New details suggest ABC executives had been previously warned about Taylor Frankie Paul’s situation, including the bombshell clip released on Thursday, weeks before the network shelved her season of The Bachelorette. According to a report, cast members from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, often referred to as the “MomTok” group, raised red flags during a March 7 meeting with executives.
The group allegedly expressed unease about continuing their Hulu series alongside Paul amid ongoing personal controversies.
During the reported discussion, the women voiced concerns about the potential impact on their personal brands and careers, particularly in light of alleged incidents involving Paul and her on-again, off-again partner Dakota Mortensen.
‘Distressing’ videos referenced in meeting
In audio obtained but not released by NBC News, the cast reportedly described video recordings of Paul’s alleged behavior as “distressing” and “upsetting,” though the footage itself was not shown during the meeting.
The publisher further reported that the discussion lasted around 30 minutes, with participants repeatedly referencing the seriousness of the situation.
“A cast member called it ‘concerning’ that no one at Disney or Hulu seemed to want to know what is in the videos,” the report states.
Another cast member allegedly told executives: “It’s a dangerous situation, it’s a sad situation, and we don’t know how to navigate it, because Taylor is our friend.”
Ongoing investigation limited what could be discussed
NBC News further cited sources to report that a formal investigation into the allegations between Paul and Mortensen was already underway at the time.
The source said the production company had “engaged a seasoned law firm to conduct an investigation of the competing and conflicting allegations that Taylor and Dakota had toward one another,” adding, “It would have been inappropriate to engage in a dialogue regarding an ongoing investigation.”
Production halted before Bachelorette fallout
Nearly two weeks after the reported meeting, production on the next season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was paused as police began looking into a separate alleged domestic incident involving Paul and Mortensen.
Cast member Mikayla Matthews later confirmed that the decision to halt filming came from within the group.
“It was a decision that all us girls came up with and agreed on. We didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening,” she said.
Another cast member, Jessi Ngatikaura, dismissed speculation that tensions were driven by jealousy over Paul’s Bachelorette role.
“It was never a jealousy thing lol.”
Bombshell video released
The situation intensified when TMZ published footage of a 2023 incident involving Paul. The video showed her throwing a chair and engaging in a physical altercation with Mortensen in front of a child.
Paul had previously faced legal consequences related to that incident, pleading guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault, while other charges were dismissed.
ABC confirmed it would not move forward with her already-filmed season of The Bachelorette, just before its scheduled premiere.
“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” a spokesperson said.
Personal tensions and co-parenting challenges
Amid the fallout, both Paul and Mortensen have addressed aspects of their strained relationship.
Reports stated that Mortensen’s “number one priority here is protecting” their son, while also expressing a desire to maintain a workable co-parenting dynamic.
“He knew there was a possibility it could come out,” the source said, “but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor. It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well.”
Paul, in a separate interview, suggested she had taken steps to limit direct contact.
“I actually took action about a few weeks ago. I’m just doing third-party everything, pick-up, drop-offs, communication, so no contact right now for me,” she said. “I think that’s the best case, honestly, because clearly it’s just not to a point of us getting along, so I wanted to take the best action I could. … I didn’t want to bring anything to the public eye, making it a bigger deal for the sake of my son, and just everything about to come out. But that wasn’t the plan for [Mortensen].”
