Taylor Frankie Paul says her daughter is forced to relive incident after video leaked

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Taylor Frankie Paul is dealing with the fallout from a leaked video that disrupted her first appearance on “The Bachelorette,” and she says her children are also upset by the situation.

Just before last Sunday’s premiere of “The Bachelorette,” a video surfaced on TMZ showing a 2023 argument between the reality TV star and her then-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, who is also the father of her youngest child.

Paul first became well-known in 2020 for starting the #MomTok trend, which eventually led to the 2024 Hulu series “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” While details of an incident involving Paul were already public through court documents and the first season of the show—including police bodycam footage in the first episode—a newly released video provides additional insight into what happened.

A video shows Paul and Mortensen arguing, with Mortensen kicking in Paul’s direction and throwing metal barstools at him. Paul’s daughter was present during the fight, and can be heard crying near the end of the video as Mortensen yells at Paul to stop throwing things and assist his daughter.

Paul later pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault, and four other charges were dropped.

Television

Paul’s temporary removal from the show highlights the growing pattern of controversy surrounding the ABC reality dating franchise, which usually focuses on romance.

After the video leaked online, many people quickly shared their reactions. On TikTok, user @turtzc criticized Dakota Mortensen, claiming he leaked the video on his son’s second birthday. “This act, happening on his child’s birthday, really shows Dakota’s true character,” the user stated.

Paul commented on the video, explaining that the hardest part for him is his daughter having to revisit the incident years later, especially after they’d worked through it and he’d apologized to her.

She added that her son’s birthday was “taken from him.”

Mortensen claims he didn’t share the video. He explained to ET that his main concern is safeguarding the child he and Paul share.

Paul shared with the media that the recent headlines about him have been deeply upsetting, as he’s never harmed his children. He’s willing to own up to his mistakes, but feels the situation is more complex than it appears and dislikes being labeled negatively.

Adding to the existing issues, reports emerged in late February of another disagreement between Paul and Mortensen. The Draper City Police Department in Utah has confirmed they are currently investigating the situation. Consequently, Paul has temporarily lost custody of her son, Ever, who she shares with Mortensen.

Television

The reality star was about to appear on a dating show, but that plan was disrupted when someone from ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ tried to join the show and it didn’t work out. It’s unclear what will happen next.

Shortly after a video became public and filming on his show, “Secret Lives,” was temporarily stopped, Paul appeared on “Good Morning America” to discuss the situation.

Paul said it was “hard to say” how she envisioned her future on the show.

She admitted it was difficult to look beyond the current situation. “Honestly, it feels devastating to have my life so publicly displayed in the news,” she said. “It feels like everything is falling apart.” But she added that she’d faced similar challenges before and overcome them by sharing her experiences and staying positive, and she hoped to do the same this time.

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2026-03-25 04:01