Living with Two Wives: Inside a Mormon Polygamous Family

Stacey Dooley travels to a remote corner of South Dakota to spend a weekend with a modern-day polygamist Mormon family.

Polygamy may be illegal in the U.S., but that hasn’t stopped Jeff Alldredge from building a life with multiple wives. In 2008, Jeff spiritually married 22-year-old Vanessa, and just a year later, welcomed a second wife, 21-year-old Sharis. Now, Stacey joins Jeff, his two wives, and their eight children on their 20-acre homestead to find out what life is really like inside a plural marriage.

With the mainstream Mormon church rejecting polygamy over a century ago, the family now practices their faith independently—holding prayers in the living room and navigating family life on their own terms. As Stacey gets to know the family, she learns how Jeff rotates between his wives’ bedrooms, how jealousy and balance come into play, and how the children are raised in this unique household.

But tensions rise when Jeff drops a bombshell: he’s actively searching for a third wife. Stacey questions whether Jeff’s faith truly drives his choices—or if there's more to the story. What does this mean for Vanessa, Sharis, and the already large family? And what happens when polygamy gets even more complicated?