Taylor Frankie Paul, star of ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ and former ‘Bachelorette’ lead, has filed for a temporary restraining order against her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, with whom she shares a son. The filing came less than an hour before a court hearing in Utah regarding Mortensen’s own protection order against Paul and custody of their child.
Both orders stem from a domestic incident on 22 and 23 February that led to mutual accusations of domestic violence. Paul’s filing also cites incidents from May 2024 and earlier in February 2025. The documents include allegations of physical violence, photos of bruises on Paul’s arms, legs and face, and text messages in which Paul mentions an injury. Paul also claims that Mortensen recently tattooed her initials on the inside of his lip and sent her photos on 14 February, which she alleges constitutes harassment.
Production on Season 5 of ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ has been paused amid a police investigation in Draper City, Utah. This follows a scandal that led Disney to pull Paul’s season of ‘The Bachelorette’ just days before its scheduled premiere on 22 March. On 19 March, TMZ released footage from a separate domestic incident in February 2023, in which Paul pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. She remains on probation until August 2025.
A spokesperson for Paul said she had been “silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse” for years and is “finally gaining the strength to face her accuser.” Disney stated it would not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, adding that its “focus is on supporting the family.”
