Taylor Frankie Paul: What We Know About the Domestic Violence Allegations

Allegations of domestic violence have caused one hit reality show to pause filming and have put the future of another in question. Taylor Frankie Paul is at the center of both. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, who first rose to fame as a founding member of the “MomTok” squad, was allegedly involved in an incident (or incidents) with her ex-boyfriend and co-parent, Dakota Mortensen.

While police investigate the matter, the fifth season of Mormon Wives, which is currently being filmed, is taking a hiatus. Further complicating matters is the fact that Paul has already filmed a season of The Bachelorette, which was set to premiere on Sunday, March 22. However, three days before the premiere, ABC made the decision to pull it from their lineup.

“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” ABC confirmed to Glamour in the late afternoon of March 19.

Here’s what we know about the latest domestic violence allegations, as well as the video which resulted in the network’s decision to pull the show.

The police were contacted in late February.

A spokesperson for Paul’s local police department in Draper, Utah, told People that “contact was made with involved parties on [February] 24 and 25,” suggesting that this is when police began investigating a potential problem. It was not clear, from what has been released, when the alleged incident or incidents may have occurred.

There is now an open “domestic assault investigation,” and “allegations have been made in both directions,” per the spokesperson. No charges have been filed or arrests made.

Amid the new allegations and ongoing investigation, TSLOMW has been paused.

As word that filming had paused trickled out—before the allegations were known—rumors spread that Paul being the Bachelorette had caused friction among the Mormon Wives stars, which was what led to the hiatus. However, star Jessi Ngatikaura set the record straight in an Instagram comment, writing bluntly, “It was never a jealousy thing lol.”

A source confirmed to People that the show is “not filming,” because “Taylor [Frankie Paul] has some pretty serious stuff happening regarding her past, and they will see what happens. Until that resolves, they are off.”

Meanwhile, costar Mikayla Matthews said “all of us girls” mutually agreed to pause production during an Instagram AMA, writing, “We didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening.”

Paul and Mortensen have a rocky relationship history.

Paul shares two children, Indy and Ocean, with her ex-husband, Tate Paul, and began dating Dakota Mortensen after her divorce in 2022. In February 2023, Mortensen and Paul got into a fight, and Paul was arrested; she later reached a plea deal, per Us Weekly. (More on that arrest below.) They stayed together and welcomed a son, Ever True, the following year, but were broken up by Christmas 2024. They appeared to be on and off throughout 2025—including up until the night before Paul left to film The Bachelorette.

Disturbing video from the 2023 assault that led to Paul’s arrest was released on March 19.

On March 19, TMZ published a video of the physical altercation between Paul and Mortensen in 2023. In the video, Paul can be seen putting Mortensen in a headlock and throwing metal stools in his direction while her daughter Indy was in the room. Her daughter appeared to be struck, with Mortensen saying, “Your daughter just got hit in the head by a metal chair.”