Taylor Frankie Paul, Ex’s Drama Halts ‘Mormon Wives’ Filming

Taylor Frankie Paul and her on-again, off-again relationship with ex-boyfriend (and the father of her son) Dakota Mortensen has always been one of the major storylines on the massively popular Hulu reality series “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” but apparently, recent drama between the two has caused production for the show to be paused.

As fans continue to take in the show’s fourth season, which recently dropped on March 12, the cast has been filming the upcoming fifth season. However, the former couple reportedly had a recent incident that resulted in production being shut down.

‘Mormon Wives’ Production Reportedly Shuts Down Due To Drama With Taylor Frankie Paul And Dakota Mortensen

According to TMZ, inside sources connected to “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” told the outlet that due to a heated incident between the show’s star, Taylor Frankie Paul, and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, production for season 5 has been paused for now. 

Currently, the details of the reported fight have not been revealed, but apparently, it was serious enough to cause filming to cease. 

Sources further shared with the outlet that production is “taking the matter seriously and handling with caution.”

Throughout the recently released fourth season, Paul and Mortensen have multiple blow-up fights that put the rest of the cast in the middle of the drama.

Taylor Frankie Paul Revealed That Season 4 Of ‘Mormon Wives’ Was ‘Extremely Hard’ To Watch

In a recent Instagram post, following the release of “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” season 4, Taylor Frankie Paul shared insight into the difficulties of filming the season.

“I for the first time sat down and watched this season and it was extremely hard to do,” Paul began in the caption of the post. “These aren’t just story lines, these are our actual lives we are sharing. I’ll speak for myself on this, I’m not sharing to appease or switch ‘story lines’ for anyone’s entertainment.” 

“A big reason I continue on is to potentially help someone,” she continued. “I know this because I’ve personally watched and listened to people’s experience and it helped me. Takes courage to share such vulnerable topics with an audience. My heart goes out to those around me that share and everyone else that continue to do so the hugs will always outweigh the hate for me.”

The Reality Star Recently Shared Her Mental Health Struggles

On February 23, Paul shared on Instagram that she has been recently “struggling” with her mental health.

She posted a series of photos documenting her recent struggles with mental health, including a cluttered home, screenshots of texts of her checking in on friends, and a main image of her smiling through tears.

Paul coupled the photo dump with a lengthy caption detailing her struggles with mental health, despite how things may appear on the surface.

“I guess an upside of struggling mentally is you start to sense and see the signs of others feeling the same,” Paul’s caption began. “We’re out here just checking in on each other when we can, and when we don’t respond, it’s not taken personally because we get it.”

“Just be mindful that sometimes that person checking in is the one needing help… and that one took me time to learn,” the reality star continued. “I sometimes ask myself what’s the point of all this sharing this sh—t and I tell myself it may be as simple as making someone feel less alone and if it helps just a few people than it’s worth it.”

Paul Is Gearing Up For Her Controversial Debut As ‘The Bachelorette’

On March 22, Taylor Frankie Paul will make her debut on the 22nd season of the long-running ABC reality dating series and will make history as the first non-‘Bachelor’ alumna to lead the franchise.

Many fans of the show and critics of her past indiscretions were not happy about her joining the show, including “The View” co-host Joy Behar, who questioned whether she is “Bachelorette” material.

“She has three kids and two baby daddies,” Behar said shortly after Paul’s casting announcement. “Will these bachelors line up to be baby daddy number three?”

The ‘Mormon Wives’ Star Addressed The Criticism Of Her ‘Bachelorette’ Casting

In a November 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Paul noted the mixed reaction from the show’s fans but said she was still up for the challenge.

“I feel like it’s very fair to see some things and be like, ‘Oh, not a fan,’ if you’re looking at just very few things. What I will say is maybe tune in to make sure you’re really getting a read on who and how I am,” she said. Because if [you’ve] not really seen anything [I’m in], then you maybe only know my news headlines, which maybe aren’t the prettiest ones.”

“I feel like if you were to ever watch me, hear my story, I think I come off a little bit differently than people would just assume,” Paul continued. “I think maybe just give me a shot and see, and then at the end, if you’re still like, ‘Nah,’ then that’s up to them. But until then, I would just maybe give me a shot at just seeing who I am, really. That would be my only ask.”