Once Essex’s golden family, the Wrights have found themselves in the midst of a scandal that’s unraveling their perfectly polished image. Jess Wright, her mother Carol, and younger sister Natalya, who once seemed to float effortlessly on the fame of The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE), are now caught in a controversy that has left their public reputations in tatters.
It all started with Jess’s comments on the Wright At Home podcast, a family project meant to showcase their fun, everyday lives. Instead, it’s turned into a PR disaster that’s threatening to undo years of work building their celebrity status. Jess kicked off a heated conversation when she declared that it’s unacceptable to walk around a beach wearing a thong bikini. To which Natalya responded, “At least if you’re going to wear them, put a sarong on when you bend over to put your towel on.” Jess echoed her sister’s sentiment, calling it “gross.” Meanwhile, Carol added that her husband, Mark Wright Sr., found revealing bikinis “unsexy.”
What was meant to be casual family banter quickly backfired when fans took to social media, accusing the Wright family of being “degrading” and “hypocritical.” Internet users, eager to call out the inconsistencies, scoured the Wright family’s past and unearthed photos of Jess and Natalya wearing similar thong bikinis. The backlash was swift and unforgiving, with the Wright women forced to delete the offending clips and issue an apology.
But the damage had already been done.
In a statement, the family admitted their error: “In response to comments we made on our podcast. We’ve listened, we hear you, and we want to say sorry. Our judgment was wrong, and we take full accountability and will do better moving forward. Love Jess, Natalya, and Carol.”
But behind the scenes, those closest to the Wrights couldn’t help but find humor in the situation. Sources close to Jess revealed that many in her Essex circle are delighted by the scandal, claiming it’s high time the Wrights were “found out.” One insider explained: “It’s about time people realized what Jess and Carol were really like. They’ve always thought they were better than everyone else, and now their true colors are finally showing.”
Fans and insiders alike have begun to compare the Wright family to their TOWIE days, when Jess and Carol were infamous for their “mean girl” behavior. In the earlier seasons of TOWIE, the Wrights were constantly involved in explosive arguments and physical confrontations, earning a reputation as some of the most disliked cast members in the show’s history. Jess and her family were even accused of treating fellow cast members like Lauren Goodger—who was dating Mark Wright Jr. at the time—terribly. Jess, in particular, has been called out for her icy attitude towards Lauren, which many fans believe played a role in Lauren’s eventual breakup with Mark.
But it gets worse for the Wrights.
The podcast scandal was just the tip of the iceberg. In a shocking twist, it was revealed that Mark Wright Sr., the patriarch of the family, had been caught liking explicit photos of an OnlyFans star, Chelsea Ferguson, on Instagram.
Chelsea, who has previously been linked to Harry Styles, was quick to draw attention to the incident, teasing in a social media video, “I don’t know if Big Mark Wright got the memo on this one, guys, because he loves my scantily clad photos.” Chelsea shared screenshots of Mark Sr. liking racy photos of her in lingerie, including one in which she wore a suspender belt and another in a bikini.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. Not only were the Wrights already embroiled in a podcast controversy, but now this new revelation has fueled the flames of public outrage. Fans are mocking the Wrights’ hypocrisy, with many wondering how they can publicly shame others for their bikini choices while secretly indulging in such content.
And it didn’t stop there. Carol Wright, the matriarch of the family, has also come under fire for her alleged subtle digs at her daughter-in-law Michelle Keegan, who is married to Mark Wright Jr. Friends close to the situation have claimed that Carol has made snide remarks about Michelle’s Instagram posts, which often feature her wearing bikinis from her swimwear line, Orfila Bee. A source shared: “Carol is the textbook mother-in-law from hell. She’s obsessed with her sons and thinks she can make veiled comments about Michelle, but Michelle sees right through it, and everything is noted.”
What’s next for the Wright family?
For Jess, the podcast debacle is the latest in a long string of failed career attempts. After leaving TOWIE in 2016, Jess has struggled to find her footing in the public eye. Her brief foray into music and attempts to launch a successful Instagram brand have largely fizzled out, and the backlash from this latest scandal is a huge blow to her already fragile career. Jess even tried her hand at a singing career, with her single Dance All Night barely scraping into the top 40 in the UK charts. Her recent collaboration with Poundland, launching a budget beauty line, hasn’t exactly boosted her image either.
Though Jess lives a comfortable life in a £2million Essex mansion with her businessman husband, William Lee-Kemp, and their young son Presley, the family’s public image is in freefall. Natalya, the youngest Wright sibling, has managed to stay out of the drama, building a “clean-girl” influencer brand, but even she has been caught up in the latest controversy. Friends say that being associated with Jess and Carol’s actions could seriously damage her own career, which has always been free from the kind of reality TV baggage her sisters carry.
So, what’s next for the Wright women? With a new episode of Wright At Home set to drop soon, all eyes will be on them to see if they can weather the storm or if this scandal will finally spell the end of the Wright family’s reign as Essex royalty.


