Episode 70 | If Joseph Smith Lived Today, He'd End Up Like Warren Jeffs | Lindsay Hansen Park

Episode 70 | If Joseph Smith Lived Today, He'd End Up Like Warren Jeffs | Lindsay Hansen Park

Joseph Smith vs. Warren Jeffs: Polygamy, Power, and Mormonism’s Dark Legacy | Lindsay Hansen Park On the Jaden Jeffs Podcast, Jaden interviews Mormon historian Lindsay Hansen Park about parallels between Joseph Smith and Warren Jeffs, arguing Mormon culture can normalize coercion by making leaders righteous and excusing abuse. They discuss Joseph Smith’s polygamy (including a 14-year-old), power consolidation in Nauvoo, sincerity versus manipulation, and how his death created martyrdom that helped Mormonism endure. Lindsay describes Mormonism as “catnip for predators,” cites patterns of obedience, complicity, and victim-perpetrator complexity, and compares LDS corporatization with fundamentalist attempts to restore early doctrines. They cover Brigham Young’s influence, the Mountain Meadows Massacre and historical cover-up, Porter Rockwell’s violence, debates over the Journal of Discourses, Adam-God doctrine, psychedelic/trance theories in early Mormon ecstatic experiences, and challenges of healing after leaving high-control religion. Lindsay plugs Sunstone, her upcoming book The Ballad of Juanita Brooks, and her podcasts. FOLLOW LINDSAY HANSEN PARK  Year of Polygamy Podcast: https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/ [https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/] Sunstone Education Foundation: https://sunstone.org/ [https://sunstone.org/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsay_hansen_park/ [https://www.instagram.com/lindsay_hansen_park/] Twitter): https://x.com/FemiLinzi [https://x.com/FemiLinzi] 01:19 Meet Lindsay Hansen Park  06:38 Joseph Smith vs Warren Jeffs  09:59 Martyrdom and Legacy  16:19 Victims and Perpetrators  17:55 Polygamy Then and Now  21:17 Occult Roots and Boredom  25:05 Childhood Parallels  31:37 Gold Plates and Confidence  39:20 Joseph Smith Sincerity  40:56 Warren Jeffs Psychology  45:09 Complicity Shared Delusion  48:11 Porter Rockwell Myth  49:33 Joseph Smith Child Brides  55:40 Predators and Mormon Culture  01:11:01 Charisma and Primary Voice  01:19:36 Brigham Young Guilty Pleasure  01:23:31 Loving a Complicated Father  01:25:09 Faithful Mormon Bad Manners  01:25:50 Journal of Discourses Debate  01:31:10 Mountain Meadows Responsibility  01:37:46 John D Lee Survival Lore  01:41:38 Polygamy Denial Conspiracies  01:49:26 Rulon Jeffs Infiltration Theory  01:55:26 Why Conspiracies Persist  01:58:25 Adam God Doctrine Setup  02:00:55 Brigham Young Origins  02:02:41 Church Scrubs Doctrine  02:04:52 Numbers And Polygamy  02:07:08 Occult Numerology Roots  02:11:26 Life After Mormonism  02:30:01 Book And Farewell 👇SHOP MERCH HERE FROM JADEN fromjaden.com [http://fromjaden.com] 👇 FOLLOW + SUPPORT THE PODCAST Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3GHUWDyJ5ZJ0QzVu8EihBH?si=hpDUxgqMR9CIkwei0Ghiew [https://open.spotify.com/show/3GHUWDyJ5ZJ0QzVu8EihBH?si=hpDUxgqMR9CIkwei0Ghiew] 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jaden-jeffs-podcast/id1795576157 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jaden-jeffs-podcast/id1795576157] ✉️ Newsletter (Substack): https://jadenjeffs.substack.com/ [https://jadenjeffs.substack.com/] 👇 MY Website JadenJeffs.com [http://JadenJeffs.com] 👇 SOCIALS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realjadenjeffs?igsh=cm9ybmY1dzk1dmNp&utm_source=qr [https://www.instagram.com/realjadenjeffs?igsh=cm9ybmY1dzk1dmNp&utm_source=qr] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jadenjeffs100?_r=1&_t=ZP-91rDt1rkLz5 [https://www.tiktok.com/@jadenjeffs100?_r=1&_t=ZP-91rDt1rkLz5] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BtYdgFoS5/?mibextid=wwXIfr [https://www.facebook.com/share/1BtYdgFoS5/?mibextid=wwXIfr] 👇 WATCH NEXT ➡️ Most Popular Videos: https://youtu.be/I-gZtaxMv9w [https://youtu.be/I-gZtaxMv9w] https://youtu.be/3WIYe15Osts [https://youtu.be/3WIYe15Osts] https://youtu.be/rNKg83fMuN4 [https://youtu.be/rNKg83fMuN4] ➡️ Podcast Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk3w3VkHlWzRgsNC_wNeOBxa0AEBnpsCz&si=izu5YMpxghxqO13m [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk3w3VkHlWzRgsNC_wNeOBxa0AEBnpsCz&si=izu5YMpxghxqO13m] 👇 BUSINESS 📩 Contact: heyjadenjeffs@gmail.com [heyjadenjeffs@gmail.com] Buy me a Coffee via Venmo ❤️ https://venmo.com/u/fitoj [https://venmo.com/u/fitoj]

Episode 69 | We Were the "Good Polygamists” | Emily Lee

Emily Lee on Growing Up AUB, Abuse, Leaving Polygamy, and Rebuilding After Divorce | Jaden Jeffs Podcast On the Jaden Jeffs Podcast, Jaden interviews Emily Lee, who was raised in the AUB (United Apostolic Brethren) with a father who had multiple wives and dozens of children and is now the group’s prophet. Emily describes severe anxiety, heavy childcare responsibilities from age eight, favoritism among wives, and physical abuse from her father and a favored wife, contrasting public appearances with private violence. She discusses AUB size, history, and how leadership uses rules, dress codes, and media restrictions to maintain control, including “recycling” women back into the group. Emily explains marrying at 17 to a non-AUB man, becoming an instant mother, enduring infidelity and trauma bonding, divorcing and remarrying him, and later divorcing again, plus ongoing therapy, PTSD, and rebuilding her identity. Emily's YouTube: https://youtube.com/@good-enough-444?si=qc-tQbfJvdQZNBsY [https://youtube.com/@good-enough-444?si=qc-tQbfJvdQZNBsY] Emily's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@emilylee1942?_r=1&_t=ZP-97VfXI6vZhG [https://www.tiktok.com/@emilylee1942?_r=1&_t=ZP-97VfXI6vZhG] 02:59 Growing Up AUB 04:37 Dad Behind Closed Doors 06:10 AUB Size And Image 12:05 Prophet Power Shift 19:29 Funeral And Burial Talk 22:07 Teen Years And School 30:18 Sneaky Romance Marriage 34:48 Trauma Bonded Marriage 45:38 Recycling Women Doctrine 50:59 First Divorce Escape Plan 55:14 Stepdaughter And Mom Guilt 01:00:04 Why They Reunited 01:00:56 Divorce and Coparenting 01:02:26 Remarriage Decision 01:06:30 Grief After Divorce 01:08:40 Faith After AUB 01:10:04 Dating and Red Flags 01:16:51 AUB Future and Polygamy 01:28:10 Identity After Cult 01:46:17 PTSD and Starting Over 01:53:14 Closing and Channel Plug 👇SHOP MERCH HERE FROM JADEN fromjaden.com [http://fromjaden.com] 👇 FOLLOW + SUPPORT THE PODCAST Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3GHUWDyJ5ZJ0QzVu8EihBH?si=hpDUxgqMR9CIkwei0Ghiew [https://open.spotify.com/show/3GHUWDyJ5ZJ0QzVu8EihBH?si=hpDUxgqMR9CIkwei0Ghiew] 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jaden-jeffs-podcast/id1795576157 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jaden-jeffs-podcast/id1795576157] ✉️ Newsletter (Substack): https://jadenjeffs.substack.com/ [https://jadenjeffs.substack.com/] 👇 MY Website JadenJeffs.com [http://JadenJeffs.com] 👇 SOCIALS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realjadenjeffs?igsh=cm9ybmY1dzk1dmNp&utm_source=qr [https://www.instagram.com/realjadenjeffs?igsh=cm9ybmY1dzk1dmNp&utm_source=qr] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jadenjeffs100?_r=1&_t=ZP-91rDt1rkLz5 [https://www.tiktok.com/@jadenjeffs100?_r=1&_t=ZP-91rDt1rkLz5] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BtYdgFoS5/?mibextid=wwXIfr [https://www.facebook.com/share/1BtYdgFoS5/?mibextid=wwXIfr] 👇 WATCH NEXT ➡️ Most Popular Videos: https://youtu.be/I-gZtaxMv9w [https://youtu.be/I-gZtaxMv9w] https://youtu.be/3WIYe15Osts [https://youtu.be/3WIYe15Osts] https://youtu.be/rNKg83fMuN4 [https://youtu.be/rNKg83fMuN4] ➡️ Podcast Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk3w3VkHlWzRgsNC_wNeOBxa0AEBnpsCz&si=izu5YMpxghxqO13m [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk3w3VkHlWzRgsNC_wNeOBxa0AEBnpsCz&si=izu5YMpxghxqO13m] 👇 BUSINESS 📩 Contact: heyjadenjeffs@gmail.com [heyjadenjeffs@gmail.com] Buy me a Coffee via Venmo ❤️ https://venmo.com/u/fitoj [https://venmo.com/u/fitoj]

Episode 68 | How Mormon Purity Culture Kept Her a Virgin Until Her 30s | Madison Sparkles

Ex-Mormon Madison Sparkles on Purity Culture, Temple Anxiety, Mental Health & Leaving the LDS Church | Jaden Jeffs Podcast On the Jaden Jeffs Podcast, ex-Mormon writer Madison Sparkles (Substack: Confessions of a 30-Year-Old Virgin) discusses growing up devout LDS in Iowa after moving from Utah, strict modesty and chastity expectations, bishop worthiness interviews, confusion around coffee vs. caffeine, and the pressures of Mormon dating and singleness. She describes serving as a temple worker, loving baptisms for the dead, but feeling intense anxiety during the endowment ceremony, including discomfort with temple clothing and symbolism. Madison recounts receiving a mission call to Daejeon, Korea, getting severely ill at the Provo MTC, coming home early with lasting stigma, and later leaving the church after worsening anxiety, depression, and scrupulosity, plus learning about the second anointing, LGBTQ issues, and troubling church history. She shares post-exit backlash, the fear of members wanting ex-members to fail, and her message to stop “shrinking.” 01:07 Podcast Introductions 02:28 Growing Up Mormon Iowa 04:46 Obedience And Rules 05:48 Coffee Caffeine Confusion 10:43 Modesty Shoulder Signals 12:31 Bishop Worthiness Interviews 18:03 Dating Marriage Pressure 20:04 Purity Culture Upsides 22:28 Masturbation Sex Education 25:22 Mission Call Korea 27:30 Height And Mormon Norms 39:57 MTC Training And Age Change 44:54 Missionary Surge Buzz 46:06 Church Mission Mindset 46:53 Everything Proves True 48:25 Sick Before Korea 53:31 Early Return Stigma 01:02:39 Trying to Go Back 01:07:12 Resentment and Rumors 01:09:59 Temple Devotion 01:14:45 Endowment Anxiety 01:21:18 Leaving and Scrupulosity 01:25:07 Scrupulosity and guilt 01:27:28 Grace never enough 01:29:48 ADHD and inspiration overload 01:32:33 Leaving makes you enemy 01:36:14 History cracks the shelf 01:37:45 Mental health breaking point 01:44:50 God said it’s okay 01:48:59 Second anointing shock 01:52:52 Joseph Smith parallels 01:55:08 Life after leaving 02:01:29 Purity culture fallout 02:06:47 Don’t shrink message 02:09:03 Breaking the cycle

Episode 67 | He Assaulted Me at 16, Now He's in Federal Prison | Amelia Miles

Amelia Miles on Leaving the LDS Church: Shame, Women’s Inequality, Trauma, and Alleged Abuse Cover-Ups | Jaden Jeffs Podcast On the Jaden Jeffs Podcast, Amelia Miles, a northern Utah mom of four raised in an orthodox LDS family in southern Utah, shares her experience leaving the church and the guilt, anxiety, and scrupulosity she says shaped her life. She discusses sheltered upbringing, learning to swear and drink without shame, cliquey Mormon culture, and marrying her husband in the temple in 2009 before later separating while both leave the church. Amelia describes being assaulted in high school and contrasts her parents’ support with stories of bishops blaming victims. She cites women’s inequality and her daughter’s bishop interview question about women leaders as major catalysts, and says researching “We Are the People” podcast led her to claims of church-related abuse cover-ups, including the Glenn Pace memo and allegations about Gordon Bowen, while urging belief and support for survivors and witnesses. 01:40 First Drinks And Mormon Guilt 06:57 Orthodox Mormon Upbringing 10:32 Moving Away And Finding Herself 16:32 Meeting Husband And Temple Marriage 27:03 Scrupulosity And Mormon Mom Cliques 33:25 Family Anxiety and Guilt 34:05 Deconstructing After Leaving 37:33 Swinging Rumors and Curiosity 41:25 Patriarchy and Women 45:41 Marriage and Church Pressure 48:25 Mormon Mom Social Mask 52:37 Home Feeling vs Spirituality 01:00:43 Podcast That Changed Everything 01:06:47 Survivors and Receipts 01:09:24 Gordon Bowen Allegations 01:13:47 Power Spirituality and Abuse 01:19:32 CIA Mormon Recruiting 01:24:22 Holy Ghost vs Morality 01:34:43 Coming Back to Body 01:50:26 Identity After Leaving 02:00:45 Final Thoughts and TikTok Guest links: https://www.tiktok.com/@straightouttamorm777?_r=1&_t=ZT-979fHwVKayb [https://www.tiktok.com/@straightouttamorm777?_r=1&_t=ZT-979fHwVKayb]

Episode 66 | I Was Expected to Take Wives—But I Wanted a Husband | Josh Kingston

Ex-Kingston Clan Insider Josh Kingston on The Order: Hiding Wives, Abuse, Queerness & Escaping Polygamy Follow Josh on tic tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kingstonkaboodle?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc On the Jaden Jeffs Podcast, Jaden and co-host Amanda Rae interview Josh Kingston, who left the Kingston Clan (“The Order,” DCCS). They discuss the group’s polygamy, incest and underage marriage allegations, financial exploitation of wives, and strict control tactics including forced displays of happiness and corporal punishment. Josh describes realizing he was gay young, repression in the group, and how coming out led to family estrangement and only a few relatives acknowledging his husband. He recounts being sent at 17 to help run families hiding in Colorado to avoid DNA warrants, the harsh living conditions for wives and children, and leaving at 19 with little money after unpaid labor. They cover the group’s schooling, cheating, distrust of medical care, Josh’s mother’s preventable death, and the ongoing impact of trauma, identity, and rebuilding life outside the cult. 01:06 Podcast Introductions 02:08 Kingston Family Ties 04:17 Coming Out In Polygamy 08:55 Hiding From Authorities 13:57 Polygamy Economics 16:45 Abuse And Obedience 23:26 Medical Neglect Stories 28:13 Daily Rituals Explained 30:29 Prayer Rituals and Doubt 31:40 Puberty Without Sex Ed 35:18 Privacy Policing at Home 37:59 Body Shame and Siblings 43:05 Marriage Pressure and Opting Out 45:57 Kids and Fostering Dreams 49:24 Leaving the Order in Colorado 52:38 Cut Off After Coming Out 54:00 Money and Bloodline Status 59:52 Schooling and Cheating Scandal 01:03:31 Education Catch Up 01:03:53 Whitewashed FLDS History 01:05:14 Missing Pop Culture Basics 01:06:07 Rebuilding After Leaving 01:08:04 Spotting Cult Red Flags 01:10:31 Dating After Brainwashing 01:12:19 Finding Your Social Self 01:14:53 Therapy Drugs and Normal 01:17:01 Cult Leaders and Charisma 01:18:50 Family Ties and Judgment 01:22:27 Faith Doubt and Heaven 01:29:57 Death Anxiety and Ghosts 01:34:08 Trump Shooting Conspiracy 01:37:25 Daycare Abuse Coverups 01:38:11 Biodiesel Fraud Fallout 01:39:26 Vanguard School Money Laundering 01:40:45 Cheating and Accountability 01:42:25 Healthy Narcissism Talk 01:44:31 Therapy and Healing 01:46:02 Future of The Order 01:49:08 Polyamory vs Polygamy 01:50:43 Monogamy Betrayal and Consent 01:57:34 Leaving Cult Life Reflections 02:02:16 Recruitment and Mormon History 02:05:47 Shoutouts and Wrap Up 👇**SHOP MERCH HERE FROM JADEN** fromjaden.com 👇 **FOLLOW + SUPPORT THE PODCAST** Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3GHUWDyJ5ZJ0QzVu8EihBH?si=hpDUxgqMR9CIkwei0Ghiew 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jaden-jeffs-podcast/id1795576157 ✉️ Newsletter (Substack): https://jadenjeffs.substack.com/ 👇 **MY Website** JadenJeffs.com 👇 **SOCIALS** Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realjadenjeffs?igsh=cm9ybmY1dzk1dmNp&utm_source=qr TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jadenjeffs100?_r=1&_t=ZP-91rDt1rkLz5 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BtYdgFoS5/?mibextid=wwXIfr 👇 **WATCH NEXT** ➡️ Most Popular Videos: https://youtu.be/I-gZtaxMv9w https://youtu.be/3WIYe15Osts https://youtu.be/rNKg83fMuN4 ➡️ Podcast Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk3w3VkHlWzRgsNC_wNeOBxa0AEBnpsCz&si=izu5YMpxghxqO13m 👇 **BUSINESS** 📩 Contact: heyjadenjeffs@gmail.com Buy me a Coffee via Venmo ❤️  https://venmo.com/u/fitoj