Production on Season 5 of โThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wivesโ has resumed after going on pause weeks ago amid 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 moving forward.
The cast of โThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wivesโ includes Whitney Leavitt, Mayci Neeley, Mikayla Matthews, Jessi Draper, Miranda McWhorter and Jen Affleck as well as their husbands and exes.
News broke on March 16 that production had paused on โMormon Wivesโ as the police department of Draper City, Utah was investigating domestic violence allegations Paul and Mortensen made against each other relating to an incident that occurred in late February. Though Season 5 of โThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wivesโ was in production at the time, the incident did not take place on camera.
After being reviewed by multiple attorneys, the court announced earlier this month that Paul will not face any charges.
The February incident was not the first conflict of this nature between Paul and Mortensen; in 2023, Paul was arrested and later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault against Mortensen. Though that altercation was widely known about and covered in depth during Season 1 of โMormon Wives,โ 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 barstools at Mortensen while one of her children was nearby. (Though Paul and Mortensen share a son, he had not been born at the time of the incident; the child heard in the video is from Paulโs previous marriage.)
Swiftly after the TMZ leak, Disney unscheduled the March 22 premiere of โThe Bachelorette,โ which had already been filmed with Paul as the lead. โIn light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of โThe Bacheloretteโ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,โ the company said in a statement. A spokesperson for Paul released a statement shortly afterward, saying, โTaylor is very grateful for ABCโs support as she prioritizes her familyโs safety and security. 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. 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. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.โ
Both Paul and Mortensen have filed restraining orders against each other.
