The ex-wife of divisive MAFS groom Tyson Gordon has broken her silence, slamming the former soldier for dragging her into his outspoken anti-woke worldview.
Mormon Tove Thoreson, 26, who married Gordon in 2019 after the pair met at a ski resort in Utah, was shocked to hear their marriage referenced during his controversial appearance on the Channel Nine reality show.
So far during the experiment, Tyson, 30, has made headlines for his strident right-wing views, telling viewers he had no time for ‘woke culture’ and was searching for a ‘trad wife’.
A ‘trad wife’ refers to a woman who embraces traditional gender roles, prioritising homemaking, marriage and family over paid work.
Tyson left viewers outraged after informing his new bride, Stephanie Marshall – a real estate agent who once made $680,000 in a year – that he was looking for a ‘submissive wife’, and that she was ‘too masculine’ for having a career.
He also alluded on the show to his brief marriage to Ms Thoreson when he blamed their split on her being ‘a bit messy around the house’.
Mormon Tove Thoreson married Tyson Gordon in 2019 after the pair met at a ski resort in Utah
Tyson left fans outraged after informing his new bride, Stephanie Marshall – a real estate agent who once made $680,000 in a year – that he was looking for a ‘submissive wife’
Speaking to the Daily Mail this week, Ms Thoreson said Tyson’s outdated opinions did not reflect her views, even as someone from a Mormon background.
‘I do not support or agree with the behaviour he has shown on television or what I experienced in real life,’ she said.
Ms Thoreson, who is American, said she did not even understand what the term ‘trad wife’ meant when they were married, and believes her religious background was misrepresented to underscore Tyson’s MAFS persona.
‘I knew him mentioning I was a Mormon would grab people’s attention, that’s for sure,’ she said.
‘We were both young – I was only 21. I wasn’t even aware of those terms back then in regards to being “trad”. A lot of people may assume because I am Mormon that Mormon women are like that, but that’s not the case.
‘Yes, we are more traditional possibly, but with Mormon women today we are not “submissive” at all.’
Ms Thoreson declined to discuss specific details surrounding their split, after Tyson had implied her untidiness was somehow to blame.
‘Our relationship ultimately became unhealthy and difficult, which is why it ended,’ she said. ‘The reasons for that are personal and not something I’m willing to discuss publicly.’
He also alluded on the show to his brief marriage to Ms Thoreson when he blamed their split on her being ‘a bit messy around the house’
Tyson said his TV wife Stephanie was ‘too masculine’ because she had a job
While Tyson suggested on the show the pair had remained on friendly terms, Ms Thoreson said that was not accurate.
‘I can’t comment on his views, now versus then, as I haven’t spoken to him in six years,’ she said.
‘Tyson and I are not friends and we do not speak, as that period of my life was very difficult and I have no interest in revisiting it publicly.’
She also moved to shut down speculation that their marriage was motivated by visa arrangements.
‘Tyson and I met in 2018 when he and his family happened to visit the ski resort in Utah where I was working,’ she said.
‘What started as a chance meeting turned into a long-distance relationship, and for about a year and a half we travelled back and forth between Australia and the United States before eventually getting married in Utah.
‘I am Mormon and Tyson is not. After we married, I moved to Australia and lived there for about a year. Because of that, claims that we only knew each other or were married for 30 days, or that I was some sort of internet girlfriend trying to obtain Australian citizenship, simply aren’t true.’
Despite wanting to distance herself from the controversy, Ms Thoreson said she now fears that Gordon’s sister, popular Twitch streamer Madison Gordon, could become caught up in the fallout.
Madison boasts more than a million followers across social media and often dresses up in cosplay costumes for special gaming events.
Tyson’s sister Madison Gordon is a famous Twitch streamer
‘The only ongoing connection from that time in my life is my friendship with his sister, Madison, who is one of my closest friends and truly one of the loveliest people I know,’ Ms Thoreson said.
‘She has had absolutely no involvement in any of this, and I sincerely hope people will refrain from dragging her into it.’
Ms Thoreson also urged viewers to remember reality TV offers only a ‘narrow lens of a person’.
‘The version viewers see is one dimension, not the entirety of who someone is as a human being,’ she said.
‘People are complex and shaped by experiences and struggles the public may never see.
‘Recognising that complexity does not excuse harmful behaviour, but it does acknowledge that no person is defined by a single portrayal.
‘I do not wish Tyson ill, and I sincerely hope that through everything happening publicly right now there can ultimately be some light and healing for him.’
Ms Thoreson, who recently had a baby, says she is focused on her family and prefers ‘not to revisit that chapter beyond correcting the facts’.
‘I’ve received messages about comments he made on television, but I can’t speak to why he said those things,’ she added.
