The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives star Demi Engemann has responded to Whitney Leavitt’s claim that she approved the ‘Fruity Pebbles’ prank that sent viewers wild, ahead of it being screened on TV. Whitney, 31, said that she gave her co-star a heads-up about the cheeky present so she wasn’t caught out by surprise.
In one now infamous episode of the show, Whitney gave Demi a box of Fruity Pebbles cereal in reference to a private story Demi had shared with the group about using them to spice up her sex life with her husband (the actual use of the cereal in sex went unexplained). Demi was immediately upset that Whitney had given her the gift in front of people that she hadn't shared the story with (and you know, the entire viewing public) but Whitney immediately took offence to Demi's reaction. At the time, Whitney's response confused viewers - and Demi, saying 'You're offended that I'm offended?' - but she's since alleged on The Squeeze podcast that she reacted that way because Demi knew about the prank all along.
‘I had called Demi ahead of time asking if it was OK because I knew that was a sensitive and very private sexual innuendo between their relationship,’ Whitney said on The Squeeze podcast. ‘I didn’t want to cross a boundary. So I called her and I asked her and they thought it was funny, her and her husband.’
‘The reason I’m upset in that episode is because she reacted in a way that she was offended so I had felt sabotaged,’ Whitney explained. ‘I was gutting in my head like, “Oh my God, was this a decision you made to make me look bad on purpose?” So that’s why you see that reaction. It wasn’t because she was upset. Oh my gosh, no. If I’d given someone a gift and they were genuinely upset about it, I would feel embarrassed but so horrible that I had done that but that’s why I was upset in that episode.’
However, Demi shared a video response on TikTok, with the caption ‘All I’ll say is one of us knows how to take accountability and the other doesn’t. You do the math!’
On the show, Whitney discussed Demi and Bret’s bedroom secret, behind her back, as she explained her gift to Mikayla Mathews, where viewers learned that the couple used the colourful cereal as part of an intimate sexual act. Whitney even reenacted what allegedly happened behind closed doors as she squatted over her friend Mayci Neely’s face.
‘What can I say? The fruity cereal has to do with taste,’ Whitney said cryptically.
Demi later told producers that she was not expecting their secret to be made public. ‘This specific thing that she was trying to make light of and make a joke was something that was completely intimate and off the table,’ she said. ‘That was between Bret and I. We swore to each other that we would never tell a soul about that. I just think it’s below the belt.’
The star revealed how their ‘Fruity Pebbles’ revelation becoming public knowledge had created ‘tension’ between her and her 46-year-old husband Bret. The couple’s bedroom secret has caused a huge stir and become a massive talking point in the first series of the reality show.
‘There was a little bit of tension with my husband and I once it came out. Now he’s like, “Is anybody saying anything?” It’s become a funny, fun thing that we are totally just having fun with,’ she told Us Weekly.
‘Sometimes you don’t know the boundaries being crossed until it’s crossed. That was a boundary that was definitely crossed, and I feel bad about it. But we’ve talked about it since. He’s like, “I know you’re just excited and that’s cute, but let’s keep those things between us”.’
Demi admitted that she didn’t realise the off-camera conversation would become one of the most talked-about moments of the season. ‘I was not expecting it to go as crazy as it did. I thought it would be a little thing that a few people would catch onto,’ she said. ‘It’s every other story post that I’m tagged in. It is bizarre. It’s hilarious. We’re just keeping the mystery alive. It’s been fun.’
Despite rumours flying about how the breakfast food adds spice – or rather, sugar – to their sex life, Demi is keeping her cards close to her chest. ‘We’re keeping it a mystery,’ she said. ‘If people slowly start to figure it out, then maybe we’ll talk about it.’
Demi vowed to be more careful about what she shares with her girlfriends from now on, if and when a second series is commissioned. ‘My natural thing is I want to tell everyone. I want to share everything,’ she said.
Shereen Low is a senior News and Entertainment Writer for Grazia.