Taylor Frankie Paul has filed for a temporary restraining order against ex-girlfriend Dakota Mortensen, with whom he shares a son.
The legal action came less than an hour before a court hearing in Utah regarding custody of their son as well as Mortensen’s own protective order against Paul.
Both orders are in response to domestic incidents on February 22 and 23 that led Paul and Mortensen to accuse each other of domestic violence. Paul’s command also references events from last May and early February.
Paul’s filing, obtained by Variety, includes multiple allegations of physical assault by Mortensen, as well as photos of bruises on Paul’s arms, legs and face, and text messages between Paul and Mortensen in which Paul mentions one of her scars. Paul also claims that despite their breakup, Mortensen recently tattooed her initials on the inside of his lips and sent her a photo of it on February 14th. Paul claims the tattoos and other text conversations included in his filing constitute harassment.
Season 5 of the Hulu reality series that made Paul famous has been suspended following a police investigation in Draper City, Utah.
This is the latest development in a massive scandal that led Disney to cancel Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” days before its premiere. On March 19, just days after news of Mormon Housewives being canceled, TMZ released footage of another domestic incident between Paul and Mortensen that took place more than three years ago in February 2023. Paul pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in late 2023 after that incident and is on probation until August of this year. Last week, following the leak to TMZ and the “Bachelorette” decision, Paul’s publicist said she had “suffered in silence from massive emotional and physical abuse” for years.
“Taylor is extremely grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes the safety and security of her family,” the full statement read. “After years of enduring massive emotional and physical abuse and threats of retaliation in silence, Taylor has finally found the strength to confront her accusers and is taking steps to protect herself and her children from further harm. While surviving an aggressive and jealous ex-partner, , too many women are suffering in silence, unwilling to move forward with their lives. Taylor remains silent for fear of further abuse, retaliation, and public shaming. She is now exploring all options and seeking support and preparing to own and share her story. ”
“The Secret of Mrs. Mormon” released its fourth season on March 12th. Due to the popularity of the series and Paul’s subsequent rise to fame, Paul was chosen to star in Season 22 of The Bachelorette, which was filmed in its entirety and was scheduled to premiere on ABC on March 22nd, until the TMZ leak. “In light of today’s newly released video, we have made the decision not to move forward with a new season of The Bachelorette at this time and are focused on supporting our family,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement last week.
The footage had not been made public before TMZ published it, but information about Paul’s assault arrest was already widely known. The video showed her throwing a metal bar stool at Mortensen, who was near one of the children who started crying. (At the time of the incident, Paul and Mortensen’s son was not yet born; the child seen in the video was from Paul’s previous marriage.) Paul’s arrest and probation were discussed in detail on Season 1 of 2024’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
