Jessi Draper has set the record straight about why The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast decided to pause filming Season 5 and how that decision came about.
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News broke on Monday, March 16 that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stopped filming its fifth season after Taylor Frankie Paul was involved in a February domestic assault dispute with her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, with whom she shares her youngest son, Ever True, 2.
An insider close to the cast told People at the time that the Mormon Wives cast members -- who also star in #MomTok videos alongside Taylor -- refused to film with Taylor and no longer wanted to be associated with her.
And a source close to production claimed the MomTok women were "overwhelmed" and "getting tired of Taylor" amid her legal troubles.
Jessi explained on the Wednesday, March 25 episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast that Hulu executives and SLOMW producers initially decided to "pause" production on Season 5 after Dakota filed a new domestic violence report against Taylor.
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"I genuinely love my production like they're family. I love them. Production and the network have been incredible to us, and they did -- they paused things for a moment because I think they were like, 'Whoa, we care about you guys as people,'" Jessi recalled to Alex Cooper when they taped the podcast episode on Friday, March 20.
"And then we picked back up. It was before [news of Dakota's police report] broke. So they were like, 'For everyone's mental health, let's take a beat,' and then a little bit before news broke -- when we knew it was probably going to -- us girls decided."
While Jessi confirmed The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast banded together and "did decide to stop filming," she claimed the decision was made in Taylor's best interest and not out of anger or resentment.
"We were starting to hear things before it leaked, and we just didn't want to be filming and say the wrong thing on-camera, not knowing the full story yet," Jessi explained.
"We didn't want to have to process all of this information for the first time and then also be speaking about it, you know? So we just thought for everyone's mental health, let's take a beat and not film right now. And that's probably the best thing for everyone in this situation."
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Jessi explained how the entire cast of women conducted a Zoom call with Hulu and production, who ended up being very "supportive" of their request to take a break from the cameras.
"We were all unanimously on the same page... [and] they were like, 'We totally get it. You guys come first.' They handled it so well," Jessi recalled.
Jessi said if The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is going to continue to be successful, they needed to handle the situation the correct way.
Jessi teased of the future of the series, "Clearly there is no shortage of drama in our lives, so if we get another season, it's going to be good!... Now we can [talk about everything]."
A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department told People last week that Taylor and Dakota exchanged allegations and "contact was made" with the two parties in late February, prompting a "domestic assault investigation" that is still ongoing.
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On March 19, a video was leaked to TMZ showing Taylor punching, kicking and throwing barstools at Dakota -- one of which appeared to hit her daughter Indy, now 8, causing her to cry -- during a 2023 dispute that led to her arrest.
A couple of hours later, ABC announced its decision to cancel Taylor's The Bachelorette season, which had been scheduled to premiere on March 22.
In a media statement released shortly after ABC's announcement, Taylor's spokesperson said Taylor has been "silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation" for years.
"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 spokesperson said.
"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."
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When asked about her future on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Taylor noted on Good Morning America that "it's hard to see" beyond the current moment.
"When your life is broadcasted out there in these headlines, it's like the end of the world. That's what it feels like, I'm not going to lie," Taylor explained.
"But I will say, I've been here before and I got through it and shared my story. So I'm hoping that I can do that again."
The video released by TMZ captured the fight Taylor and Dakota had when she was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury, and criminal mischief.
Taylor's spokesperson blamed Dakota for the release of the 2023 video and claimed "context" had been omitted, but the disturbing behavior it showed Taylor exhibiting was not addressed.
"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," the spokesperson said in a March 19 media statement.
"Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son's birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior. 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."
Taylor pleaded guilty in August 2023 to aggravated assault in exchange for the dismissal of her other four charges.
Taylor ultimately reached a plea deal that -- assuming its terms and conditions were followed -- would reduce her aggravated assault charge to a misdemeanor in August 2026, according to Us Weekly.
But the outcome of Taylor's plea deal may be in jeopardy now, given the February 2026 investigation.
According to People, Dakota was granted a temporary restraining order against Taylor and the exes have a hearing scheduled on April 7.
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In addition to Taylor's 2023 arrest and the February 2026 incident, officials are now investigating a third domestic violence incident from 2024, NBC News reported.