‘Bachelorette’ Star Taylor Frankie Paul Files Restraining Order Against Ex Dakota Mortensen Amid Domestic Violence Investigation
Taylor Frankie Paul has filed for a temporary restraining order against her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, with whom she shares a son.
The legal move comes less than an hour before a court hearing in Utah regarding Mortensen’s own order of protection against Paul, in addition to custody of their son.
Both orders are a response to a domestic incident on Feb. 22 and 23 that led Paul and Mortensen mutually to accuse each other of domestic violence. Paul’s order also cites incidents from last May and earlier in February.
Paul’s filing, which Variety has obtained, includes multiple allegations of physical violence committed by Mortensen alongside photos of bruises on Paul’s arms, legs and face as well as text messages between Paul and Mortensen where Paul mentions one of her injuries. Paul also says that despite their breakup, Mortensen recently tattooed her initials on the inside of his lip and sent her photos of it on Feb. 14. Paul alleges that the tattoo and other text conversations included in the filing constitute harassment.
Season 5 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” the Hulu reality series that made Paul famous, has paused production amid the resulting police investigation in Draper City, Utah.
This is the latest development in a massive scandal that led Disney to pull Paul’s season “The Bachelorette” just days before its premiere. Several days after news broke about the “Mormon Wives” production pause, on March 19, TMZ released footage from a separate domestic incident that took place between Paul and Mortensen more than three years ago in February 2023. Paul pleaded guilty to aggravated assault after that event, later in 2023, and remains on probation until this August. Last week, following the TMZ leak and the “Bachelorette” decision, a spokesperson for Paul said that she had been “silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse” for years.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” the full statement read. “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.”
“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” released its fourth season on March 12. The series’ popularity and Paul’s subsequent rise to fame led to her being cast as the lead for Season 22 of “The Bachelorette,” which has been shot in full and was set to debut on ABC on March 22 until the TMZ leak. “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” a spokesperson for Disney said in a statement last week.
Though the footage was not publicly available before TMZ published it, information about Paul’s assault arrest was already widely known. The video showed her throwing metal barstools at Mortensen while he was near one of her children, who begins to cry. (Paul and Mortensen’s son had not been born at the time of the incident; the child in the video was from Paul’s previous marriage.) Paul’s arrest and probation were discussed at length in Season 1 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” in 2024.
The legal move comes less than an hour before a court hearing in Utah regarding Mortensen’s own order of protection against Paul, in addition to custody of their son.
Both orders are a response to a domestic incident on Feb. 22 and 23 that led Paul and Mortensen mutually to accuse each other of domestic violence. Paul’s order also cites incidents from last May and earlier in February.
Paul’s filing, which Variety has obtained, includes multiple allegations of physical violence committed by Mortensen alongside photos of bruises on Paul’s arms, legs and face as well as text messages between Paul and Mortensen where Paul mentions one of her injuries. Paul also says that despite their breakup, Mortensen recently tattooed her initials on the inside of his lip and sent her photos of it on Feb. 14. Paul alleges that the tattoo and other text conversations included in the filing constitute harassment.
Season 5 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” the Hulu reality series that made Paul famous, has paused production amid the resulting police investigation in Draper City, Utah.
This is the latest development in a massive scandal that led Disney to pull Paul’s season “The Bachelorette” just days before its premiere. Several days after news broke about the “Mormon Wives” production pause, on March 19, TMZ released footage from a separate domestic incident that took place between Paul and Mortensen more than three years ago in February 2023. Paul pleaded guilty to aggravated assault after that event, later in 2023, and remains on probation until this August. Last week, following the TMZ leak and the “Bachelorette” decision, a spokesperson for Paul said that she had been “silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse” for years.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” the full statement read. “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.”
“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” released its fourth season on March 12. The series’ popularity and Paul’s subsequent rise to fame led to her being cast as the lead for Season 22 of “The Bachelorette,” which has been shot in full and was set to debut on ABC on March 22 until the TMZ leak. “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” a spokesperson for Disney said in a statement last week.
Though the footage was not publicly available before TMZ published it, information about Paul’s assault arrest was already widely known. The video showed her throwing metal barstools at Mortensen while he was near one of her children, who begins to cry. (Paul and Mortensen’s son had not been born at the time of the incident; the child in the video was from Paul’s previous marriage.) Paul’s arrest and probation were discussed at length in Season 1 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” in 2024.