This family, once highly admired in Essex, behaved more like a criminal organization depicted in a TV show like The Sopranos than a typical reality TV family.
As a lifestyle observer, I remember when the Wright family first captured everyone’s attention! It all started with Jess and her brother Mark joining the original cast of ‘The Only Way Is Essex.’ Before you knew it, their whole family was swept up in the spotlight. Their adorable grandmother, Nanny Pat, quickly became a show favorite with her sweet appearances, and soon their parents, Carol and Mark Sr., were regular faces on our screens too. It was lovely to watch a whole family embrace the fun!
Simply put, they were like celebrities in Essex. When they walked down Brentwood High Street – the center of the TOWIE universe – people would stop them for pictures and autographs.
That’s all changed now. A significant mistake threatens to ruin the careers and reputations they’ve worked so hard to build.
Since leaving the reality show TOWIE in 2016, Jess has explored new career paths. She now runs a podcast called Wright At Home, where she collaborates with her mother, Carol, and sister, Natalya.
What began as a casual space for family updates has unexpectedly caused a public outcry that now risks damaging their carefully crafted reputation.
You know, I was just chatting on my podcast recently, and something really struck me. It’s just… I really struggle with the idea of seeing people wearing thong swimwear on the beach. It feels like it’s become so normalized, and honestly, I just don’t get it!
Natalya added, “What’s even more frustrating is when girls wear those kinds of shorts. If you’re going to wear them, that’s fine, but if you’re going to bend over—like to put a towel on your bed—at least put something on over them, like a sarong.”
Jess simply said she found it disgusting. Carol added that her husband, Mark Sr., doesn’t think revealing bikinis are attractive.
What might once have passed as banal reality TV talk quickly took on a life of its own online.
The clip went viral immediately, with fans labelling the comments ‘degrading’ and ‘disgusting’.
Online users quickly found pictures of Jess and Natalya wearing thong bikinis, and accused them of being hypocritical.
Jess, Natalya, and Carol had to remove the problematic parts of their podcast and publicly apologized, stating they had heard the feedback and were truly sorry for what they said.
We made a mistake in our assessment and sincerely apologize. We take full responsibility and are committed to improving in the future. – Jess, Natalya, and Carol
But people who know Jess well are actually finding all the drama quite funny. They’re glad, because they believe it’s finally showing what the Wright family is really like.
As someone who keeps a close eye on what’s happening in the Essex social scene, I’m hearing a lot of chatter about the recent drama with Jess and the Wrights. Honestly, people around Jess are finding the whole situation pretty amusing – they feel like the Wrights are finally getting a taste of their own medicine, and there’s a sense of satisfaction among her friends.
‘It’s about time people realised what Jess and Carol were like,’ said the insider.
The Wrights are unpleasant people who act as if they’re superior to others. It’s satisfying to see them finally get what they deserve.
People are starting to see through the artificiality, and it’s becoming increasingly obvious. There’s little sympathy for Jess or Carol, as many believe they see themselves as uniquely important, much like Mark.
Sources say this recent conflict has simply brought up past issues that have plagued the Wright family ever since their time on reality television.
Honestly, it was one thing when people started criticizing the podcast, but then things got even worse. We quickly learned there was something really uncomfortable happening with the father of the Wright family, and it just added to the whole mess.
It was discovered that Mark Sr. had been ‘liking’ suggestive photos on Instagram posted by an OnlyFans content creator, Chelsea Ferguson.
The model, who has been previously associated with Harry Styles, shared that Mark, a 69-year-old man married to Carol for 42 years, liked a photo of her in lingerie on social media in August 2024. He had also liked a picture of her wearing a bikini in August 2023.
She jokingly said in a video that her husband, Mark Wright, might not realize she’s been posting revealing photos, because he seems to enjoy them.
The criticism also reached Carol, with some people claiming she made veiled, negative comments about her daughter-in-law, Michelle Keegan.
People close to her say the comments were a subtle jab at Michelle, 38, who is married to her son Mark. Michelle runs her own swimwear line, Orfila Bee, and often posts photos of herself in bikinis on Instagram.
According to a source, Carol is a classic, difficult mother-in-law. She’s extremely devoted to her sons and very overprotective, fitting the stereotype of a possessive ‘boy mom’.
There’s a quiet tension between Carol and Michelle. Carol tries to make veiled criticisms, but Michelle always recognizes them and doesn’t forget.
Anyone who’s followed the Wrights on reality TV isn’t surprised by this kind of conflict; it’s a pattern for them.
While appearing on The Only Way Is Essex, Jess and Carol were often labeled as ‘mean girls’ by viewers.
Viewers called the cast members some of the worst in the show’s history, citing physical fights, heated arguments, and critical comments about other women as reasons.
According to a source speaking to the Daily Mail, the storylines involving the Wright family wouldn’t be accepted by today’s viewers of The Only Way Is Essex, and the show would likely be cancelled because of them. The source also expressed disapproval of how Lauren Wright was treated.
The source was talking about Lauren Goodger, who had a relationship with Mark Wright in the early days of TOWIE. Their romance was well-known for being turbulent. During the show, viewers noticed that Mark’s sisters, Carol and Jess, seemed distant and unwelcoming towards Lauren, not accepting her as part of the family.
Lauren split from Mark in 2012, and later publicly blamed his family for their break-up.
Even after ten years, it’s clear Lauren still remembers everything that happened.
Okay, so Dani Imbert, you guys know, the one from TOWIE? She posted this TikTok, right? It was… a choice. She was wearing this tiny thong bikini and the audio was her mum, Jess, her aunt Carol, and even her little sister Natalya basically saying how ridiculous it was! And honestly? I loved it. I immediately commented ‘LOVE this’ because it was just so perfectly Dani – confident, a bit cheeky, and totally owning it. I’ve watched it like, ten times already.
This new scandal couldn’t have come at a worse time for Jess, especially since she’s been working hard to build a career after appearing on TOWIE.
Jess, known by friends for being sensitive to criticism, has repeatedly tried to become a professional singer. She released three singles, including one called ‘Dance All Night’ with a music video filmed in Marbella in 2012, but her highest chart position was only number 36 in the UK.
She auditioned for The X Factor twice and also tried to become a member of The Saturdays. However, her audition for the girl group didn’t go well – she forgot the lyrics while singing at a church in Tottenham.
Despite having a large Instagram following of 1.5 million, Jess hasn’t landed any major, ongoing sponsorships. Her only notable brand partnership was with the discount retailer Poundland back in 2019, which wasn’t a particularly high-profile opportunity.
Jess recently partnered with Poundland to create affordable beauty products, with everything costing just £1. The line, including items like false eyelashes and fake tan, is still available, and she’s now expanded her collection to include products for dogs.
Despite recent challenges, Jess enjoys a comfortable life. She lives in a spacious seven-bedroom home in Essex, worth around £2 million, with her husband William Lee-Kemp and their two-year-old son, Presley.
Things are slightly different, however, for her youngest sister Natalya, 25.
Since her older brothers and sisters started appearing on TOWIE when she was just ten years old, she never had a chance to be on the show herself.
Instead of going to college, she began modeling at sixteen and quickly became a social media influencer, gaining over 362,000 followers on Instagram.
Natalya has always avoided her family’s past conflicts while focusing on her career, so this podcast situation has been a surprising and upsetting turn of events for her.
According to one source, this video is especially damaging to Natalya, as she’s never been involved in family drama before. She’s been carefully crafting a wholesome, private image, and has always avoided reality television because it doesn’t fit her personality.
Even though Jess and Carol were primarily responsible for the problematic statements, being connected to the situation could seriously harm her career.
Everyone’s waiting to see if the Wright family has changed their ways in the next episode of ‘Wright At Home,’ which comes out tomorrow.
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2026-03-12 16:05