Man who was raised in Warren Jeffs’ polygamist Mormon cult reveals he had FOUR mothers and 44 siblings, as he opens up about his ‘toxic’ escape from religion to find freedom in NYC

• Calvin Wayman, 34, from Utah, was raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) and grew up with one dad and four moms
• He opened up about leaving the cult in the Truly series My Extraordinary Family
• Wayman said the best part of his upbringing was having 44 siblings, but there were times where the religion became ‘very detrimental to my development’ 
• After leaving Utah and studying the origins of the FLDS, he traveled the world and learned about other faiths before settling in New York City
• Wayman left the FLDS Church for good four years ago, and his biological mom later followed in his footsteps 

A former member of Warren Jeffs’ fundamentalist Mormon cult has opened up about starting his life over after leaving the polygamist community where he grew up with five parents and 44 siblings. 

Calvin Wayman, 34, from Utah, was raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), but his dreams of becoming an entrepreneur led him to suddenly quit his 9-to-5 job and move to Southern California in 2015. 

‘That’s what blew this thing wide open,’ he explained in a new episode of the Truly series My Extraordinary Family. ‘Because for the first time in my life, I was outside of it, and I could observe what I was in.’

Calvin Wayman, 34, from Utah, opened up about leaving the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) in the Truly series My Extraordinary Family

Wayman (pictured as a child) grew up on a farm with one dad, four mothers, and 44 siblings 

Wayman started studying the origins of the FLDS, which was founded in 1929 after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abandoned polygamy in 1890 and excommunicated members who refused to give up the practice of plural marriage.

‘One of the distinct differences [of FLDS] compared to regular Mormonism or any other religion is its deep belief in the practice of polygamy,’ he noted.

The church, which has an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 members, believes polygamy brings exaltation in heaven and a number of the marriages arranged in the community involved underage girls. 

Jeffs, who is believed to have about 78 wives and at least 60 children, became the leader of the FLDS Church in 2002. 

He was sentenced to life in prison in 2011 after being convicted of aggravated sexual assault of two children, ages 12 and 15, whom he took as wives.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=xSeldrqYmas%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

Wayman (pictured as a baby) is the sixth of his biological mother Christine’s 12 children

His father (pictured) had four wives, including his biological mother, and they all lived in the same house 

Wayman didn’t discuss the cult’s pedophile leader or his crimes during the episode. Instead, he focused on his own upbringing working with his siblings on the farm where he was raised.  

‘I had five parents all in the same house. One dad, of course, my biological mom, and three other moms. I have 44 siblings,’ he explained. 

Wayman is the sixth of his biological mother Christine’s 12 children, and he shared that he always enjoyed having a big family. 

‘Hands down, the best part of my life and upbringing is having 44 siblings,’ he said. ‘But there were certain key points in my life where the religion became very detrimental to my development.’ 

Wayman loved having a big family and said the best part of his upbringing was having 44 siblings 

He and his siblings used to work on the farm, feeding the animals and milking the cows 

‘There were certain key points in my life where the religion became very detrimental to my development,’ he explained 

After leaving Utah and discovering more about the FLDS, he was inspired to travel around the world and learn about other faiths before settling in New York City. 

Wayman recalled the backlash he faced when he left the church four years ago, saying it was ‘hands down the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life.’

‘When you have 50 people in your family, there’s a lot of different reactions,’ he explained. ‘The person that was the most sad for me I felt was my dad, and I think he took it personally when I decided to leave. 

‘He was really wanting to understand why, and then he tried to talk me out of it. He gave me a couple of different books and said, “Please, read these before you make the full decision. I said, “I will read them, but I’ve already decided.” 

Wayman decided to go to college even though that wasn’t the norm for members of the church

Wayman’s dreams of becoming an entrepreneur led him to suddenly quit his 9-to-5 job and move to Southern California in 2015

Wayman started researching the origins of the FLDS and traveling around the world, which led him to question his beliefs 

‘The judgment that I felt when I left was challenging,’ he added. ‘A lot of people in the community were quick to say something sharp because as far as their view goes, I was someone that got sucked into the allure of fame and money in the world, and it got incredibly toxic in some places.’

Wayman’s mother followed in his footsteps and left the church last year. The episode documented her first visit to New York City to see where her son has been living. 

‘When Calvin left the religion, I wasn’t surprised. I’ve been proud of his journey. I was proud of him for choosing to go to college even though it wasn’t the norm for our religion,’ Christine said. 

‘He went on a path because he knew it was right for himself. He actually followed his heart and his intuition. He went through a process of discovery, which I think is awesome.’

Wayman had the opportunity to learn about other faiths during his travels 

Wayman left the FLDS Church for good four years ago, and his mom later followed in his footsteps

Wayman and his mother were looking at old photos in his apartment when she admitted she was ‘always afraid’ to tell him how proud she was of him. 

He later introduced her to a few of his friends in the city, who were admittedly curious about their lives in a fundamentalist cult.  

‘I like the man I have to be and become to make it here, and I feel like I belong. It’s the first place I’ve ever spent time in where I truly can just relax, and that’s not a word you usually hear about New York City,’ he said of his new home. ‘But I feel like I can relax into myself here.’

‘I’ve learned so much about myself. Connecting with other people and having deep conversations with other people around the world that I wouldn’t have had otherwise,’ he told the cameras. 

The episode documented his mom’s first visit to New York City to see where he has been living

‘When Calvin left the religion, I wasn’t surprised. I’ve been proud of his journey,’ Christine said

Wayman and his mother were looking at old photos in his apartment when she admitted she was ‘always afraid’ to tell him how proud she was of him

One of Wayman’s pals recalled how he was reserved and only wore button-down shirts when she met him seven or eight years ago.  

‘I think what happens is once you’re away from the religion and the location, a lot of those things in your mind that are going on drop off too,’ his mom noted. 

‘I have about six children that have left, and as they grew up, they gave me bits and pieces of things to think about. I was a very open-minded type of mother.’ 

The author agreed that it took time for him to come into himself and figure out his own beliefs after leaving the FLDS. 

Six of Christine’s children have left the church, including Wayman. ‘I was a very open-minded type of mother,’ she said 

Wayman shared at the end of the episode that he wants to establish himself in New York City and use his story to inspire other people

‘It’s the hardest decision that ends up being the best decision you can ever make in your life,’ he explained. ‘We’ve got one life. Live it’

‘When you are coming out of it, you have to almost de-program and unwind and unravel in layers and layers and layers, and so it doesn’t just happen in a night. it takes days and weeks and sometimes years,’ he explained. 

‘I have an iPhone note that I made called “Before I die…” and I have a list of things that I want to do while I’m here.’

Wayman shared at the end of the episode that he wants to establish himself in New York City and use his story to inspire other people. 

‘I woke up and realized, yes, I’m a character of many characters, but I’m holding the pen, and I can choose whatever I’m writing for the next chapters,’ he said. ‘If anybody else is going through a big chapter change, I commend you. You’re doing the right thing. You matter. It’s scary. Don’t compromise. 

‘It’s the hardest decision that ends up being the best decision you can ever make in your life,’ he added. ‘We’ve got one life. Live it.’

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