Trigger Warning: This article contains a discussion of domestic violence allegations.
The Bachelorette lead, Taylor Frankie Paul, and one of her baby daddies, Dakota Mortensen, are back in the headlines … again. They started dating in 2022, but by the following year, their romance had already turned toxic, as evidenced on multiple seasons of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Over the years, these stars have dated, broken up, and reunited more times than I can count, with an occasional visit from their neighboring police force. And now, they are reportedly going through much of the same thing … again.
This time around, Taylor and Dakota are both under investigation in Drapper City, Utah. As a result, their series is hanging in the balance, as is The Bachelorette Season 22. Taylor is starring in this, and it will still air, but after everything that’s happened, the viewership will likely be low af. From cheating narratives to claims of domestic violence times two, here’s the timeline of everything that’s happened between Taylor and Dakota.
Taylor Frankie Paul has an arrest record for alleged domestic violence against Dakota Mortensen
When Season 1 of SLOMW debuted in 2024, Taylor and Dakota were an item, but their relationship was incredibly rocky. A huge part of their problems happened in 2023, when the cops arrived on their doorstep. They arrested Taylor on domestic violence charges against Dakota. Then, to properly cover this real-life storyline, producers included body camera footage from Taylor’s arresting officers at the tail end of Episode 1.
In their body cam footage, we saw Taylor, intoxicated, arguing with the police. Their visit ultimately resulted in Taylor’s arrest. According to their charging documents, Taylor threw a chair (or a barstool) at Dakota, which allegedly struck her 5-year-old daughter, whom she shares custody of with her ex.
Taylor pleaded guilty in August 2023 to aggravated assault. But as she explained last year on the Call Her Daddy podcast, the other charges against her “were all dropped.” She added, “I never intentionally did anything with my children.” Regarding her heated interactions with Dakota, Taylor shared, “I’ve never been through anything like that, so I didn’t have the tools” to handle this dispute.
Cheating claims surrounded Dakota in 2025
Following her arrest, Taylor and Dakota reunited and had a son named Ever. Yet, matters between them remained fragile. Not helping matters, Dakota often cheated on Taylor, which viewers saw playing out across multiple seasons of SLOMW.
In Season 2, which debuted in 2025, Taylor learned that Dakota had cheated on her with a woman named Jenna. This rumor also sounded in Season 1, but at that time, Taylor and Dakota were not yet exclusive. Nevertheless, Taylor and one of her costars met up with Jenna at the start of Season 2. And when they did, Jenna revealed that Dakota had “spent the night more than once.”
“We never had sex for sure. I feel like we did a little bit more than just making out. Like we probably just did hand stuff. I don’t think I would have done it to him, though, because being raised Mormon, I was like “Oh, I’m sinning,” Jenna revealed.
How could Jenna have forgotten these intimate details? Regardless, Dakota “lied a ton” to cover his tracks, Taylor claimed. But then, in Season 3, Taylor unearthed additional cheating allegations against Dakota.
The couple separated, and Taylor filmed The Bachelorette
Dakota sent NSFW-style messages to another woman. This time, the unnamed woman in question was someone in Taylor’s circle. So, Taylor pulled the plug on their rekindled relationship in Season 3.
As Taylor explained, “This is not mendable. I think what broke my heart is maybe I had a glimmer of hope this last week, but now there’s nothing. I will never, ever, ever consider you ever again.”
But Taylor would consider dating a mansion filled with random, unknown men. So, off she and her roses went to find a new love on Season 22 of The Bachlorette. But, as Dakota joked, Taylor’s new gig made him “wanna go win my baby momma back.” Turns out, he might have done this very thing right before Taylor left town.
Season 4 of SLOMW recently landed on Hulu. Here, we saw Dakota visiting Taylor’s house with their son. Taylor was about to leave town for this dating series, so she wanted to spend some time with their boy. But then, Dakota also stayed over, sharing a bed with Taylor, which frustrated pretty much everyone in their orbit.
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 5 filming is halted due to wild accusations
Once filming wrapped on The Bachlorette, Taylor returned home for Season 5 of SLOMW. But then, Taylor and Dakota engaged in yet another heated fight. This time, the accusations were so wild that their producers actually halted filming for an undisclosed period of time.
According to one source, Taylor was at Dakota’s house, where they started fighting about his Season 4 cheating scandal. Allegedly, Taylor choked Dakota. She also ripped his necklace off, all while their son was in the room.
So, Dakota called the cops, but Taylor convinced him to change his story. The very next day, they fought again. This time, Taylor allegedly scratched his neck and damaged his phone.
Meanwhile, another source blamed Dakota. Apparently, Taylor and Dakota were arguing in a car, and a drink spilled. So, Dakota reacted physically, but he is trying to paint Taylor as the aggressor.
Now, Taylor and Dakota must both undergo psychological evaluations.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
The Bachelorette Season 22 premieres March 22 at 8/7c on ABC. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
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