'Mormon Wives' resuming filming, Taylor Frankie Paul speaks out about possible return

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives will officially resume filming Season 5, and Taylor Frankie Paul has disputed reports she will be left out of the cast.


Hulu confirmed The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives will resume production on Season 5 after a brief hiatus, Deadline Hollywood reported Tuesday, April 21.

News broke on March 16 that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stopped filming its fifth season after Taylor was involved in a February domestic assault dispute with 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 women refused to film with Taylor and no longer wanted to be associated with her.

(Taylor's co-star Jessi Draper later claimed the decision was made in Taylor's best interest and to essentially protect her from sharing misinformation).


Hulu -- who confirmed that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives will pick back up ahead of Disney's big "Get Real" reality event on Wednesday, April 22 -- did not specify when exactly cameras will begin rolling again.

Deadline Hollywood was also initially unsure of whether Taylor was asked to rejoin the SLOMW cast in the aftermath of multiple domestic violence investigations involving Dakota and the cancellation of her The Bachelorette season, which was supposed to premiere March 22 on ABC.

People subsequently reported that Taylor and Dakota will not be a part of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast when filming starts up again.

But Taylor, 31, appeared to shut down the claim she won't be returning to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives via social media.

"Interesting, that's not the call I got," Taylor replied in the comments section of People's Instagram post about the report.


A source close to Taylor later clarified to People that the MomTok creator won't be filming The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives right when production resumes -- but she "has the option to return" at any point or make an appearance.

"She's receiving strong support from the cast and producers but is focusing on her kids and mental health issues and recovery from an abusive relationship," the source said.

"She's doing great, and realizing how abusive her relationship actually was."

An insider told Us earlier this week that Taylor wants to come back to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives because she's in a "much better place" now and has been "trying to mend things with" her co-stars "so everyone can move forward peacefully."

The source added, "Taylor feels like she will bounce back from this, especially now that there won't be any charges filed against her. She knows her legal battle is far from over but does feel like she had a small victory."


Two Utah police departments launched separate domestic violence investigations in February into alleged altercations between Taylor and Dakota, but Taylor will not face charges.

"After reviewing reports and evidence submitted to the Draper Police Department and West Jordan Police Department, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office has declined to file charges against Taylor Frankie Paul," District Attorney Sim Gill's office said in a statement to Us earlier this month.

In letters dated April 14 to both departments, prosecutors reportedly explained that some of the alleged incidents occurred more than two years ago and therefore fall outside the statute of limitations.

Prosecutors said other allegations either did not "rise to the level of criminal offenses" or lacked specificity and "sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges."

While officials confirmed that the investigations will not impact the MomTok creator's probation status stemming from her 2023 arrest and indictment, Taylor was placed on a 36-month probation period, which is scheduled to end on August 24, 2026.


No other individuals were considered for charges in connection with the cases.

Taylor wrote April 14 on Instagram, "Cried when I got the call. [Praying hands emoji]. THANK YOU to those that have stood with me."

She also told her fans that she'll be continuing to share on social media, "showing how ugly healing can truly be."

That same day, Dakota issued a statement of his own.

"Over the past several weeks, I've taken a step back and had time away from the chaos. That space has been a breath of fresh air and has given me clarity. My focus now is where it should have been all along -- on my son and creating a stable, healthy environment for him moving forward," Dakota wrote via Instagram.


"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. 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."

The Draper City Police Department previously confirmed in March that it had opened a domestic assault investigation involving Taylor and Dakota, noting that allegations had been made by both parties following contact with them in late February.

A police report later obtained by the magazine stated that the investigation began after a friend of Dakota's reported he had allegedly "been the victim of a domestic violence assault by an ex-girlfriend at her Draper residence."

Dakota reportedly described two incidents of physical altercations with Taylor allegedly involving "grabbing, scratching, shoving and striking." Authorities also obtained photographs of "neck scratches" Taylor had allegedly inflicted on Dakota.

The West Jordan Police Department confirmed it was conducting a separate domestic violence investigation after Dakota contacted police in late February and provided additional information in March, including a video believed to date back to early-to-mid 2024.

Dakota filed for a protective order against Taylor on March 19, which was the same day ABC had announced its decision to cancel The Bachelorette's 22nd season.


Taylor filed her own request on April 7, alleging a "pattern of abusive conduct and coercive control" during her on-again, off-again relationship with Dakota.

Taylor reportedly alleged in her filing that Dakota became "increasingly possessive" as her originally-scheduled March 22 premiere of The Bachelorette neared.

Taylor claimed Dakota had sent her obsessive texts, asked her for sex, caused physical bruises on her body, and got her initials tattooed on the inside of his lip in February.

Taylor also alleged that Dakota "assaulted" her by "slamming her head against the dashboard of his truck and striking her knee and elbow" after driving her away from her Utah home against her will on February 23.

During an April 7 court hearing, a judge granted Dakota temporary custody of their son. Taylor was only given up to eight hours per week of supervised visitation with Ever, either with a paid supervisor or an individual approved by a guardian ad litem.

Following the April 7 hearing, Dakota's attorney Joel Kittrell said in a statement, "Today's hearing was used by the respondent to assassinate Dakota's character as a dad, whose only concern is for the welfare of his son, Ever. We look forward to the 30th to tell the true story."


On April 8, Taylor was granted her own temporary restraining order against Dakota.

The custody arrangement will remain in place until the pair's next court hearing scheduled for April 30, when a judge is expected to review their dueling protective orders.

While Taylor was under investigation for the February allegations, a 2023 video of her and Dakota having a domestic dispute leaked on March 19 and showed Taylor punching, kicking and throwing metal barstools at Dakota.

When Taylor was attacking Dakota in the video footage, her daughter Indy, now 8, was present and could be heard crying and screaming "mommy" in the background. Dakota could also be heard claiming that one of the stools had struck Indy during the altercation.

Taylor's season of The Bachelorette was axed only hours after the video went viral.

A spokesperson for Taylor -- who shares Indy and also son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul -- claimed that Taylor was "very grateful for ABC's support" as she prioritized her family's "safety and security" in a March 19 statement.


"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 spokesperson said on Taylor's behalf.

Taylor was previously arrested for the 2023 fight with Dakota on charges of aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury, and criminal mischief.

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.

Click here to read all the spoilers for Taylor's The Bachelorette season and find out her winner and how her journey ended.







About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski