Taylor Swift night on Dancing with the Stars is about to get a lot more interesting. Ever since it was announced that Swift’s Eras Tour backup dancer Jan Ravnik would be joining Season 34 as a pro, fans have been speculating which lucky celebrity producers would pair him up with. At long last, it was announced today that Jen Affleck, of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives fame, would be vying for that coveted Mirrorball Trophy with Ravnik as her partner.
“I’m so excited,” Affleck told Decider when she stopped by our studio earlier this week. “I had no expectations going into it. I was like, ‘You know what? Whoever I’m supposed to be partnered with, it’s meant to be.'”
With premiere night just around the corner, Affleck and Ravnik have been hard at work preparing for their ballroom debuts. According to the #MomTok icon—who gave birth to her third child only eight weeks ago—she already has “bruises” all over her body and “blisters” on her feet from their “intense” rehearsals.
“It’s a lot different than dancing on your countertops,” she joked, referring to her viral TikTok content. “But I’m having so much fun.” As for what it’s like to take on such a physically demanding role so soon after having a child, Affleck said, “With my second, I actually ran the New York City Marathon three months postpartum. I knew if I could do that, I can totally do this.”
It’s been an emotionally taxing year for Affleck, who exited The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives midway through Season 2 to prioritize her mental health. At the time, the influencer had just reconciled her marriage after a brief separation, found out she was pregnant with their third baby, and was ganged up on by some of her fellow castmates, all while dealing with prenatal depression. Now that she’s officially back in #MomTok—and returning for the Hulu show’s upcoming third season—Affleck promised that fans will see a “happier, more uplifting side” of her on both The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and Dancing with the Stars, which she described as her “light at the end of the tunnel.”
“I want to be an advocate for mothers who are going through the same thing and remind them that if I can do it, you can do it, too,” Affleck said. “Your dreams matter.”
When we caught up with Affleck, she also spoke about competing against her Secret Lives of Mormon Wives co-star Whitney Leavitt on Dancing with the Stars, how she prepared herself mentally and physically for the competition show, and what she knows about Taylor Frankie Paul‘s rumored new beau. Check out the full interview below.
DECIDER: I’m so excited to have you here at such an exciting time for you! We found out during the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reunion that you are going to be competing on Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars. What was the audition process like?
JEN AFFLECK: Production just told us that all of us girls had an opportunity to go on. They told us all we had to do was an interview. So, five of us did [the interview] with the main producer, Deena [Katz], and two of us got it.
What did it feel like to hear that you were picked?
I literally just started bawling. It’s been a dream of mine my whole life, literally. I watched Dancing with the Stars all growing up. So yeah, it was definitely a pinch me moment. I’m like, what am I doing here? How did I get here? Like, this is crazy.
I know you met your partner last week. What was that first meeting like? And can you tell me who your partner is?
It’s Jan! I’m so excited. I had no expectations going into it. I was like, “You know what? Whoever I’m supposed to be partnered with, it’s meant to be.”
That’s so exciting! I know you’ve been busy in rehearsals. How has that been?
It is very intense. It’s a lot different than dancing on your countertops. It’s way different. I have bruises all over my body already, blisters on my feet. I don’t even know how I’m wearing heels. Yeah, it’s very intense. But I’m having so much fun.
Since Dancing with the Stars is kind of known for its intimate dances and slinky outfits, I know some people online were wondering how your husband Zac was feeling about it. Has he been supportive of this new venture?
Oh, absolutely. He knows it’s been a dream of mine since I can remember and so he’s just so happy for me. And because I went through a lot this last year, I think he’s just happy to see me happy.
You are known on TikTok for your countertop dances. Do you think you’ll be sneaking any of those moves in when it’s time for your ballroom performances?
Hopefully, yes! I brought up the idea once or twice. So yeah, you’ll have to see.
The fact that you’re doing this is even more impressive since you gave birth literally two months ago, and little Penny is absolutely adorable. How were you able to prepare yourself, both mentally and physically, for Dancing with the Stars in so short of a time?
With my second, I actually ran the New York City Marathon three months postpartum. I knew if I could do that, I can totally do this. Dancing comes easy and natural to me, so I wasn’t worried. But it is a lot. Three under three. But luckily I was able to do natural birth, so that’s definitely helped me a ton as well. I feel prepared.
What’s it like juggling two kids, a newborn, Dancing with the Stars, and filming a reality TV show?
It is a lot. But motherhood is already chaotic. So it’s just kind of all combined, to be honest. Even if I wasn’t doing a reality TV show and Dancing with the Stars, it’d still be crazy. So at least I get to do what I love to do.
Your Secret Lives co-star Whitney will also be competing this season. What’s it like to be on this journey with someone you already know? Has it brought you closer together or is the competitiveness starting to sink in?
It’s definitely brought us closer, and if anything, we’re just happy for each other. I mean, I’m happy for her. I know it’s been a dream of hers as well. The fact that we get to do this together is just so lucky. I’m actually happy that I have someone that I can relate with who also has three kids. I’m just really happy.
Have you heard from or gotten any advice from past Dancing with the Stars participants? If so, who?
Yes. Honestly, just seeing that other dancers or pros have done it just reconfirms that if they can do it, I can do it, too.
I can’t let you go without asking a bit about Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. We saw you exit midway through Season 2 to prioritize your mental health, which I commend you for. How are you doing today? And what advice would you give someone who’s going through something similar?
I’m doing way better now. I’m not gonna lie, this last year was one of the hardest years of my life. But I’m really grateful that I went through that because I was able to learn so much about myself. It also made me realize how many other moms are going through the same thing. Prenatal depression, postpartum depression isn’t talked about enough. As a mom, because you’re so focused on serving others or so focused on your kids, sometimes it’s hard to prioritize yourself and your well-being. But if anything, it’s opened up the discussion and topic that we need to talk about. You can’t pour from an empty cup. I’ve realized, you know what? Like, some people might be against me doing Dancing with the Stars. But if anything, I feel like it’s helping me become a better version of myself, it’s helping me fill that cup, which in return I get to then give even more to my kids and give them the best version of myself. I want to be an advocate for mothers who are going through the same thing and remind them that if I can do it, you can do it, too. Your dreams matter. Even if it means dancing on your countertops at home, if it brings out the best version of you, then why not?
To your point, you are being an amazing role model for your kids. You’re showing them that they can follow their dreams.
Absolutely. I have Penny literally here in the back napping with me. She’s here with me on this journey. I’m like, if I can do it, anyone can do it.
Without giving too much away, what was it for you to come back for Season 3?
It was challenging at first, just because there were a lot of things that I needed to confront. But it’s been great, honestly. It’s just been fulfilling for me to just see how far I’ve come. Even though I went through a lot and I made a lot of mistakes, it’s just part of the journey. It’s part of life. It’s scary showing that to the world. But as long as I’m becoming a better version of myself and people are learning from my mistakes, I mean, I feel like there’s just so much to gain from it.
Back when Season 2 came out, Demi’s husband Brett claimed that you sat in Whitney’s living room begging Zac to go along with a fake separation narrative. When I asked Whitney about this, she said it was more of a question for you. So I was wondering what your response is to that.
No, that was not fake at all. It’s interesting to me how much she cares about my life when there’s a lot that she should be focusing on with her life. But yeah, you know what? I kind of don’t want to talk about the past anymore just because we’re in such a good place now and I just want to look forward. There’s so many positive things to focus on now. And so that’s where I’m at.
Your co-star Taylor Frankie Paul seemed to tease a new love interest over the weekend. Is there anything you can say about that? Have you met him yet?
You know what? I can’t keep up with Taylor. There’s always something new each week. I’ve been so busy with having a baby that I need to get caught up on that myself. I’m like, “Who is that? I don’t know who that is!”
Like, who is this man on her story playing the guitar?
Yes! I’m like, “OK! He plays the guitar? OK!”
Well, I am very excited about Season 3 – and I’m extremely excited to see you on Dancing with the Stars. Is there anything else you can tease about what we’re going to see from either of those projects?
With Season 3, you’ll probably see a happier, more uplifting side of me. I feel like we weren’t really able to see that in Season 1 and Season 2, just because I was going through so much. You’re definitely going to see more of who I am in Season 3. And then same with Dancing with the Stars, because I really feel like this opportunity is that light at the end of the tunnel for me. It’s everything I’ve dreamt of. I feel like what makes me happy is dancing and performing, whether that’s on the countertop or on stage. I feel like I’m excited to show the world the real me.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Dancing with the Stars Season 34 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 16 on ABC, while The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 3 will drop on Thursday, Nov. 13 on Hulu.