Secret Lives of Mormon Wives resumes filming season 5 after Taylor Frankie Paul’s investigation
Production on Season 5 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” has resumed after being paused weeks ago due to a domestic violence investigation involving Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen. It has not yet been revealed whether Paul or Mortensen will be involved in season 5.
The cast of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” includes Whitney Leavitt, Mayci Neeley, Mikayla Matthews, Jessi Draper, Miranda McWhorter and Jen Affleck, as well as their husbands and exes.
On March 16, news broke that production of “Mormon Wives” had been paused as Draper City, Utah police investigated domestic violence allegations made against each other by Paul and Mortensen in connection with an incident that occurred in late February. Although Season 5 of ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ was in production at the time, the incident did not occur on camera.
After review by several attorneys, the court announced earlier this month that Paul will not face charges.
The February incident was not the first conflict of this nature between Paul and Mortensen; in 2023, Paul was arrested and later found guilty of aggravated assault against Mortensen. Although this altercation was well known and discussed extensively during Season 1 of “Mormon Wives,” on March 19 of this year, TMZ published footage of it that had previously only been played in court. The video showed Paul throwing metal bar stools at Mortensen while one of her children was nearby. (Although Paul and Mortensen share a son, he had not yet been born at the time of the incident; the child heard in the video is from Paul’s previous marriage.)
Shortly after the TMZ leak, Disney postponed the March 22 premiere of “The Bachelorette,” which had already been filmed with Paul as the lead. “In light of the newly released video that has just surfaced, we have made the decision not to move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” the company said in a statement. A spokesperson for Paul released a statement shortly afterwards, saying: “Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes the safety of her family. After years of quietly suffering extensive mental and physical abuse and threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and take steps to ensure she and her children are protected from further harm. There are too many women who suffer in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to allow this. They move on with their lives. Taylor has remained silent for fear of further abuse, retaliation and public shaming. She is currently exploring all her options, seeking support and preparing to own and share her story.
Both Paul and Mortensen have filed restraining orders against each other.
