're going to do Dancing with the Stars, and now we're going to uproot our life and go to New York, where I'm going to do Broadway.' It's a lot for all of them!"
Nick concluded, "To their credit, I'm curious as to how they're making it all work."
Natalie then tried to compare Whitney's situation to her own, considering she and Nick are currently expecting twin babies.
"Obviously, we are very busy and are constantly on the go. [River] is not in school or anything yet, so we're still able to do that, but we realize that once she is in school, our life has to drastically slow down," Natalie shared.
"I just can't imagine what is going through Whitney's head of like, 'I'm finally getting everything I've wanted in my life,' and it's obviously happening at a time where she's got three kids, who I'm sure demand her attention just as much as Roxie Hart and Dancing with the Stars."
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Nick, at that point, had already been expressing frustration that Whitney wouldn't appear on his podcast.
The Season 21 The Bachelor star said Whitney was one of his favorite characters on the show and he just wanted to address her "perceived lack of accountability," according to Us Weekly.
Conner, for his part, shared a photo of his kids in a December 4 TikTok post, shortly after Nick and Natalie were accused of mommy shaming.
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"Teamwork looks different for everyone," Conner wrote.
"This is how we do ours [red heart emoji]️ couldn't be more proud of @Whitney Leavitt."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
