Taylor Frankie Paul is addressing the headlines amid the ongoing domestic-violence investigation launched by police in Utah involving Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.
When appearing at a press event in New York City for her upcoming season of The Bachelorette on Tuesday, Paul told People, “My heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time.” She added, “Just the timing is hard, and it’s a big deal. I feel like every premiere that I’ve experienced, I’ve never enjoyed fully, so this is another one… it’s extremely hard, and it took everything to get me here today.”
On Monday, news broke that production on Season Five of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was paused as police in Utah investigate domestic-violence allegations involving star Paul and Mortensen.
Details surrounding the alleged incident remain unclear, but the Draper City police department confirmed that there is an open “domestic-assault investigation” involving Paul and Mortensen. A spokesperson for the police said that “allegations have been made in both directions,” and that both parties were contacted in late February.
“It’s just heavy. It’s a heavy time, and it’s unfortunate,” Paul told People on Tuesday. “I’m struggling for sure, but also at the same time I feel like if I don’t show up, then I’m just giving these opportunities away and not enjoying what we’ve worked on and something super exciting that’s coming. I just feel like it was the right thing to do… show up even though it’s hard.”
Taylor also spoke to Extra on Tuesday night and responded to reports that she was addicted to her ex. “I think it was no secret that we did have an addictive cycle, and at this point, right now, the answer would be no,” she told the outlet. “But did I have that in the past? Absolutely, it’s a secret to nobody. Unfortunately, yeah.”
In 2023, Paul was arrested after allegedly choking, striking, and throwing stools at Mortensen, with one of the stools allegedly hitting her daughter from a previous relationship. Paul wound up pleading guilty to a count of aggravated assault, while other charges were dismissed.
Since the 2024 debut of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Paul and Mortensen’s tumultuous relationship has been the focal point of the show. The pair, who have a son together, began dating not long after Paul split with her ex-husband following the #MomTok “soft-swinging scandal” that preceded the realty TV show.
