The executive producer of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has disclosed that Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen are prohibited from filming together following a temporary suspension of production. The reality series, which debuted on Hulu in September 2024, chronicles the personal and professional lives of a group of Utah-based influencers.
Filming for the popular show was paused amid a domestic violence scandal involving Paul, 31, and Mortensen, casting uncertainty over the future of Season 5. Jeff Jenkins, 58, who also produced Keeping Up With The Kardashians, has now elaborated on how the controversy will affect the upcoming season. He explained that the pair are subject to 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.'
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.' Discussing the broader impact, he 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.'
Sources previously informed TMZ that Paul is expected to return to the series eventually, though not immediately, as she is reportedly focusing on her family and children. Insiders emphasized that despite her current focus on family, Paul remains in contact with production and intends to appear on camera in the future.
The cast also includes Jen Affleck, Jessi Draper, Miranda Hope, Whitney Leavitt, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley, and Layla Taylor. Production initially halted in March shortly after Mortensen accused Paul of domestic violence. Days later, a video from 2023 resurfaced showing the reality star attacking her ex-boyfriend and throwing metal chairs, one of which inadvertently struck her own child instead of Mortensen. The disturbing footage prompted ABC to pull Paul's entire season of The Bachelorette before it aired.
Despite her mounting professional troubles, Paul secured a legal victory last week when the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges against her for the alleged domestic violence incident in February. Mortensen, 33, had accused Paul—with whom he shares a two-year-old son named Ever—of choking, hitting, and shoving him into a window. Paul had previously pleaded guilty in 2024 to one count of aggravated assault over a separate 2023 altercation with Mortensen that was also captured on video. Paul had earlier accused Mortensen of being abusive toward her in 2023.
After learning she would not face charges, Paul shared her elation on Instagram Stories, posting a photo of a vase with colorful flowers overlooking a white paper with a butterfly drawing. She wrote: 'Cried when I got the call ???? THANK YOU to those that have stood with me.'
