“Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul is sparking rumors that she and partner Dakota Mortensen have split.
On Sept. 22, Paul posted a video of her dancing on TikTok with the caption, “Not me morphing into 2022 me.” For those who know the lore of the show, 2022 was the year her marriage to Tate Paul ended. She also said in another TikTok, posted Sept. 23, that the show was too “triggering” to watch. The same weekend, Paul posted an Instagram story about a “new chapter” beginning.
In an earlier interview with TODAY.com, Paul said her relationship with Mortensen had changed significantly since their time as cast members on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
“Things have gotten a lot better. We’re obviously far from the end goal, because we come in (to the relationship) with such baggage, and now we’re doing TV and a lot comes with that,” the influencer said.
Paul is credited as the creator of #MomTok, the loose coalition of Mormon influencers who have built up independent followings on TikTok and other social media platforms, but also collaborate.
More about Taylor Frankie Paul
She also was responsible for its implosion in 2022, when she released a TikTok Live saying she and her ex-husband, Tate Paul, were involved in “soft swinging” with other group members. The show’s other cast members have denied participating.
The reality series gives a look into her relationship with her current partner, Mortensen. Speaking to TODAY.com, she said they have taken action to strength their bond.
“We’re in couples therapy and coaching, so they’re kind of helping us to communicate and learn all these things while taking on the loud noise, which is really cool,” she said.
Whether you’ve already binge watched “The Secret Lives or Mormon Wives” or simply want to learn more about the couple everyone’s talking about, we’re outlining everything you need to know about their relationship.
When did Dakota and Taylor start dating?
Paul announced her divorce from Tate Paul in a May 2022 TikTok Live video. The former couple shares two children.
In the same video, Paul revealed she and her ex-husband had participated in “soft swinging” with other couples in their Mormon community. Paul and her husband had boundaries, which she admitted to breaching.
The TikToker introduced Mortensen as the “guy she cheated with” in a July 2022 video.
Paul and Mortensen conceived a baby that same year. Paul revealed in a November 2022 TikTok that she had an ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus and the pregnancy is not viable, per the Mayo Clinic.
The couple went on to conceive another child and welcomed a son named Ever True in March 2024. Paul’s pregnancy, including her baby shower, is chronicled in “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
What happens between them on the show?
Viewers of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” witness Paul and Mortensen navigating their relationship and preparing for the birth of their child.
In the series, Paul’s family and friends expressed concern over the couple’s volatile communication style, which is on display in a fighting scene that leads to Paul’s arrest.
Paul was arrested in February 2023 on charges including assault and committing domestic violence when a child was present. She reached a plea deal in her assault case in late August 2023. She pled guilty to aggravated assault, and the other charges against her were dismissed with prejudice, meaning they were permanently dismissed, according to court documents viewed by The Salt Lake Tribune.
In an interview with TODAY.com, the TikToker reflected on a moment of turmoil in her relationship, though didn’t explicitly refer to the arrest.
“I forgot the cameras were there and Dakota and I got into a fight…. My true emotions come out and I think I got a little angry and open up. I think that’s the first time I share what’s going on in my head. Not that I regret doing that. It opened up to be honest about what was going on. Maybe I regret how I said it,” she said.
During Paul’s pregnancy, Mortensen was eager to engaged. However, Paul was hesitant to take their relationship to the next level and cited “lies” he told her at the beginning of their relationship as one of her main reasons.
In a confessional interview, she recalled a time at the beginning of their relationship when they weren’t exclusively dating yet. Paul said Mortensen lied about hanging out with his male friends but later admitted that he hooked up with another woman that night.
“I’ve been honest that I’m not ready to progress because I’m scared something else is gonna come out. But do you blame me?” she asked.
Meanwhile, Mortensen said that Paul regularly “self-sabotaged” their relationship.
The series ends on a cliffhanger for Paul and Mortensen
Mayci Neeley, one of Paul’s #MomTok friends, said she’s “protective” of Paul’s relationship with Mortensen in one episode of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
Neeley, Paul and Mortensen have a heart-to-heart conversation in one episode and air out their feelings.
However, Neeley ends the season by calling a woman who claims to have “accidentally slept with” Mortensen before she knew that he was dating Paul.
How is their relationship today?
Despite Neeley’s revelations, Paul said she and Mortensen are together.
Paul told TODAY.com they’re in a “good” place today. She also noted that Mortensen and her ex-husband “get along.”
“They’re buddies, you know, and I’m buddies with (Tate’s) partner,” she said. “I don’t know if that makes anyone uncomfortable, but that’s OK, because I think it’s part of my story. It’s authentic.”
Paul, who still has videos of her ex-husband posted on her social media, said he will always play a role in her life.
“It’s still such a part of my story, my life. It’s my my kids’ dad,” she said. “So (Tate) is still going to always be an important figure in their lives and mine.”
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