Layla Taylor came out as bisexual on Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast, telling listeners, “I’m gay, and I’m bi and date women and men.” The “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star said she’s known about her attraction to women since childhood but lacked the representation and support to address it publicly until now. Her recent breakup became the catalyst for finally focusing on herself and embracing who she truly is.
Growing up as a Black girl in a predominantly white area, Taylor already felt she stood out. When she watched shows like “Pretty Little Liars” and felt drawn to scenes of women kissing, she didn’t understand those feelings. Without queer representation around her, she couldn’t name what she was experiencing.
“I didn’t know what those feelings were because I didn’t have queer representation around me of someone I could look at it and be like, ‘OK, this is normal.'”
She described her sexuality as something she “underplayed” for years, wondering if it was just a phase. Before marrying her now-ex-husband Clayton Wessell, with whom she shares two sons, she pushed those feelings aside. The couple finalized their divorce in 2025.
Taylor’s split from Mason McWhorter in February 2026 became the turning point. After years of living for others, as a mom, as a wife, as a reality star, she finally had space to sit alone with who she really is.
“I think honestly that breakup was like a blessing in disguise because I feel like now I’ve been fully able to just focus on Layla,” she said.
Since coming out, Taylor has been dating a woman she met on social media. She described the experience as completely different, marked by patience, emotional awareness, and a level of understanding she hasn’t experienced before.
“I feel like at least who I’m talking to right now, she’s just been very understanding and letting me take this at my own pace because it is just still foreign to me and it is so new.”
Taylor hasn’t told her “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” castmates yet. With the show on a production pause since March, she hasn’t seen them in person, and she refuses to deliver this news over text.
“I’m very proud to be bi, and I’m very proud now to be out,” she said. “And I hope that if anyone’s in a situation that I am as well… I hope that they can feel safe to do so and proud to do so.”
