On Purpose with Jay Shetty
On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Layla Taylor EXCLUSIVE: The Truth She's Finally Ready To Share

June 29, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Layla Taylor Comes Out: A Conversation About Authenticity, Survival, and Self-Worth

In a conversation with Jay Shetty, Layla Taylor — known from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — publicly shared for the first time that she is bisexual. "I'm gay and I date women and men," she said, explaining that she had known this about herself since childhood but lacked the language, representation, and safety to name it. The revelation anchors a broader discussion about growing up Black in a predominantly white Mormon community, surviving a toxic marriage, becoming a single mother with no financial safety net, and finally learning to be alone with herself.

The Weight of Fitting In

Taylor grew up in a predominantly white area where she was often the only Black child in her class. "I just thought that was the definition of beauty — pretty blonde girls with blonde hair and blue eyes," she said. By age 10, the pressure to conform led her to attempt bleaching her skin in a bath. She also straightened her hair from a young age, hiding its natural texture. "Any part of myself that would show that I was Black, I was so afraid to," she said.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:50) **Guest introduction and purpose of the interview** - Layla Taylor joins to share an unpublicized part of her identity for the first time
  • 2 (03:15) **Coming out as bisexual** - Layla states she is gay and dates both women and men
  • 3 (05:08) **Why now: post-breakup self-focus** - Recent breakup allowed her to stop living for others and examine her feelings directly
  • 4 (06:51) **First disclosure and immediate reactions** - Best friend Kate was the first person told during a trip
  • 5 (07:42) **Sharing with cast and public** - No cast members from *Secret Lives of Mormon Wives* have been told yet
  • 6 (08:36) **Earliest attractions and first intentional experience** - Childhood media moments and later sober dating clarified her orientation
  • 7 (09:58) **Family environment around sexuality** - No direct conversations about sexuality occurred at home

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Show Notes

In one of her most honest conversations yet, Layla Taylor reflects on the quiet journey of becoming herself. She opens up about coming out as bisexual, navigating faith, identity, single motherhood, and the weight of growing up feeling like she had to fit into everyone else's expectations. Rather than focusing on the hardships alone, this episode explores what happens when you stop living in survival mode and finally choose authenticity, self-worth, and the freedom to define your own life.

In this episode you'll learn:

How to Stop Living for Other People's Approval

How to Finally Embrace Your Authentic Self

How to Leave a Toxic Relationship Without Regret

How to Find Yourself After Divorce and Heartbreak

How to Be Comfortable Being Alone for the First Time

How to Turn Your Hardest Experiences Into Strength

The greatest freedom comes from embracing yourself with honesty, letting go of the expectations that no longer serve you, and trusting that growth often begins on the other side of fear. Your story doesn't have to be perfect to be meaningful, it just has to be yours.

With Love and Gratitude,

Jay Shetty

JAY’S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe  

Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast 

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro

00:48 Coming Out for the First Time

02:45 Stop Living for Other People

03:48 Choosing to Be Yourself

06:33 Understanding Your Sexuality

07:56 Why We Need to Talk About Sex

10:08 Why I Became Mormon

12:50 The Need to Fit In

15:12 How My Kids Changed Me

16:53 Becoming a Mom at 19

18:15 Why I Chose Marriage

19:53 Inside a Toxic Relationship

21:04 Learning to Know Your Worth

23:24 Starting Over as a Single Mom

25:54 My Lowest Point

27:31 Learning to Date Again

29:05 Finding Yourself in Solitude

30:32 The Conversation Women Need to Have

33:08 Why Sex Education Matters

36:26 Letting Go of Perfection

36:59 Accepting Who You Are

38:51 Facing Your Biggest Fear

39:40 Dating Women for the First Time

41:07 The Reality of Parenting

43:00 Raising Mentally Healthy Kids

44:16 Healing Low Self-Worth

46:41 Using Your Platform for Good

47:58 Opening Your Heart Again

49:03 If You're Afraid to Come Out

52:30 Layla on Final Five 

Episo

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

More from this podcast

On Purpose with Jay Shetty →