NEED TO KNOW
The MomTokers are fiercely protective of their children and each other
Layla Taylor and Miranda Hope talk with PEOPLE about keeping their home lives at home and work lives at work
Season 3 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives debuted on Hulu on Nov. 13
Layla Taylor and Miranda Hope are thriving as members of MomTok.
Speaking with PEOPLE ahead of season 3 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, the two best friends open up about their decisions to keep their kids off camera, despite the fact that motherhood is at the heart of everything MomTok does.
“It’s hard for sure. I think that people assume because we don’t share our kids and we don’t post them as much as mommy influencers do that we’re not around them,” Layla, who is mom to Maxwell Dean, 3, and Oliver “Ollie” Clay, 4, tells PEOPLE.
“But I think I can speak for both me and Miranda, we are with our kids the majority of the time, and it’s challenging, but I think for me personally, they didn’t sign up for this world that I’m a part of.”
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“I’m very proud of my job and I love it and I love showing up to work every day, but they didn’t consent to be a part of this crazy life, and I just want to protect them,” the mom continues. “That’s my number one priority at the end of the day. They are my number one, and if I can make sure that I’m protecting them from anything scary, then that’s what I want to do as their mom.”
Part of bringing their best mom game to the table is trying to keep work at work and home at home, which takes some determination, especially with the many ups and downs in season 3. Miranda, who is mom to daughter Cohen, 4, and son Brooks, 6, explains her perspective on keeping those boundaries intact.
“I think that it can be hard to compartmentalize all of the drama for sure. The way that I try to view it is when I show up to hard scenes and I get mic’d, that’s me clocking in. And when I hand in that mic, that’s me trying to mentally clock out,” she shares.
“Obviously, this is our real life, so it’s inevitably going to follow you home to some degree,” she continues. “But I think having somebody within the group that you can really trust and that can be a safe space. And I think there’s that dynamic with different connections throughout.”
Miranda applauds Layla for being that confidant for her, adding, “I can confide without worrying, ‘Is this going to be told to so-and-so?’ And I think that’s been a really safe and secure feeling to have that within the group.”
Layla agrees, adding, “I feel like Miranda and I connect on a lot of levels, both being single moms. We both see a lot of things very similarly, and it’s awesome. I feel like season one and season two, that might be why it was harder to speak up.”
“I feel like having a safe place in this experience is very important and it helps you to have somebody that you can go to at the end of scenes and be like, ‘Okay, I’m feeling this way.’ And have someone to vent to and open up to. It’s really, really nice.”
The two close friends have spent more time together than ever, especially since their ties have deepened. Layla has been enjoying her relationship with Mason McWhorter, brother to Miranda’s ex-husband, Chase.
“I love it. It’s been so fun. Yeah, Mason, even though we’re not technically brother and sister-in-law anymore, he’s still a brother to me, and Layla’s like a sister to me,” Miranda shares.
“So to see them together, it’s been so great. I want what’s best for both of them, and I think so highly of them that them being together has just been so great and honestly heartwarming to see it. I’m so excited to see where their relationship goes.”
“It’s so cool,” Layla adds. “I think we’re spending Christmas together this year, so it’s just fund opportunities like that, that I feel like I wouldn’t have ever had unless I met Miranda. And I’m just super grateful to have a best friend on the show.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 3 debuts on Thursday, Nov. 13 on Hulu.
