It was a chance for me, without editing, without production, without reality television hanging over my head, to really put my story to paper. What made you want to dig deeper into it with this book? We’ve seen some of your journey with Mormonism play out on the show.

And yes, of course, I asked about Jen too. “I hope it’s universally relatable to anyone that has ever tried to live authentically and it’s come at a great cost,” she says. While the temple garments and secret rituals might seem foreign to non-Mormons, Gay’s story and internal battle will likely resonate with anybody who grew up having a complicated relationship with organized religion. She writes about being taught that her metric of success was a husband and children, how her undervalued business savvy proved to be an asset on her mission trip (“I was a good missionary because I was good at sales”), and how reality television gave her a taste of what living her life for herself, rather than for the church, might actually feel like. Rather than a broad look at the sweeping institutional failings of the church, Bad Mormon explores the religion on a more individual level through Gay’s eyes - covering the deep impact church teachings had on her, and her continued struggle to unlearn them. Fittingly, it’s also the subject of her new memoir, Bad Mormon, out today. And sure enough, for three seasons now, Real Housewife Heather Gay has been sharing her journey breaking away from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which she had been a devout member since birth. When Bravo first set up shop in Salt Lake City in 2020, it was instantly obvious that this new locale would mean one thing for the Real Housewives canon: mormons. Photo-Illustration: by The Cut Photo: Koury Angelo

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