SALT LAKE CITY, UT - The professional world of Taylor Frankie Paul, star of the hit series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, has come to a grinding halt.
On Friday, March 20, 2026, ABC announced the cancellation of her upcoming season of The Bachelorette, and production on Mormon Wives has been indefinitely paused following the leak of a violent 2023 video by TMZ.
The footage shows Paul acting aggressively toward her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, including throwing metal stools in the presence of her children-an incident that led to her 2023 charges for assault, criminal mischief, and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
1. The Family Tree: Kids and “Baby Daddies”
The controversy has shifted the spotlight onto Paul's three children and the two men she shares them with.
Tate Paul (Ex-Husband)
- Relationship: Married in 2016; divorced following a high-profile “soft swinging” scandal and an “emotional affair” admitted by Taylor.
- Children: * Indy May Paul (9): Born August 31, 2017.
- Ocean Paul (5): Born in 2020.
- Current Status: Tate has moved on and married Bailey Paul in early 2025. He remains based in Utah.
Dakota Mortensen (Ex-Boyfriend)
- Relationship: Started dating in 2022. The relationship has been volatile, with multiple breakups and a recent December 2024 split, followed by a filing for a protective order in Utah against Paul.
- Children:
- Ever True Mortensen (2): Born March 19, 2024.
- Current Status: Mortensen, originally from Idaho, owns Basin Tiling in Utah. Despite the legal filings and the leaked video, the pair has a history of “on-again, off-again” status.
2. Career in Jeopardy
The fallout from the video has been swift. Major networks are distancing themselves from the reality star as public outcry grows over the safety of her children.
- ABC's The Bachelorette: The network confirmed on Friday that her season has been scrapped entirely.
- Hulu's Mormon Wives: Filming for the next installment is currently on hiatus while the production team assesses the legal and ethical implications of the 2023 footage.
3. Domestic Violence Statistics: A Broader Context
While this case involves a high-profile female aggressor, domestic violence in the U.S. remains a widespread issue across all demographics.
National Domestic Violence Statistics (Annual Estimates):
- Prevalence: 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence.
- Presence of Children: Roughly 15 million children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year.
- Racial Demographics (Victimization Rates):
- Multi-racial individuals: ~53%
- American Indian/Alaska Native: ~46%
- Black/African American: ~45%
- White: ~37%
- Hispanic/Latino: ~34%
- Asian/Pacific Islander: ~18%