Utah judge to decide on protective order against Taylor Frankie Paul

A Utah court is set to hear arguments Tuesday regarding a protective order against Taylor Frankie Paul, the controversial reality TV star whose career has recently faced significant setbacks amid domestic violence allegations.

Dakota Mortensen, who currently holds temporary custody of his and Paul’s 2-year-old son, is seeking to extend a temporary protective order into a long-term arrangement. Both parties are expected to participate remotely in the Salt Lake City court proceedings, with their legal representatives appearing in person.

The hearing will focus primarily on domestic violence reports from February of this year, though it may also reference a separate 2023 incident that recently derailed Paul’s television career. Details of the temporary protective order remain sealed from public view.

Last month, ABC made the unprecedented decision to shelve an entire season of “The Bachelorette” featuring Paul in the title role. The network cited a leaked video from 2023, published by TMZ on March 19, as the reason for cancellation. The footage appears to show Paul physically assaulting Mortensen while her young daughter watches and cries.

The 2023 incident resulted in Paul’s arrest on charges including aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child. She ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge, with other counts dismissed. Body camera footage of her arrest was prominently featured in the series premiere of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” the Hulu reality show that catapulted Paul to mainstream fame.

Following ABC’s cancellation announcement, Paul’s representatives claimed she had been “silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation” and was “finally gaining the strength to face her accuser.” Mortensen firmly denied these allegations, stating he was “used to these baseless claims” which he “categorically” refuted.

Paul’s legal troubles have had cascading effects on her television career. Production has also been paused on the fifth season of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” creating a significant disruption for Disney, which owns both ABC and Hulu and had positioned Paul as a cross-platform star.

Paul first gained prominence as an influencer in the #MomTok community, a group of women from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who shared their lives on TikTok. Her candid discussions about polyamory within this conservative religious context helped drive interest in the Hulu reality series that documented the group’s unconventional lifestyles.

In a significant personal development, Paul announced via Instagram on Sunday that she was leaving the Mormon church. While expressing continued “love and respect” for the Utah-based religious institution, she stated, “It’s time to detach myself.”

Paul has three children in total – two with her ex-husband Tate Paul, and the 2-year-old son she shares with Mortensen who is currently at the center of the custody and protective order dispute.

The case represents another chapter in the ongoing intersection of reality television fame, social media influence, and personal controversy. For Paul, who positioned herself as a boundary-pushing figure within conservative Mormon culture, the allegations have raised questions about the gap between public persona and private behavior in the reality TV landscape.