Jen Affleck directly addressed The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives viewers who call her third pregnancy a “band-aid baby” after her brief separation from Zac Affleck.
“I know a lot of people call it a band-aid baby. They can call it whatever. But truly finding out where pregnant was the biggest blessing,” Jen, 25, exclusively told Us Weekly before season 2 premiered on Thursday, May 15. “I definitely think that I wasn’t in the right headspace during season 2 — and I’m not sure that my priorities were straight either.”
Jen, who shares kids Nora, 2, and Luca, 20 months, with Zac, 28, was thankful for how her third pregnancy “forced” her to get her “priorities straight.”
“It’s definitely changed [things] a lot. Truthfully, finding out we were pregnant was the last thing we expected,” she admitted. “It was truly shocking when we found out. It also made us worried and stressed because of everything we were facing in our marriage during that time.”
Jen and Zac started dating in 2018 and got married one year later. After welcoming their first two kids, Jen and Zac joined the cast of Hulu’s reality series about a group of Mormon mom influencers in Utah. The first season, which premiered in September 2024, highlighted the challenges in Jen and Zac’s marriage, which eventually led to an offscreen separation.
“It was definitely rocky after season 2. We were both in a different mindset and there’s a lot to navigate,” Jen noted. “With me doing the show and Zac in medical school, we’re kind of finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel after all of that chaos.”
Jen said season 2 documented “the worst of what happened in our relationship,” adding, “But again, it is all things that we’re grateful for and I hope we can talk more about it after everyone has seen season 2. I haven’t seen season 2 so I don’t really know what happens. There is effort on both ends of a relationship and you’re both willing to put in that work. You can always make it work and that’s kind of what happens.”
The season picked up with Jen and Zac attempting to work on their marriage. Fans see her break down in tears when she learns she’s expecting baby No. 3 amid their struggles.
“[This experience] forced me to get help when it came to my mental health because I knew that it wasn’t just affecting me, — it was affecting this baby that was coming into this life,” she explained to Us. “So it really was the biggest blessing that could have happened in our marriage. It was really what made a shift in my life and made me realize no matter what happens in our marriage, I want to be the best version of myself.”
Jen added: “I don’t think I was that beginning of season 2 and pregnancy is what ultimately led me to that. Now that I’m in a better place, I’m truly grateful for this baby and all this pregnancy journey has taught me.”
In addition to checking into a wellness center, Jen also credited ketamine therapy for strengthening her relationship with Zac.
“It was definitely a game changer,” she shared. “Definitely life changing — and I never thought I would try ketamine. But when you’re looking for anything to help you try anything. [We went through] lots of therapy. When I say lots of therapy, I mean eight hours a week. We really went all at it.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is currently streaming on Hulu.
