Bustle Exclusive
The stars of Hulus new hit reality show are on the cusp of something big.
The comped hotel rooms!Its a princess treatment, Paul tells me during a visit to Bustle offices.
I called my mom, I’m like, You should have come with me.
Look at my room!
In the whirlwind, Paul hasnt even watched the show yet.
Its not that weird that I havent seen it, right?
I mean, its a little weird, Neeley replies.
The pair cant help but keep it real.
but save for the first episode, most of the show was filmed the following year.
(Fruity Pebbles, anyone?)
I definitely have texted my manager the most random things, childhood dreams.
I’m like, I want to do Victoria’s Secret.
Now that the shows out, what kind of feedback have you guys been getting?
Neeley:I feel like its positive.
Paul:I feel like its really good forus.
I feel for our friends.
Neeley:Yeah, there’s certain friends who havent gotten the best feedback, but
Certain friends?
Paul:Whitney, I just feel for her.
Neeley:Shes getting a lot of hate, a lot of heat right now for sure.
But I told her, Just ride it.
Its like, I feel for her, but she can also just own it, too.
At the end of the eight episodes, you both leave your relationships with Whitney on a sour note.
Have things changed since then?
Paul:Were all just cordial.
Mayci:Me and her were still friends after the show.
Not nearly as close as we were before, but we’d had to do press together.
When we are together, it feels like normal, right?
But when we’re not together, it doesn’t.
And so right now I would say we’re cordial, friendly maybe?
It’s hard to say.
Paul:I dont even know how she feels about me, truly.
Yeah, I feel like were good.
She said we’re good so I think we’re good, but I don’t know now.
Neeley:You never know.
Paul:Things have changed, so well see.
I’m here for you.
The only friend that originally reached out.
So I’ll be that friend that’s going to be here for her in a dark time.
Maybe she doesn’t want me at all, but Im here if she needs me, you know?
Paul:I think you and Mikayla [Matthews] said, Hey, were here.
But Whitney called and was like, Are you OK?
Can I come over?
After that first round of controversy, do you guys feel like you could weather anything?
Paul:At this point, my skin is pretty thick.
It would be really hard to be going through something harder than that.
The arrest was really hard on me.
And that was so public and very real.
That was the hardest thing I went through, and then I can’t imagine anything worse.
Mayci:I mean, the swinging scandal didn’t cause me too much grief.
you’re free to say what you want, but I know the truth.
It didn’t really bug me at all.
As youve been doing press, has it been hard to rehash all that youve been through in interviews?
[But] for Taylor, I assume yeah.
Paul:The Viall Fileswas hard for me.
Because it was, like, deep questioning …
It was hard to listen to, actually.
Neeley:It was hard for me to listen to it.
I literally had tears listening to her [gestures to Paul].
Paul:I got home and [my boyfriend] Dakota’s like, How was it?
And I was like, Honestly, it probably wasn’t the best.
Don’t listen to it.
Its hard for your partners to listen to that.
Its not fun to listen to your girlfriend go through that with other men.
Neeley:It was before [you were with] him, so
Paul:It is before him.
I need to remember that it’s hard to hear from your significant other.
How is he doing generally with the show being out?
Better than I thought.
I think hes just taking it for what it is.
They showed a little bit of him, but not the whole thing.
And he was like, I’ll maybe have a chance later to tell my story too.
So I think hes doing great.
He felt like his whole story wasnt told?
Like, he has a lot of good sides.
That’s all he needs to hear.
Have you both worked through your feelings about Dakota since the show ended?
And it wasn’t shown, but I got [Maycis] approval to call Jenna.
So I just want to make that clear, because I would never overstep that much … And so I just want my friends to be happy and what’s best for them.
And so Taylor working on everything with Dakota and improving is great.
I’m happy for them.
Paul:Yeah, and I had no issues with it.
You’ve kind of been asked to be cultural translators.
On social media I never really talked about religion.
Paul:Yeah we don’t understand the fascination with it.
We were born and raised with it, so it’s our normal it’s our life.
Paul:Thats a good question.
Honestly, I guess I’m just thinking for right now, Season 2.
That would be fun.
Neeley:I think it’s also seeing how big [the show] gets.
Because I’m like, wait, this was a childhood dream of mine.
I wonder if I can do this now, which I never thought I could.
Or like, I wonder if I could be on this magazine.
Things that opportunity-wise I think we’d all love to have.
Paul:And pivot from that, right?
Businesses that we’ve wanted to do.
Neeley:I think its hard because we haven’t watched a ton of reality TV …
The only one I really know is the Kardashians, right?
They all have their businesses and they’re super successful.
So if we could model off them, sure, I’ll take that.
Paul:Yeah, because they all turned it into businesses … That’s another good question, honestly.
When people ask me deeper questions, I realize how much I don’t know about myself.
Because I don’t have answers.
Why do you think that is?
Paul:I was asked that in therapy the other day.
They asked, Who are you?
And I had no answers.
I was like, I know my favorite color is green and Im a mom.
I knew just basic things about myself, but that’s such a loaded question.
Who would you say you are, Mayci?
Could you answer that?
Neeley:I became a mom really young, at 20.
When you become a mom so young, you have to rediscover who you are.
I’m still working on that too.
I would just go based off family, career.
That’s whats hard.
We’re all still discovering who we are and stuff like that.
Paul:What do you want?
That was another [question from my therapist].
What do you want?
And I was like, That is so hard because I go off of my family.
Neeley:Health and happiness.
That’s what I always pray for at night.
Everything else falls after that.
Paul:I think mine was peace.
I was like, “I just want peace.”
I just haven’t felt it in so long that my body is in fight or flight.
In the last two years, I haven’t felt peaceful.
I’m excited for that day to come.
Has the reaction to the show affected your relationships with your communities, with the Mormon Church at all?
Neeley:If anything, its better now than it was before.
Before the show came out, it was so much speculation, judging the book by its cover.
Now that it’s out, I haven’t heard anything negative.
Oh my gosh, I hate this."
And I’m like, “OK, sorry, it’s real life.
This is what happens.
And I only said it one time the whole show.”
Is that something you guys have dealt with?
Neeley:Not in my relationship at all.
For a while I was the complete sole provider.
My husband actually just got a job recently, and so for me it was nothing new.
It depends on who your partner is, and my partner is very open.
The older generation in the Mormon culture has different views.
I know my parents, when I was a sole provider, were not about it.
They’re like, No, he needs to work.
That’s what I really love about the show showcasing that.
Paul:Yeah, I would say it doesn’t affect my relationship.
I don’t think he had an issue with it.
But I’m also for the moms who want to stay home too and raise their kids.
And I think it’s up to you.
I wouldn’t mind sitting at home and cooking, taking care of the kids.
I’ll take it.
Neeley:There are times where I’m like, “I want to be a trad wife.”
Paul:Me too …
But then there’s other days where we want to come out and do our own thing.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
