Taylor Frankie Paul faces protective order hearing in Utah after
'Bachelorette' cancellation
[April 07, 2026]
By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and ANDREW DALTON
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah judge is set to hear arguments Tuesday on a
protective order sought by a former partner against Taylor Frankie Paul,
the star of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and a recently filmed
season of “The Bachelorette” that was canceled over abuse allegations in
the relationship.
Dakota Mortensen, who has temporary custody of his and Paul's 2-year-old
son, is asking the court to turn a short-term protective order against
her into a long-term one as authorities investigate domestic violence
reports from earlier this year.
Paul and Mortensen are expected to participate in the hearing remotely
while their lawyers appear in person at the Salt Lake City courthouse.
Details of the temporary protective order have been kept sealed.
Attorneys are expected to address reports under investigation from
February, not a 2023 fight that led to Paul’s arrest and resurfaced just
before her “Bachelorette” season was supposed to premiere, though the
older issues may be discussed.
ABC last month announced the unprecedented move of shelving an entire,
already-filmed new season of “The Bachelorette” with Paul in the title
role. The network and its parent company Disney blamed the cancellation
on a leaked video, shot in 2023 and posted by TMZ on March 19, in which
Paul appears to punch, kick and throw chairs at Mortensen while her
young daughter watches and cries.
Police body camera footage of Paul's arrest in that case was featured in
the series premiere of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," which first
aired in 2024. Paul is shown calling it “the worst night of my life.”
Video of the fight itself, which appears to be from Mortensen's point of
view, was not made public until last month's leak.
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 Paul was charged with aggravated
assault and other offenses, including domestic violence in the
presence of a child. She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault
charge, and the other counts were dismissed.
Paul has two children with her ex-husband, Tate Paul, along with the
son she had with Mortensen after their 2023 dispute.
A Paul representative said after the cancellation
that she had been “silently suffering extensive mental and physical
abuse as well as threats of retaliation” and was “finally gaining
the strength to face her accuser.”
Mortensen said in a statement that he was “used to these baseless
claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny.”
Production has also been paused on the fifth season of “The Secret
Lives of Mormon Wives,” the Hulu series that made Paul a reality
star. Her casting on “The Bachelorette” offered synergy between the
shows for Disney, which owns both Hulu and ABC.
She became known as an influencer in the #MomTok community, a group
of women from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
sharing their lives on TikTok. The group, and Paul's admissions of
polyamory within it, helped spawn the hit reality show.
On Sunday, Paul announced she was leaving what is widely known as
the Mormon church. She said on Instagram that she will always have
love and respect for the Utah-based religious institution but, “It's
time to detach myself.”
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Dalton reported from Los Angeles.
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