Jen Affleck opens up about her fourth pregnancy and marriage to Zac Affleck.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star says she and husband Zac Affleck have been working through challenges “behind closed doors” as she prepares to welcome their fourth child.
Jen Affleck is opening up about a difficult stretch in her life while preparing to become a mother of four.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, 27, recently spoke with PEOPLE about her marriage to Zac Affleck, her struggles during the first trimester of her fourth pregnancy, and the major life changes that came with moving from Utah to California to film the upcoming Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County spinoff.
While Jen has been publicly candid about some of the challenges she has experienced, she says there are also parts of her marriage that she and Zac are continuing to work through privately.
“There’s a lot that we’ve been navigating behind closed doors,” Jen tells PEOPLE.
Her comments come during an especially demanding period for the reality star. Along with caring for three young children, adjusting to a new state and filming a television series, Jen has been dealing with pregnancy-related difficulties that made her first trimester particularly challenging.
Despite everything, she says she is beginning to feel more hopeful.
“It’s been a lot the past couple of months, I’ll be honest,” she says. “But I do feel like I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and just trying to count my blessings every single day.”
Jen Affleck Is Preparing to Welcome Baby No. 4
Jen and Zac are already parents to three young children: Nora, 4, Luca, 3, and Penelope, 1.
Earlier this year, the couple announced that they were expecting their fourth child. Jen celebrated the pregnancy with a maternity photoshoot in which she showed off her growing baby bump in a flowing yellow halter-neck dress.
The pregnancy arrived at a time when the family was already undergoing a significant transition.
Jen had been announced as part of the cast for The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County, a spinoff of the Hulu reality series. As filming got underway, she and her three children relocated from their home in Utah to California.
Moving with three young children while beginning production on a reality show would have been a major adjustment under any circumstances. For Jen, however, the transition coincided with the discovery that she was pregnant again and the onset of difficult first-trimester symptoms.
She has since been increasingly open about what that period was like for her.
Her First Trimester Was Especially Difficult
Jen says her pregnancy was complicated by a number of physical and emotional struggles.
Only about three weeks after arriving in Orange County, she developed an infected wisdom tooth. Because she was pregnant and experiencing severe nausea and vomiting, dealing with the dental problem became even more complicated.
“I have to go into surgery, I can’t go under, I can’t take the meds because I’m nauseous and throwing up,” she recalls.
The situation added another layer of difficulty to an already exhausting first trimester.
“I mean, I was just going through it,” Jen says.
Her physical symptoms were accompanied by another challenge that she later discussed publicly: prenatal depression.
In an emotional Instagram post, Jen revealed that her mental health had taken a serious turn during the early part of her pregnancy. She said her mind had gone to “some really dark places” and admitted that the experience scared her.
Her decision to discuss those feelings publicly was not necessarily an easy one, particularly because she has a large audience watching her personal life unfold.
But Jen says she believes there is value in sharing difficult experiences when doing so could help someone else feel less alone.
Why Jen Affleck Chose to Share Her Story
As a reality television personality, Jen is already accustomed to having aspects of her personal life discussed publicly. However, pregnancy and mental health brought a different level of vulnerability.
She says she believes there is a reason behind what she is experiencing and hopes that being honest about it can benefit other people.
“I definitely feel like everything that I’m experiencing right now is for a reason, and I do believe that it’s supposed to help people,” Jen explains.
The reality star also recognizes that her circumstances may seem very different from those of many people watching her.
She is a young mother of four, part of the Mormon community portrayed on her reality series, and now navigating life in front of television cameras. Still, Jen believes that the emotions and struggles she has experienced can resonate with people regardless of their backgrounds.
“I think I’m in a very unique and interesting situation, where maybe people can’t relate with being Mormon and having four kids at such a young age, but I do think there are different things that people can relate with,” she tells PEOPLE.
For Jen, that connection appears to be more important than avoiding criticism.
“I think there’s always going to be hate, and there’s always going to be criticism,” she says, “but as long as one person is benefiting from me sharing my story, that’s all that matters to me.”
Zac Affleck Stepped Up While Jen Was Sick
During the most difficult part of her first trimester, Jen says her husband Zac played an important role at home.
With Jen feeling extremely ill, she was unable to be as present for their three children as she normally would have been.
“I could not be there for my kids, and so Zac really had to show up,” she says. “I mean, he didn’t really have a choice.”
The couple’s responsibilities became particularly important as they adjusted to life in California.
Caring for Nora, Luca and Penelope while Jen was experiencing severe pregnancy symptoms required Zac to take on more of the day-to-day parenting responsibilities.
Jen’s comments highlight one of the less glamorous realities of pregnancy, particularly for parents who already have several young children. The experience can affect not only the person who is pregnant but also the routines and responsibilities shared by the entire family.
For Jen and Zac, that period appears to have required them to adapt quickly.
Jen and Zac Are Still Working Through Their Marriage
The couple’s relationship has previously been part of the storyline surrounding Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Jen and Zac married in 2019, and viewers have seen some of the difficulties in their relationship play out on the reality series.
Now, as they prepare to welcome another child, Jen acknowledges that their relationship continues to require work.
Rather than suggesting that everything is perfect behind the scenes, she says the couple has been navigating challenges privately.
“There’s a lot that we’ve been navigating behind closed doors,” Jen shares.
Her comments offer a glimpse into a part of her life that she does not necessarily put on display for social media or reality television.
At the same time, Jen credits Zac with supporting her through the difficult early months of her pregnancy.
“I wouldn’t have survived the first trimester without” him, she says.
Her remarks suggest that while the couple may still be working through aspects of their relationship, they have also had to rely on one another during an exceptionally demanding period.
A New Baby During a Major Career Change
Jen’s fourth pregnancy is unfolding alongside a major professional chapter.
Joining The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County means adjusting to a new production environment and a different lifestyle in California. The move has also meant uprooting the family’s routine in Utah.
For a mother with three children under five, the transition alone would be substantial. Adding pregnancy, severe morning sickness and mental-health struggles made the adjustment even more complicated.
Yet Jen continues to balance family life with her growing presence in the entertainment world.
Her partnership with Quest Nutrition is another part of that professional expansion, and it comes as her personal story continues to attract attention from viewers of the Mormon Wives franchise.
The reality star’s willingness to discuss the harder parts of this period may also change how audiences view what happens outside the show’s edited episodes.
Jen Affleck Says She Is Looking Toward Better Days
Although Jen has described the past several months as overwhelming, she says she is beginning to see a way forward.
Her focus now appears to be on appreciating the positive moments while continuing to manage the challenges that come with pregnancy, motherhood, marriage and life in the public eye.
For Jen, the experience has also reinforced her desire to be honest with her audience.
She knows that sharing personal struggles can invite criticism, but she believes that the possibility of helping even one person makes the vulnerability worthwhile.
As she prepares for baby No. 4, Jen is therefore entering another major chapter with both optimism and realism.
Her relationship with Zac remains something the couple is working on privately, while her pregnancy has brought its own physical and emotional challenges. At the same time, she is adapting to a new home, raising three young children and continuing her reality-TV career.
For fans of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, those competing pressures could become an important part of Jen’s story moving forward.
For now, however, Jen says she is trying to focus on what she can be grateful for.
After an intense first trimester and a demanding period of change, the reality star says she is finally beginning to feel that brighter days may be ahead.
