Filming for Season Five of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” has been halted as the show’s star, Taylor Frankie Paul, and her ex, Dakota Mortensen, are involved in an “ongoing investigation,” three sources close to the matter told NBC News on Tuesday.
The Hulu reality show, which debuted in 2024, follows a group of Utah-based Mormon moms who popularized the online subculture known as “MomTok.” The show has documented Paul and Mortensen’s on-again, off-again relationship, as well as the “MomTok” group’s fallout and rebuilding over the years.
It has also led to Paul’s biggest role yet: She will be the lead for the new season of ABC’s reality dating show, “The Bachelorette.”
All three of the sources, who spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, declined to provide further details about the investigation on the record.
“Taylor is very authentic, and that’s part of what people resonate with her,” one of the sources said.
The West Jordan Police Department in Utah confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday that the department received a domestic violence allegation via phone call involving Paul but declined to give details about the allegation or any potential charges. They also did not know the exact date or time of the reported incident.
A spokesperson for the department said detectives are working on establishing the facts of the case.
Representatives for Paul declined to comment. Mortensen also declined to comment.
Mortensen did not immediately reply to a request for comment sent Wednesday morning. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, a representative for Mortensen said, “his number one priority here is protecting” his son Ever, whom he shares with Paul.
“He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor,” Mortensen’s representative told EW. “It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well.”
During a Tuesday night press preview of "The Bachelorette," Paul told People that her "heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time."
"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," Paul said.
She added to the outlet: "It’s just heavy. It’s a heavy time, and it’s unfortunate. 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."
Paul brought fame to “MomTok” when she shared online that some members of the group were involved in a “soft-swinging scandal.” Since the show premiered, Paul’s popularity has exploded as she amassed a whopping 6.1 million followers on TikTok and 2.3 million on Instagram.
Paul has been trying to handle the investigation privately because of the effect it would have on her kids, her family and her future, the source close to Paul said, adding that she is focused on promotion for “The Bachelorette,” which airs its first episode Sunday.
Paul and Mortensen continue to co-parent through an intermediary, the source close to Paul said. Two sources told NBC News that Paul has majority custody of Ever.
Disney, the parent company of Hulu and ABC, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
When Hulu executives visited Utah to witness “Mormon Wives” in action, they “witnessed” discussions of domestic violence during filming, a source said, which prompted Hulu to enforce a weeklong break from filming. When new information came to light during the break, cast members told production members that they would not continue to film unless Hulu took action about the situation.
Paul “needs help,” one of the sources said, adding that the cast is hopeful production can pause long enough so she can get the care she needs.
That is where production stands, the source said. It is not clear when filming will resume.
TMZ was the first to report the news that “Mormon Wives” was taking a break, citing a domestic dispute between Paul and Mortensen.
A spokesperson for the Draper Police Department in Utah told People that there is an open “domestic assault investigation” regarding Paul and Mortensen and that “allegations have been made in both directions.” The police spokesperson said that “contact was made with involved parties on [Feb] 24th and 25th.”
Reached by NBC News on Monday, the police department declined to confirm the reports of a domestic dispute, saying its practice is “not to release details related to active investigations.”
Paul was previously arrested and charged with assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child, according to Salt Lake County sheriff’s records.
The arrest stemmed from allegations of a separate domestic violence dispute with Mortensen in 2023, which played out in the first episode of Season One of “Mormon Wives.” Ever, their son, was born about a year after that argument.
In an appearance on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast in September, Paul said the charges relating to that dispute were dropped.
The Utah Division of Child and Family Services on Tuesday declined to share information about any possible ongoing case between Paul and Mortensen, citing “confidentiality and the privacy of the children and families DCFS works with.”
Other lead “Mormon Wives” cast members did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Jessi Ngatikaura, one of the women in “MomTok,” appeared to weigh in on filming’s being put on pause.
She commented on a recent video posted by Zack Peter, the social media personality behind the account No Filter with Zack Peter. In the video, he alleged that the “Mormon Wives” cast was upset with Paul for “stealing the thunder of the show.”
“It was never a jealousy thing lol,” Ngatikaura wrote in a comment.
On Season Four of the show, which debuted last week, viewers learn that Paul and Mortensen spent the night together just before Paul was set to leave town to film “The Bachelorette.”
Paul’s most recent public appearance was Sunday on the red carpet of the Oscars, which aired on ABC.
