Whitney Leavitt comes from the reality television world, but she’s making sure that won’t be what she’s remembered for.
Since The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives hit Hulu in September 2024, the show’s cast has been catapulted into swift stardom. Most of those opportunities have orbited the reality TV space, with Leavitt herself competing on ABC’s buzziest Dancing With the Stars installment last year.
And then, following quite the impressive run on the competitive dance series, Leavitt landed the leading role in Chicago on Broadway. Later this year, she’ll also make her feature film debut in a holiday rom-com for Ninth House Productions that she’s also executive producing.
All the while, she’s been starring in Mormon Wives and filming for future unreleased seasons. But Leavitt tells The Hollywood Reporter she’s ready to take on new challenges that may lead her away from the Hulu series.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without [The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,]” Leavitt says, continuing, “But it feels like it’s time to challenge myself in other ways and fulfill these dreams and passions that I’ve been trying to get even before the show.”
Below, Leavitt breaks down her busy life as Chicago’s leading lady while filming for the reality TV show, the behind-the-scenes aspects of DWTS shown on Mormon Wives season four, her future acting ambitions and which filmmaker she’d love to work with and how she’s “figuring it out in real time” what her future with Mormon Wives looks like.
What does a typical day in the life look like for Whitney Leavitt starring in Chicago?
My kids are up at about 6:30 a.m. We get up, we have breakfast, take them to school. I go to the gym, and then after, I’ve been either auditioning or I still take vocal lessons. I’m filming for Secret Lives right now, other housekeeping duties and then I head to the theater. I’m there about an hour and a half early, do my warm-up, get ready, do a show.
In season four of Secret Lives, we got to see the behind-the-scenes of how Chicago came about. You’re going to be starring in your first feature this year that you’re executive producing. Are there any future projects brewing right now behind-the-scenes you can tease?
What I can say is I’ve always been a performer, and Secret Lives just kind of stumbled into my life. People don’t know that before this happened, I was still auditioning. I moved to California, I was taking acting classes; Margie Haber, Groundlings, Lesly Kahn, like, I did everything. Then I got this reality [TV] opportunity, and I took it. But even during that time of still auditioning, my passion is film. I love entertaining, I love acting, so that’s what I can tease. Hopefully more films you’ll see me in. (Laughs.)
Did you always see yourself going into acting, or did you want to do Broadway? What did you see yourself doing when you were younger?
I always saw myself acting. Obviously, I’ve always had a passion for Broadway, but I never felt like I had that Broadway voice. [I] felt like I had the acting, I felt like I had the dancing, but a voice is a huge role in that. And while I was doing Dancing With the Stars and that opportunity to audition for the role came, I was like, Oh my God, I need to take voice lessons now, which I did while I was doing Dancing With the Stars.
Let’s talk about Dancing With the Stars. On season four of Mormon Wives, you talked about how, as you made it farther into the competition, you never thought you would last long. Why didn’t you think you would go far into Dancing With the Stars?
I think just this perception of me from season one of Secret Lives spread into the world. That narrative just gave me an insecurity going to a different platform, because I felt like I didn’t have that community that was rooting for me. And boy was I surprised, because I definitely did, and I still do. Because I’m telling you right now, the records that we’re breaking with Chicago, with ticket sales, that wouldn’t happen without that community that’s rooting for me. That was a very overwhelming and beautiful moment in my life.
You mentioned you were receiving a lot of hate, and your run on Dancing With the Stars drove this conversation about women and mothers who are ambitious and candid in that ambition. Did you see that on the flip side of the hate, people were in support of you, and how you also broke out this conversation about [ambitious women]?
Yeah, I did see that. Not all of it, because I tried to stay off during it, but I’m a human being and I definitely wanted to see what the talk of the town was. But it was interesting, and I would be interested if it was a man, a father, who basically had the same stance that I took, and I wonder how that would have been received. But I think it was a great conversation. I’m so happy that it happened, because I think it really got people thinking. I mean, it got me thinking. I was like, You’re right. What if it was a man? (Laughs.)
Right before your elimination on Dancing With the Stars, season three of Mormon Wives came out, and a lot of people think that contributed to your elimination. Do you agree?
I’m gonna say yes, because I either got respect from being candid and honest about my wants, or people felt like I was exploiting a group to get what I wanted, which just wasn’t true. I was very honest and candid about my reasons of coming back [to the show.] Like, it was the producers that called me and said, “Well, if you do this, you could possibly do this.” And I was willing to take that risk, because this is what I’ve always wanted to do. I want to be an actress, and that felt like a platform where I could showcase some of those skills.
You’re still involved with the DWTS family as you’re going to appear at Dancing With the Stars Con this year. There’s been this conversation about when they are going to do a second All-Star season. If they did that and they asked you, would you say yes?
1,000 percent. If it worked out in my life, and I didn’t have any other projects that were conflicting. That’d be amazing.
You are now an executive producer of Mormon Wives. That means you could be officially nominated for an Emmy if the show gets another nomination. If you received that Emmy nomination attached to the show as an EP, what would that mean to you?
Oh, wow. I think even just getting the title [of EP,] I know not just for me, but for all of the women, means a lot, because that’s something that we can carry with us for future business opportunities or future projects. Like, that’s with us forever. Wow, that would be really cool. I’ve never even thought of that, that I would be the one going up there with the rest of the women if we actually won. (Laughs) That would be so cool.
Do you have a dream Broadway role?
I don’t know if it needs to be a remake of a film or if we need to revive it on Broadway, but I think we need a revival of Sweet Charity. I would love to play Charity.
You’ve mentioned that acting is one of your main passions right now, but after Chicago, do you see yourself continuing on Broadway or are gonna go full-fledged into acting?
To me, being on Broadway is still acting. That’s still filling my cup. But if I could do both, 1,000 percent, because Broadway is like an acting boot camp. And I don’t have this expectation to all of a sudden be in massive Oscar award-winning films. That’s the goal, but I know it’s going to take time to get there, because I want to work with people. There’s actors and actresses who have been doing this for years, climbing that ladder, and I’m climbing that.
Do you have a dream filmmaker you want to work with?
I love Ryan Murphy. I think he’s so talented and such a hard worker, and I admire that. I admire his passion, and I want to work with passionate people and people who also want to work hard.
When we’re talking about all these opportunities and the future of your career, I noticed on season four of Secret Lives the women talking about how opportunities outside of MomTok could drive the group apart. What do you think when you hear the women say things like that? Do they expect you not to jump at some of these amazing opportunities?
I don’t know if that’s an expectation. If it is, it hasn’t been communicated to me. But just like any band, let’s just use One Direction for a minute, I would hope that they would all support each other when they broke off and had their individual careers because it felt like the right time to do that. And, you know, I can’t speak for the other women, but it kind of feels like that’s what’s happening with me. I wouldn’t be where I am without that platform and this group that we created, this business that we created, but maybe it’s time for me to branch out in other areas. And I feel, today, that each one of them would support me in that.
You’re filming right now for Secret Lives, but how do you see yourself moving forward with the show when you’re getting these opportunities? Do you think that you would leave the show soon?
Well, I’m figuring it out in real time. We’re figuring it out together, but it feels like that’s the trajectory of where it’s going. But again, I wouldn’t be where I am without it, but it feels like it’s time to challenge myself in other ways and fulfill these dreams and passions that I’ve been trying to get even before the show.
Mormon Wives is very similar to The Real Housewives, but one of the major differences is that on Mormon Wives, the women are a real group of friends with real relationships, but on Housewives, they look at their shows and relationships more as a business opportunity. Do you think you would fare better on a show like Real Housewives, where the business side of things is better understood?
No. You know, before [I started] reality TV, I didn’t really watch reality TV. It’s a world that’s foreign to me, so it’s kind of ironic that that was my start (Laughs) in this entertainment world in Hollywood. No, I don’t think I would ever do that. No. Like, be on Real Housewives of Salt Lake?
Or any Housewives — I mean, you’re in New York.
No. (Laughs.)
I think if your journey did end on Mormon Wives, eventually in the future, people would want to see more of you in that [reality TV] format.
Oh, I mean, I don’t ever close a door. I’m not closing it, but yeah, I don’t see myself being on a Real Housewives show. (Laughs.)
Whitney, you’re crushing it on Broadway; you killed it on Dancing With the Stars; you’re starring in your first feature; you’re executive producing Mormon Wives and that feature — what is next for Whitney Leavitt?
This is just the beginning. It feels like this is just the beginning of something that I’ve wanted to do and I’ve been trying to do for years. I couldn’t be more grateful. I feel like I’m just now on the ladder, and I’m just going to slowly start climbing it.
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