Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul has revealed what led her to hug Dakota Mortensen’s mom after the exes’ latest court hearing.
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The embrace was captured on video and posted by a fan’s Instagram account following the hearing late last week. Paul took to the post’s comment section to speak out about the move.
“That was my goodbye to a family my older kids and I loved deeply,” she wrote.
The MomTok influencer shares children, Indy and Ocean, with ex-husband, Tate Paul. She shares her youngest son, Ever, with Mortensen.
During the latest hearing, a judge extended the protection orders that Taylor and Dakota filed against each other by three years. The duo is to stay 100 feet from each other.
Utah Commission Russell Mines described Paul and Mortensen’s relationship as “dysfunctional” while addressing the orders.
“This has been a very toxic relationship. It’s beyond the pale in a lot of ways, the toxicity,” he further stated. “What I’ve seen from the evidence, even post [the] last hearing, there seems to be a continuing attraction that they have for each other. You guys have to figure out a lot here. You have to figure out how to function as coparents.”
“I’m hoping that you’re not people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict,” Mines then added. “You’ve got to put your child first and shield the child from this conflict. I’m going to leave the current order in place. I need to think a little bit more about this lifting of supervision. I have mixed feelings about it.”
There were no changes to the exes’ current custody agreement. Mortensen has primary custody of Ever, while Paul gets eight hours a week with the toddler.
Paul and Mortensen Have Been in Multiple Physical Altercations
Two months before the court hearing, Paul and Mortensen were involved in a physical altercation. The incident led to an investigation by the Draper Police Department.
Production on Season 5 of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was halted after the news of the incident broke.
Weeks after the altercation, TMZ posted a video of the exes’ altercation in 2023, which led to Paul’s arrest. Not long after the video was posted, Paul’s season of The Bachelorette was shelved by ABC. Mortensen filed an emergency custody order of Ever, and was quickly granted primary custody.
Days later, Mortensen contacted another police department to report a physical dispute he had had with Paul in 2024.
It has since been reported that Paul will not face additional domestic violence charges from either investigation.