Taylor Frankie Paul’s costars on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives are worried about what comes next in the aftermath of her latest domestic dispute.
“Some of the girls are anxious about the possible future,” an insider close to the cast exclusively tells Luxury Handbag Shopping. “This has rocked all of their worlds. Some of them feel resentful.”
The source says that the rest of the cast had a meeting with Hulu’s parent company, Disney, about needing to pause production on season 5 as Taylor, 31, sorts out her issues. The cast — which also includes Jen Affleck, Whitney Leavitt, Demi Engemann, Mikayla Matthews, Jessi Draper, Layla Taylor, Mayci Neeley and Miranda McWhorter — don’t yet know whether Taylor will return to filming, but they’re hopeful they can move forward either way.
“The girls know they can continue without Taylor and want to keep going,” the insider explains. “This has brought them closer in a way, and they all have been leaning on each other, checking in. They want to make it work and finish out season 5 on a high note.”
News broke earlier this week that filming for Mormon Wives season 5 was paused after Taylor and her on-and-off boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, were allegedly involved in a domestic dispute last month. A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department in Utah confirmed to Us that there is an open “domestic assault investigation” involving the former couple. According to authorities, “allegations have been made in both directions,” and “contact was made with involved parties on February 24th and 25th.”
Days later, TMZ published a video of Taylor, 31, throwing chairs at Dakota, 33, during a February 2023 incident that was discussed in the first episode of Mormon Wives, which premiered in 2024. The video showed that Taylor’s daughter, Indy, now 8, was present during the altercation. (Taylor shares Indy and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul, while she and Dakota share son Ever, 2.)
Taylor was arrested at the time and charged with aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury and criminal mischief. She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, while the other charges were dismissed.
After the video resurfaced on Thursday, March 19, ABC announced that Taylor’s upcoming season 22 of The Bachelorette would not be airing as planned. The first episode was set to premiere on Sunday, March 22.
“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 Television spokesperson told Us in a statement on Thursday.
Taylor responded to the cancellation with her own statement on Thursday, shared via her rep.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” the spokesperson told Us. “After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.”
The rep continued, “There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives. Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support and preparing to own and share her story.”
Dakota, meanwhile, filed a protective order against Taylor and requested temporary custody of Ever. He also denied Taylor’s allegations in a statement to Us.
“As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation,” Dakota said on Thursday. “I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety and hope that Taylor will do the same.”
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.
