Dallas and Amanda Jenkins Open Up about Marital Struggles
- Michael Foust Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Published Jul 11, 2024
Dallas and Amanda Jenkins are opening up about the pressures their busy lives have placed on their marriage. In a new interview, they reveal that “the Enemy” has attacked their family as The Chosen has grown, but they have found solace in prioritizing family time and in seeking help from a marriage counselor. Dallas Jenkins is the creator and founder of the Bible-based series The Chosen, while his wife Amanda is the lead creator of additional content for the project.
“I can honestly say, and I hope this doesn’t come across at all as ungrateful -- because this has been an extraordinary journey -- but it’s been, without a close second, the hardest five years of our lives,” Dallas Jenkins told host Chynna Phillips Baldwin for her podcast, California Preachin, Honestly Speakin.
“And the last year has been the hardest and most painful of our lives -- most challenging for our marriage and most challenging with our kids,” he added.
The Chosen launched before the pandemic with little fanfare but has grown into the most successful faith-based entertainment project in recent decades, with more than 200 million viewers worldwide. “It feels like the more growth that you have in something like this, the more ‘the Enemy’ -- Satan -- attacks,” Dallas Jenkins said.
“There are forces of this world that oftentimes want to get in the way of spiritual growth and the expansion of the name of Jesus, and they come after our kids [and our family],” he said.
“We haven’t shied away from the fact that we have our counselor, our marriage counselor, on speed dial,” he said.
Dallas Jenkins said the long hours and travel involved in filmmaking make it challenging for families.
“I try really hard to carve out time and prioritize family, and I think I do more than the average showrunner. But you’re operating from a deficit,” he said.
He said that when he comes home after a long stint away from the house, he and his wife often struggle to communicate.
“There’s expectations on both sides and they get unmet,” he said. “Things start to fly, and suddenly, you’re feeling like the one person that you’re supposed to be closest to in this process, you’re disappointing, or they’re disappointing you.”
Such a scenario was portrayed in Season 3 of The Chosen when Simon came home after being on the road for a while, he said.
It has helped, Dallas said, to treat family time like a doctor’s appointment, where hours are cut out of the calendar for uninterrupted togetherness. He said he tells people, “I’m sorry, I’m not available at that time. What other times are there?”
“If you wake up one morning and your kids [are] 20 years old, and they’re now bitter or resentful because of those little choices you didn’t make -- you end up getting a Cat’s in the Cradle situation, and it’s not great,” he said.
Of course, the growth has brought criticism. Dallas noted that a recent edition of the tabloid Star Magazine covered the series “Secrets and Scandals.” One supposed “scandal” was Dallas’ previous addiction to pornography -- something he has been open about. He described the article as a “mixed blessing” because, despite its sensationalism, it also highlighted how he overcame his struggle through the power of Scripture.
“Our platform is bigger, we’re able to have influence on people,” he said. “But at the same time, your platform is bigger, and everyone’s watching you, and everything you say can be scrutinized.”
Amanda Jenkins said that her involvement in The Chosen has benefited their relationship.
“He keeps me super involved,” she told California Preachin, Honestly Speakin. “So it never felt like it was taking off without me. It really felt like we were doing it together. I know that that’s not really prescriptive for most people because what we’re doing is so unique to us and this project.”
The couple, he said, discuss his day’s work when he gets home.
“I am not the wife that’s like, ‘Don’t talk about work -- we’re only going to talk about family,’” she said. “... I want to hear about his day. And I want to hear about the drama.”
She has embraced the series’ growth, she said.
“As it got bigger, it was like, ‘Oh, okay, I guess God is blessing this thing, and He’s using it. And that’s awesome,’” she said.
Watch: "We Have Our Marriage Counselor On Speed Dial 🫣" | Chynna Phillips Baldwin
Photo Credit: ©YouTube/ChynnaPhillipsBaldwin
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
