The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Draper shared her truth about her relationship with estranged husband Jordan Ngatikaura — and what ultimately led to their divorce.
“I felt so trapped in that marriage. I couldn’t do anything right. I was so beaten down emotionally, and I was just so deeply unhappy,” Jessi said during the Wednesday, March 25, episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “He made me feel like I couldn’t leave, and for my kids, too. I was just really, really upset.”
Jessi and Jordan wed in 2020 and share son Jagger, 5, and daughter Jovi, 3. Jessi claimed during Wednesday’s podcast episode that she told Jordan on March 13 that she wanted a divorce. He filed on Thursday, March 19. They have yet to tell their kids.
Prior to their divorce, Jessi had an emotional affair with Bravo star Marciano Brunette after they met while filming Vanderpump Villa. She said on Wednesday that he was “the first person who was nice to me” but admitted it “wasn’t OK” that she kissed Marciano. Jessi and Jordan took a 90-day break after the drama and decided to work on their marriage.
Jessi said she was “so scared” to leave her marriage, adding that what happened with Marciano was a cry for help.
“That’s how I felt the last year, to be honest. I was scared of being alone. I was scared of hurting him. I was scared of the unknown and the kids,” she said. “There was just so much weighing on me with that.”
Eventually, Jessi “woke up one day” and “something flipped.” She decided it was time to end her marriage.
“In the last year, I’ve told him, actually, a few different times [that] I want to get divorced. But he always calms me down,” she said. “I had been in limbo for a while, and anyone that’s lived in limbo knows it’s excruciating.”
Jessi said that Jordan will “hate” her podcast episode and most likely call her “a bad mom” for doing the interview. (Us Weekly has reached out to Jordan for comment.)
“I’m not excited to go expose this, like, it does suck for our children. What I’ve had to come to terms with is that I will tell my children about my mistakes,” she said. “I don’t want my daughter to ever be treated the way I’ve been treated.”
Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations from Jessi’s “Call Her Daddy” episode:
How Dakota Mortensen Impacted Jessi Draper’s Marriage
Jessi said it always felt like Dakota was the “other woman” in her marriage to Jordan.
“He was on the phone with Dakota all the time. So, [Jordan] was with him when he filed the police report,” she said, referring to the allegations regarding Dakota and his ex-girlfriend Taylor Frankie Paul.
“We just didn’t want to be filming and say the wrong thing on camera, not knowing the full story yet,” she explained of why Mormon Wives paused production on season 5. “We didn’t want to have to process all this information for the first time and then also be speaking about it. We just thought, for everyone’s mental health, let’s take a beat and let’s not film right now.”
Taylor Frankie Paul as ‘The Bachelorette’ Star
Aside from discussing her marriage, Jessi explained how Taylor was “different” while shooting season 22 of The Bachelorette. (ABC pulled the season days before its premiere after a 2023 video was leaked of Taylor during an altercation with Dakota.)
“She stepped into a really confident, amazing era,” she said. “It was like the old Taylor again. I’m so sad, because I really wanted people to see that side of Taylor, and maybe one day they will, who knows. But I felt like it was such a good experience for her.”
The Escort Allegations Against Jordan
Jessi claimed that Jordan had stepped out of their marriage way before anything happened with Marciano. She alleged that he had relations with escorts before Mormon Wives season 1 premiered in 2023.
“I had an escort service reach out to me, and they sent me screenshots of his phone number and messages, and he was trying to meet up with them,” she said, claiming there was “so much proof.”
The Emotional Abuse Claims
Jessi claimed that Jordan “has a history of being emotionally abusive” in their relationship, alleging that she had to get a new phone number because he would look at her social media accounts and “listen in” on the cameras at her house.
She also detailed Jordan’s alleged “controlling” behavior, claiming he would tell her “how I should run my business,” “tell me how to parent” and ask “constant” questions about where she was. Jessi felt like she was being “dumped on” all the time before their split.
“I think Jordan wants someone submissive. I was kind of like that in the beginning. Then it started to this place where I’m like, ‘No,’ and I would fight back,” she recalled, claiming that’s what made things “really bad” before their split.
Elsewhere in the episode, she alleged that he admitted to the emotional abuse claims.
“We started going to therapy during our separation, and in therapy, he finally admitted, like, ‘I do know I got you to this place. I am the instigator in this. I started this cycle, and it was emotional abuse.’ He has said all of those words to me,” she claimed. “He may deny it now, but he has said all of that.”
The Alleged Blackmail After Marciano
Jessi alleged that Jordan had drafted TikTok videos with texts that she sent to Marciano.
“Anytime he was mad at me, he’s like, ‘I’m gonna post them. I’m gonna ruin your life,’” she alleged. “I shouldn’t have done what I did, I regret it so much. I just want to make that so clear. … But I will say that having your partner blackmail you in that way, it was something I could never get over.”
Season 3 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives finally let Jessi Ngatikaura share her side of the story after coming clean about having an affair with Marciano Brunette while married to husband Jordan Ngatikaura — and she’s revealing even more details with Us Weekly. “It was surreal [rewatching season 3 back],” Jessi, 33, exclusively told Us […]
How Their Sex Life Changed
Jessi got to the point where she didn’t want Jordan to touch her anymore.
“Since the separation and getting back together, my body has told me,” she said. “Anytime he tried to have sex with me, I would clam up.”
She did admit to sleeping with Jordan one more time after he filed for divorce.
“I was drunk and sad, and I just was like, ‘I miss my family,’” Jessi said. “It was a good closing of the chapter.”
Clarifying the Prenup
Before discussing her and Jordan’s prenup, Jessi did share that her last name change was actually a business decision. When it comes to what she has to give Jordan following their divorce, she claimed he “can’t take” her business.
“I don’t have to give him anything for my businesses, but I will have to pay alimony and child support, most likely,” she said. “I might have to do some sort of payout. We haven’t gotten there.”
