Mormon Wives Season 5 Resumes Filming Without Taylor & Dakota
But Taylor had an interesting response to the report.
Get ready for more Utah. On April 22, People reported that production on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 5 was set to continue — just without Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen. But according to Paul herself, it might not be true.
Paul commented on the People report, “Interesting, that’s not the call I got.” While Paul’s participation may still be in question, it does seem like Mortensen is sitting this season out. According to TMZ, Mortensen won’t be participating, but Paul will join filming when she’s ready.
Mortensen seemed to imply that he’d be stepping away from filming in an April 20 Instagram. “Over the past several weeks I’ve taken a step back and had time away from the chaos,” he wrote in his post. “That space has been a breath of fresh air and given me clarity. My focus now is where it should have been all along — on my son and creating a stable, healthy environment for him moving forward.” Mortensen added that he “regret[s] not stepping away from a difficult cycle sooner.”
Back in March, TMZ reported that the show took a pause due to an alleged “heated blowup” between Paul and Mortensen which was “intense enough that filming couldn’t continue as planned.”
A spokesperson for the local police department told People on March 16 that there was an open "domestic assault investigation" concerning Paul and Mortensen, and that "allegations have been made in both directions.” The spokesperson also shed some light on the timeline of events, adding that "contact was made with involved parties on [Feb] 24th and 25th."
Another source claimed that Paul’s co-stars — aka the other members of MomTok — were taking space from Paul. "None of the women want to be associated with her," the insider said.
Then, on March 19, TMZ leaked a video of a 2023 domestic violence incident between Paul and Mortensen. Afterwards, two of Paul’s fellow SLOMW cast members, Miranda Hope and Layla Taylor, issued public statements, denouncing domestic violence. Meanwhile, Paul thanked Jessi Draper and Demi Engemann for supporting her, but she did not mention any other MomTok members reaching out.
The news of Season 5 continuing production comes a week after the Salt Lake County district attorney’s office decided not to file charges against Paul after deeming that Mortensen’s latest accusations lacked “sufficient evidence,” per The New York Times.
