Taylor Frankie Paul lived in fear for years that a video of her domestic violence incident with Dakota Mortensen would be released, Page Six said.
A source close to the situation said Taylor, 31, was worried about whether and when the 2023 footage shot on Mortensen’s cell phone would ever see the light of day.
Representatives for the Utah-based reality star did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On Thursday, TMZ obtained and published the video in question. The video showed Paul screaming and attacking Mortensen, 33, in front of a child in his home.
The “Secrets of a Mormon Wife” star then started throwing metal barstools across the room in his direction.
Mortensen repeatedly yelled as his daughter — 8-year-old Indy, who was 5 at the time — was sitting on a nearby couch.
Indy appeared to have been hit and could be heard crying, with Mortensen later claiming, “Your daughter just got hit in the head with a metal chair.”
During the scuffle, Mortensen urged Paul to “go and save her daughter,” and when Paul tried to do so, Paul ordered him to “run away” from the child.
A responding officer rang the doorbell after Mortensen professed her “love” for Paul’s children and accused her of being “drunk.”
During the argument, Paul accused Mortensen of starting the fight.
“You did it. You threw me,” she repeatedly screamed, claiming to police that Mortensen threw her to the ground before he began recording.
Paul was arrested and charged with one felony count of aggravated assault, two felony counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child (injury), one misdemeanor count of child abuse, and one misdemeanor count of criminal mischief.
She ultimately pleaded guilty to aggravated assault under a deal that would reduce the charge to a misdemeanor if she complied with three years of probation. Other charges were dropped.
Responding to the “selectively edited” abuse video, Paul’s representatives told Page Six that it was “conveniently taken out of context” and was part of Mortensen’s “endless, desperate, high-profile, destructive campaign to harm Taylor with no regard for the impact on the child.”
Mortensen responded to the allegations by saying, “As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a very upsetting situation. Unfortunately, I am no stranger to baseless claims about me and our relationship, but I categorically deny them. I am focused on my son and his safety, and I hope Taylor does the same.”
Paul and Mortensen – whose tumultuous relationship began in 2022 – have a 2-year-old son named Ever, and she is raising Indy and 5-year-old son Ocean with ex-husband Tate Paul.
After the footage surfaced, Disney, which owns and operates ABC, announced that Taylor’s season of “The Bachelorette,” which was scheduled to premiere Sunday, would be postponed.
“In light of the new video that was just released today, we have made the decision not to move forward with a new season of The Bachelorette at this time,” a Disney representative said, adding, “Our focus is on supporting our family.”
Following the news, Taylor’s rep said she was “extremely grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes the safety and security of her family,” who “have endured extensive emotional and physical abuse and threats of retribution in silence for years.”
The 2023 video surfaced after filming on Hulu’s SLOMW Season 5 was reportedly halted amid a separate domestic violence investigation involving Taylor and Mortensen.
Mortensen filed for a restraining order earlier this week, accusing Taylor of strangling her in front of her son last month. He was granted temporary custody Friday.
