Taylor Frankie Paul is getting support from some of her Secret Lives of Mormon Wives costars following the cancellation of season 22 of The Bachelorette.
“The girls haven’t completely shut Taylor out,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly on Friday, March 20, noting Taylor’s castmates “have checked in on her.”
The insider shares, “A lot of the girls have texted her to make sure she is OK. People are concerned about her mental health.” Taylor, 31, “hasn’t been responding and is a mess.”
A few of her costars have spoken out after production on season 5 of Mormon Wives came to a screeching halt following an alleged domestic dispute between Taylor and her ex Dakota Mortensen.
Taylor’s life has been sent into a tailspin over the past week after news broke on Monday, March 16, that there is an ongoing investigation. A Draper City Police Department spokesperson told Us that “allegations have been made in both directions.”
“The Mormon Wives cast [is] honestly terrified to film with Taylor right now,” a source exclusively told Us this week, noting that production is “shut down” at the moment and “the women have made it clear they don’t want to be around her because they see her as a major liability.”
Taylor exclusively told Us on Wednesday, March 18, that there is “more context” to the alleged incident, vowing that she is “a good mother.”
However, the situation escalated on Thursday, March 19, when Dakota requested a restraining order in Utah and asked for temporary custody of their son, Ever, 2. (Us confirmed on Friday that Dakota has been granted temporary custody of Ever and a temporary protection order against Taylor.)
His request came after TMZ published a video from 2023 of Taylor throwing chairs at Dakota, which resulted in her arrest at the time.
“As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation,” Dakota told Us in a statement. “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.”
Taylor also issued a statement regarding the video. “It’s sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child,” a rep for Taylor told TMZ. “Releasing an old and selectively edited video on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior.”
In the wake of the video going viral, ABC announced the cancellation of Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette, which was set to air on Sunday, March 22.
Amid the scandal, SLOMW stars Miranda McWhorter and Layla Taylor both spoke out condemning domestic violence on Friday.
“Everything has been really heavy to see. Domestic violence and abuse of any kind is something I take very seriously,” Miranda, 27, wrote via her Instagram Story. “As a human, and especially a mother, I cannot support that kind of behavior. My heart is with the children in this and I hope they’re safe, supported, and surrounded by love.”
Layla, 25, echoed Miranda’s sentiments, writing in her own social media statement: “My personal history as a survivor makes it impossible for me to stay silent. I stand firmly against domestic violence in any form. I am keeping her children in my thoughts, hoping for their safety above all else.”
In addition to her son with Dakota, Taylor shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul.
As Taylor navigates this scandal, an insider told Us that the rest of the SLOMW cast — which includes Miranda, Layla, Jen Affleck, Whitney Leavitt, Demi Engemann, Mikayla Matthews, Jessi Ngatikaura and Mayci Neeley — are hoping the show will continue without the original leader of MomTok.
“Some of the girls are anxious about the possible future,” the source close to the cast exclusively told Us on Friday. “This has rocked all of their worlds. Some of them feel resentful.”
The insider added, “The girls know they can continue without Taylor and want to keep going,” sharing that the scandal has “brought them closer in a way, and they all have been leaning on each other, checking in.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
