The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives will continue after Taylor Frankie Paul and ex Dakota Mortensen’s domestic abuse investigation caused an abrupt hiatus.
The Hulu series is set to resume production on season 5, Us Weekly can confirm. No other details — including who will be involved in the series moving forward — have been revealed.
News broke earlier in March that Taylor and Dakota were involved in a domestic incident, which led to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives halting production. A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department in Utah confirmed to Us at the time that there was an open “domestic assault investigation” concerning Taylor and Dakota and noted that allegations were “made in both directions.”
Taylor, for her part, exclusively told Us that there’s “more to the context” of “everything” than what was being reported.
“It’s been hard. And it sucks to be in this position,” she said. “And the mother that I am, that is something I will always stand my ground on. I believe that I am a good mother and I have always treated my kids very well. So the headlines that are out right now are very hard to see because that’s not the truth of it. I have always treated my children with respect and I’ve never touched them. So it’s been really hard.”
A rep for Dakota later denied that he was responsible for the dispute being made public, claiming that his “No. 1 priority” is “protecting” the pair’s 2-year-old son, Ever.
TMZ then released footage of Taylor on Thursday, March 19, throwing a chair at Dakota during the 2023 incident that led to her arrest. At the time, Taylor was charged with aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury and criminal mischief after the incident. She ultimately pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, while the other four charges were dismissed with prejudice. Taylor later reached a plea deal.
In the video, Taylor’s daughter, Indy, could be heard crying in the background. (Taylor shares Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul.)
“It’s sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child,” a rep for Taylor told TMZ after the footage emerged. “Releasing an old and selectively edited video on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior.”
The statement continued: “Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is and sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show and from their own experiences.”
Hours later, a source confirmed to Us that Dakota filed a protective order against Taylor in Utah and requested temporary custody of their son. Disney later announced that Taylor’s season 22 of The Bachelorette was canceled amid the allegations.
“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,” a Disney Entertainment spokesperson told Us in a statement.
Us later confirmed on April 15 via a statement shared by District Attorney Sim Gill’s office that Taylor would not face any charges for the February incident.
“Cried when I got the call 🙏 THANK YOU to those that have stood with me,” the reality star wrote via her Instagram Stories hours after the news broke.
Dakota later took to his own Instagram to reflect, noting his plans to “focus” on creating a “stable, healthy environment” for Ever.
“I regret not stepping away from the difficult cycle sooner. I’m not perfect, and I take accountability for my part. I’m sincerely sorry to those I’ve hurt,” Dakota contniued. “At the same time, I don’t agree with how this situation has been portrayed publicly. It does not reflect the full context of what occurred or the impact it has had on me and my son.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
