Taylor Frankie Paul has broken her silence following reports that “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” paused filming amid a domestic violence incident between her and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, lamenting about the timing of the reports coinciding with the upcoming premiere of her season of “The Bachelorette.”
In an interview with People conducted on Tuesday during a press preview of the new season of “The Bachelorette,” Paul said her “heart hurts to see” the reports “especially at this time,” with “The Bachelorette” premiering Sunday. “Just the timing is hard, and it’s a big deal … I feel like every premiere that I’ve experienced, I’ve never enjoyed fully, so this is another one… it’s extremely hard, and it took everything to get me here today,” she said.
“It’s just heavy. It’s a heavy time, and it’s unfortunate,” she continued. “I’m struggling for sure, but also at the same time I feel like if I don’t show up, then I’m just giving these opportunities away and not enjoying what we’ve worked on and something super exciting that’s coming. I just feel like it was the right thing to do… show up even though it’s hard.”
It was reported on Monday that “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” paused production amid an open “domestic assault investigation” in Utah, a spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department told People. According to the outlet, “allegations have been made in both directions,” and contact was made with both parties on Feb. 24 and 25.
Paul and Mortensen, who frequently appear in “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” were involved in a domestic violence incident during the Hulu reality series’ first season, as documented by the show. By Season 4, which debuted on Hulu last week, Paul and Mortensen were still engaged in a toxic, on-again-off-again relationship.
The fourth season of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” saw Paul preparing to head off to film a new season of “The Bachelorette,” which debuts next Sunday. Season 5 would then detail the aftermath of Paul’s time on the popular ABC reality show.
