The Wright family are no stranger to on-screen drama, with their The Only Way Is Essex stint firmly placing them in the spotlight as one of reality TV’s most famous families
07:00, 14 Mar 2026Updated 07:06, 14 Mar 2026
The Wright family have once again found themselves embroiled in drama(Image: BIg)
TOWIE’s most famous family are embroiled in drama yet again.
They became household names thanks to The Only Way Is Essex and over the past decade, the Wrights have turned their Essex roots into a full-blown showbiz dynasty.
From TV fame and luxury homes to new babies and business ventures, the family have remained firmly in the spotlight. But now, they’ve been plunged into chaos after ‘disgusting’ comments on a podcast sparked furious backlash.
On their Wright at Home podcast, Jess, her mum Carol and sister Natalya had a conversation about women’s swimwear, in which they called thong bikinis ‘unsexy’.
In comments that have since been branded ‘degrading’, Jess, who has posed in selfies on Instagram wearing thong swimwear herself, claimed her husband Will ‘hates’ them and added: “I can’t stand how it’s acceptable to walk around on the beach in a thong.” Carol then chimed in, adding: “I really do think this is not sexy for men to look at.”
READ MORE: Jess Wright and her mum apologise for ‘degrading’ comments about women in thong bikinisREAD MORE: Jess and Mark Wright’s former TOWIE star dad ‘caught liking model’s racy snaps’
In the clip, which has now been wiped from the podcast’s social media accounts, Jess said: “Will cannot stand it. He says to me: ‘I cannot understand how she thinks that’s attractive’. Put it away and leave something to the imagination. Who wants to see up their butts.” And Carol moaned: “Leave something to the imagination! It’s not sexy”.
With hundreds of women in uproar over the ‘hypocritical’ comments, Jess has been forced to issue an apology. Here, we look at the fall-out in full – and the family’s other unfortunate moments…
Mark Wright
Mark Wright and wife Michelle Keegan try to steer clear of family drama(Image: Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal)
Lauren Goodger has slated her ex Mark over the years(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
Reality star turned presenter Mark Wright, 39, first rose to fame on The Only Way Is Essex before carving out a successful career in television and radio.
After leaving the ITV reality show, he appeared on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and later became a presenter on Heart Radio. During his stint on TOWIE, he was most well known for his playboy behaviour, fobbing off his fiancé Lauren Goodger for co-stars Sam Faiers and Lucy Mecklenburgh.
Lauren was also known to have faced a fiery reception from Mark’s family, with scenes showing one moment where she had a physical fight with his sister Jess while in a taxi after a night out. The fight ended in Jess losing a chunk of hair, while Lauren said she felt she had been “hit by a bus”.
The couple dated on and off for 11 years before splitting for good in 2012, with Mark leaving the show in 2011 to escape the show’s harsh storylines and pursue a presenting career.
Mark married actress Michelle Keegan, 38, in 2015 after a whirlwind romance. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Palma, in March 2025 and now live together in Essex.
Carol Wright, Jess Wright, Mark Wright and Mark Wright Sr(Image: Phil Lewis/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock)
Lauren seems to have put the drama firmly behind her, telling Closer magazine in January 2025: “I’m so happy he’s going to be a dad, and I mean it. I’ve fallen in love and had two kids since and he’s a married man”.
But it hasn’t always been so amicable. Lauren has spoken extensively about her ex, admitting he was the “love of my life”. Ironically, before Michelle began dating Mark, it seems she was a fan of the couple on the show.
She wrote in her Love It! Magazine column: “I love TOWIE! It’s one of those shows you don’t want to watch but just can’t help turning on. I don’t know how Lauren can take Mark back so easily, though – it’s so cringe! I wouldn’t be able to get back with someone who’d slept with lots of girls I knew, but that’s just me.”
While Michelle’s comments predated her relationship with Mark, in 2014 Lauren responded to an ‘Ask Me Anything’ on social media where she stated she made the “Wright choice over Mark”.
This didn’t go down too well with Mark, who furiously tweeted “It’s been well over two years and it still continues. I find it so disrespectful to myself but more importantly, my fiancée. Be a proper woman. Please leave me out of your public conversations, stop embarrassing yourself. Start having some respect and MOVE ON.”
Between presenting, brand partnerships and property projects, Mark has remained the most high-profile member of the Wright clan – though he tends to stay away from family drama which appears to be neverending.
Carol Wright
Carol Wright was branded the ‘mother in law from hell'(Image: Getty Images)
Family matriarch Carol Wright, 65, became a fan favourite when she appeared alongside her children on TOWIE.
A proud mum of four, Carol has remained a famous voice in the Wright household and now co-hosts the family podcast Wright At Home with daughters Jess and Natalya.
But it was that podcast that recently landed the trio in hot water. During a recent episode, the Wright women criticised thong bikinis, with Carol saying she didn’t believe the look was attractive to men. The comments sparked a wave of backlash online, with critics accusing them of judging other women’s choices.
Carol has never shied away from voicing her opinions, with her turbulent relationship with Lauren Goodger well documented from her time on TOWIE. In fact, one of the most viral clips from the show that still does the rounds online is from the famous supermarket scene where she bumps into her former daughter-in-law and reveals she’s cooking Mark’s new girlfriend Sam Faiers a family dinner.
Her recent podcast scandal has thrown a light on her own marriage to businessman Mark Sr, 69, who has been caught liking OnlyFans star Chelsea Ferguson’s racy snaps. She joined in on the online backlash towards the trio, revealing his ‘like’ on her images.
While Carol had a strained relationship with Mark’s ex Lauren, it’s said she’s also faced some tough times with his new wife Michelle Keegan. A source recently told The Sun that Carol is the “textbook mother-in-law from hell”, adding that the tension between the pair is “subtle”. A representative for Carol denied that there is any issues between the pair.
Jess Wright
The former TOWIE star with her husband William Lee-Kemp and their son Presley(Image: Instagram/Jess Wright)
Former TOWIE favourite Jess Wright, 40, appeared on the show between 2010 and 2016 before branching out into business ventures, TV appearances and podcasting.
She is now married and a mum to young son Presley, and frequently shares family life with fans online. Since their podcast clip went viral, Jess has taken to Instagram to share an apology, which was also shared on Carol and Natalya’s accounts.
“We’ve listened, we hear you and we want to say sorry. Our judgement was wrong and we take full accountability,” they said in a statement on Instagram.
And it appears even her fellow TV stars are having a dig. Dani Imbert shared a new video of herself in a thong bikini and played the sound of Jess, Carol and younger sister Natalya slamming the fashion choice over the top of the clip. Lauren Goodger took to the comment section to clearly choose her side, as she commented: “I LOVE this wow”.
Jess Wright’s comment on the podcast have been branded ‘disgusting’
She has since issued an apology(Image: @wrightathomepod/TikTok)
Jess was a firm favourite on TOWIE, having starred on the show for several years before quitting in 2016 following an explosive on-screen breakup with her partner Ricky Rayment. He went on to date Geordie Shore’s Marnie Simpson.
They broke up after Jess discovered he had been sending flirty messages to other women behind her back. Her last TV appearance was during the leadup to her wedding in an ITV special Jess Wright: The Wedding in 2021.
Jess married William Lee-Kemp in a lavish ceremony after they met through her brother Mark. The businessman proposed after a whirlwind romance and the pair now live in a luxury six-bedroom property in Essex.
Natalya Wright
Natalya opened up on her early modelling days(Image: Formidable Media)
The youngest Wright sibling, Natalya Wright, was still a teenager when her family found fame on TOWIE .
Now aged 25, she has built a career as a social media influencer and model, regularly sharing glimpses of glamorous holidays and family life online.
She also appears on the Wright At Home podcast, where she joined Jess and Carol in the controversial beachwear debate.
During the episode, Natalya suggested women wearing thong bikinis should cover up with a sarong if they bend over – comments that also attracted criticism online.
In another recent clip, Natalya revealed she was told she was “too fat” to model – despite her 25cm waist. Jess revealed the comment came early on in Natalya’s modelling career.
Elliott Wright
Elliott moved to Marbella with his family after TOWIE(Image: Getty Images for Hotels.com)
Cousin Elliott Wright, 46, was another familiar face on TOWIE before leaving the show to pursue business ventures abroad.
He now lives in Marbella with wife Sadie and their growing family, where he once ran the popular restaurant Olivia’s La Cala. In October he put the successful business up for sale after admitting it’s “time for a change”.
He said: “As a family man, it’s always been my dream that my children would follow me into the restaurant business. However, life doesn’t always follow the plans we make.”
Revealing that two of his children will soon be London-based, he explains: “My daughter Olivia turned 16 this year and, after passing her GCSEs, has decided to pursue a career in the City of London. My eldest son Elliott has been working in the City for three years now and intends to fully commit to that path.
“My mum, who had lived here for 25 years, also moved back to the UK earlier this year for personal reasons – which now leaves Sadie and me with our young family here alone, and more importantly, away from our immediate family.”
Elliott was known for his rocky relationship with co-star Chloe Sims during his stint on the show.
Leah Wright
Leah has stayed out of the spotlight since her TOWIE days(Image: Piers Allardyce/Shutterstock)
While many members of the Wright family have embraced reality TV fame, cousin Leah Wright has largely kept a lower public profile.
She occasionally appears in family social media posts and events but tends to stay out of the limelight compared to her famous relatives. However, she did make her mark on TOWIE during her stint during several famous rows with co-stars like Chloe Sims and her own family.
Jess and Carol were accused of “ruining” her dream wedding after a row erupted. “I’ve never seen somebody start on the bride at her own wedding,” admitted Chloe Sims, who was sitting in the front row next to boyfriend Elliot at the ceremony.
“I know the Wrights can be outspoken but I didn’t know where to look.” The row was said to have started when James Argent, a close family friend and fellow TOWIE star, refused to let Jess join in with a song he was singing. This “wound” up Carol, with James allegedly going on to throw insults at her in front of 100 guests.
In 2024, Leah bravely revealed that she had left an abusive relationship and partnered with specialist charity Refuge to help other women experiencing abuse.
Leah partnered up with charity Refuge to share her story(Image: Instagram/refugecharity/missleahwright_)
In a powerful video released on the charity’s social media, Leah said it had been a ‘long and emotional fight’ that had taken a ‘lot of strength.’ In the video, Leah is called a survivor. She does not name her abuser.
Fighting back tears, the mum-of-three said in the clip: “When you are manipulated that much that you are scared to leave, the first thing is you don’t know where to go. Do I call a number? Am I going to get caught calling that number?”
“For many years I went through life not thinking about evidence, not thinking about anything – not knowing laws, not knowing if I can get help from the government, not knowing that I would be okay.’
“And I think that is a message that I just want to give, that you are going to be okay. I’ve gone through court, and I was believed in the end, it was big fight, a long fight, an emotional fight, and it took a lot of strength.”
She continued: “There is help out there. Please don’t feel alone, we always have so many resources. Refuge are a brilliant place to start if you need to call, and talking to that person who’s so understanding, really helped me.”
She also faced a devastating scare in July last year when her son was rushed to hospital. Christopher has been diagnosed with type one diabetes as Leah has opened up to her followers about dealing with the illness in recent years.
READ MORE: Towie’s Bobby Norris speaks out on Gemma Collins feud saying he ‘hasn’t seen her in 7 years’