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Taylor Frankie Paul is coping with the fallout of a domestic violence controversy that led to a reality TV scandal.
Production on season five of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was put on pause earlier this year after a domestic assault investigation was opened into Paul and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, with both sides making accusations against one another.
In a shocking turn of events, Paul's season of The Bachelorette was also abruptly yanked off the air the day before it was set to premiere after video resurfaced from 2023 that showed the reality star attacking Mortensen and throwing metal chairs at him, one of which accidentally hit her own child.
Mortensen was granted temporary custody of the child he shares with Paul, 32, with both sides accusing one another of violence.
On Sunday Paul posted a heart-wrenching photo of her holding hands with her son Ever.
'I miss you baby,' she wrote.
Taylor Frankie Paul is coping with the fallout of a domestic violence controversy that led to a reality TV scandal
Mortensen has since been granted temporary custody of the child he shares with Paul, 32, and their troubles have been playing out publicly in court
Paul, who shares Ever with Mortensen as well as Indy and Ocean with her ex-husband Tate Paul, has been 'coping' with his absence by throwing herself into crafty projects.
'I think all the projects building & redoing is a fresh start but mainly a coping mechanism to distract from the fact my baby hasn't been here for months now, aside visits,' she shared with followers.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Paul laid bare her own emotional strife - while reminding others who were also struggling they were not alone.
'Still processing two shows were put on pause. Balled it up in both shows, made some boys cry and now I'm bawling. What is life? …Take it seriously, learn lessons but don't forget to be silly too,' she posted to Instagram.
'It's okay to smile again after making mistakes. Today is the last day of mental health awareness month and just know if you're out there struggling you're not alone.'
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which launched on Hulu in September 2024 and starred Paul, follows a group of Utah-based influencers in their professional and personal lives.
Filming for the hit reality series was put on hold amid a domestic violence scandal involving Paul and Mortensen, which led to uncertainty surrounding the fate of Season 5.
The Draper City Police Department confirmed to People at the time the existence of an open 'domestic assault investigation' into Paul and Mortensen.
'Allegations have been made in both directions,' a spokesman for the department told the publication, adding 'contact was made with involved parties on [February] 24 and 25.'
Paul, who also has children Indy and Ocean with her ex-husband Tate Paul, kept fans updated on her life with a carousel of images
She has been candid with fans about the emotional struggles she has been enduring since the controversy
Days later, a video resurfaced from 2023 that showed the reality star throwing chairs at Mortensen.
The disturbing video prompted ABC to take the drastic step of pulling Paul's entire season of The Bachelorette before it had even aired.
Even as Paul's professional woes mounted, she recently scored a legal victory when the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office announced that it had declined to file charges against her over the alleged domestic violence episode from February.
Mortensen had accused Paul of choking him, before hitting him and shoving him into a window
She had previously pleaded guilty in 2024 to one count of aggravated assault over another fight with Mortensen from 2023 that was also filmed.
Paul had previously accused Mortensen of being abusive toward her in 2023.
After it was revealed that she wouldn't face charges, Paul shared her jubilant reaction to the District Attorney's decision in an Instagram Stories post.
Paul has been coping with her son's absence by throwing herself into projects
The post showed her wearing a shirt that read, 'If you find me offensive I suggest you stop finding me'
She posted a photo of a vase filled with colorful flowers that overlooked a white piece of paper with a butterfly drawn on it.
'Cried when I got the call,' the former Bachelorette star wrote over the photo. 'THANK YOU to those that have stood with me.'
A Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' executive producer has since revealed that Paul and Mortensen are banned from filming together following a temporary filming shutdown.
Jeff Jenkins, 58, who has also produced Keeping Up With The Kardashians, has now revealed how the scandal will impact the next season.
He explained the pair have official 'stay away' orders, meaning 'fortunately or unfortunately, whatever your perspective, we won't be able to shoot with them together, ever again, or at least for a very long time.'
Paul has been embroiled in a legal battle with her ex Dakota Mortensen, with both sides accusing one another of domestic violence
Jenkins told Variety: 'I've talked to Taylor and she wants to come back and I want her to come back. So I'm really hopeful that that's going to happen. She's amazing.'
Speaking about the impact it has had, Jenkins added: 'I think everyone in the existing cast has strong opinions about the last two months, and those opinions are every perspective you can imagine.
'So it's going to be very interesting when we start back up any day now. How does that sort out? We've got to shoot together to sort it out. But once that all sorts out, how is that going to impact the friendships, the relationships, and MomTok as a whole?
'I don't have the answer. I'm excited to see. I don't have a lot of detail on where each woman's head is at. I've just heard through the grapevine.'
A source has since told People that filming of confessionals has resumed, however production on the remainder of season five will not be moving forward.
'Apparently they're still going to film season 6,' the source said.
In addition to the failed Bachelorette star, Jen Affleck, Jessi Draper, Miranda Hope, Whitney Leavitt, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley and Layla Taylor all star on The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives.
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