Joseph Smith Didn’t Practice Polygamy - Says Michelle Stone | Ep. 1996

Did Joseph Smith Practice Polygamy? A Scholar's Controversial Case for No

The question of whether Joseph Smith practiced polygamy has long been considered settled history. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially acknowledges that Smith took multiple wives during his lifetime, and mainstream historians cite extensive documentary evidence, diaries, letters, and contemporary accounts, to support this conclusion. Yet in recent months, a YouTube researcher named Michelle Stone has gained considerable attention by arguing the opposite: that Joseph Smith did not engage in polygamous relationships, despite the overwhelming historical record suggesting otherwise.

Stone's work, featured on her "32 Problems" YouTube channel and discussed at length on the Mormon Stories Podcast (Episode 1996), represents a significant challenge to accepted LDS and secular historical scholarship. Whether one finds her arguments persuasive or not, her detailed engagement with primary sources raises important questions about how we evaluate evidence, interpret documents, and construct historical narratives around Mormonism's most controversial founder.

Understanding the Conventional Historical Record

Before examining Stone's counterargument, context is essential. The mainstream historical consensus, supported by the Church itself since 1852, holds that Joseph Smith married at least 30 women between approximately 1835 and 1844. These include documented plural marriages to women like Louisa Beaman, Emily Partridge, and Helen Mar Kimball.

Key historical sources typically cited include: William Clayton's detailed journals documenting plural marriages The Nauvoo Expositor's 1844 publication exposing polygamy Later testimonies from women who claimed to have been Smith's plural wives Church records and official acknowledgments in modern sources like the Gospel Topics Essays