Taylor Frankie Paul’s fellow “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” cast members raised concerns about continuing to work with her during a Zoom meeting with ABC executives earlier this month, NBC News reported in a digital exclusive.
Members of the cast of the Hulu reality series shared their concerns about their careers and the future of the show amid an investigation involving Paul and her ex, Dakota Mortensen, during the roughly 30-minute meeting on March 7, according to audio obtained by NBC News.
A spokesperson for the Draper Police Department in Utah told People earlier this week that Paul and Mortensen were involved in an open “domestic assault investigation” from February.
One cast member told the executives during the virtual meeting that they did not feel comfortable filming during the investigation into Paul, who is a mother of three children, including a 2-year-old son she shares with Mortensen.
“It’s a dangerous situation, it’s a sad situation, and we don’t know how to navigate it, because Taylor is our friend,” the cast member said.
The NBC News report comes after Disney, the parent company of ABC, announced March 19 the network was scrapping Paul’s upcoming season of “The Bachelorette” three days before its scheduled premiere.
Disney made its decision shortly after TMZ published a newly released video of an altercation between Paul and Mortensen in Utah in 2023. This video is reportedly connected to Paul’s arrest in 2023; she faced charges of assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child, according to Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office records obtained by NBC News.
Her arrest, which was documented on the first season of “Mormon Wives,” led to her pleading guilty in abeyance in 2025 to an aggravated assault charge. The four other charges she faced were dismissed with prejudice, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.
In the 2023 video published by TMZ, Paul appears to push and kick Mortensen as he repeatedly tells her, “Let me go.” Paul also appears to attack Mortensen with a chair as her daughter, who was in the room during the altercation, can be heard crying. It’s not clear what happened before the start of the video.
NBC News has not independently verified the TMZ video.
A source with knowledge of ABC’s Zoom call with the “Mormon Wives” cast members told NBC News the call happened so that ABC could tell them “we care about their safety, and they should not feel pressured to do press or film the show.”
The source spoke with NBC News on the condition of anonymity.
Three Disney executives attended the Zoom meeting, including Rob Mills, the executive vice president of unscripted and alternative entertainment at Walt Disney Television, according to the person who shared the audio with NBC News.
As cast members provided their accounts of Paul’s alleged behavior during the meeting, Mills said, “I don’t know a lot, nor do I want to know too much,” according to the audio.
Mills did not address the police investigation into Paul’s behavior, the source with knowledge of the Zoom call told NBC News.
“This is not me putting my head in the sand, but it’s not me — you know, I don’t want to inquire, because I don’t know what that does,” Mills said during the meeting, according to the audio.
One cast member asked Mills during the meeting if he’s “aware she’s hurt a child?” He replied, “I don’t think for us getting into it is right,” according to the audio.
Mills told the cast members that the company is “never going to hide anything that is wrong for the sake of business,” according to the audio.
Though Mills encouraged cast members to voice their concerns about Paul during filming of the show, he would not promise them the footage would not be edited.
The cast members agreed to pause filming for “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” until Paul’s legal action was resolved, according to the audio recording.
The Draper City Police Department told People on March 16 that Paul and Mortensen were part of an open “domestic assault investigation.” (The department declined to confirm the report to NBC News, stating it would not comment on active investigations.)
Disney, ABC and Hulu did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment about the police investigation regarding Paul and Mortensen.
Disney announced the cancellation of “The Bachelorette” on March 19 in a statement.
“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,” the statement read.
Paul’s rep responded to Disney’s decision in a statement to NBC News.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” the rep said. “After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm. There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives.Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation, and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.”
Mortensen responded in a March 19 statement to People.
“As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation,” Mortensen said. “I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same.”
Source: Read Full Article
