Filming on season five of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” has been halted because 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 an online subculture known as “MomTalk.” The show chronicled Paul and Mortenson’s on-again, off-again relationship, as well as the fall and rebuilding of the “MomTalk” group over the years.
This leads to Paul’s biggest role yet: She’s the lead on the new season of ABC’s reality dating show “The Bachelorette.”
All three sources, who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, declined to provide further details about the investigation on the record.
“Taylor is very authentic, and that’s part of what makes people resonate with her,” a source said.
Paul’s representatives declined to comment. Mortensen also declined to comment.
Paul brought fame to “MomTalk” when he shared online that some members of the group were involved in a “soft swinging scam”. Since the premiere of the show, Paul’s popularity has exploded as he has amassed 6.1 million followers on TikTok and 2.3 million followers on Instagram.
Paul is trying to keep the investigation private because of the impact on his children, his family and his future, a source close to Paul said, focusing on promoting “The Bachelorette,” which airs its first episode on Sunday.
Paul and Mortensen will continue to co-parent through a mediator, a source close to Paul said. Two sources told NBC News that Paul has majority custody of their 1-year-old son, Ever.
Disney, the parent company of Hulu and ABC, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
When Hulu executives visited Utah to watch “Mormon Wives” in action, they said they “witnessed” discussions of domestic violence during filming, which inspired Hulu. Enforce a one-week break from filming. When new information came to light during the hiatus, crew members told production members that they would not proceed with the film unless Hulu took action on the situation.
Paul “needs help,” a source said, adding that the cast hopes production can pause long enough so she can get the care she needs.
Sources said that production has stopped there. It is unclear when filming will resume.
TMZ was the first to report the news that “Mormon Wives” was taking a hiatus, citing a domestic dispute between Paul and Mortensen.
A spokesperson for the Draper Police Department in Utah told PEOPLE there is an open “domestic assault investigation” into Paul and Mortensen and that “allegations have been made in both directions.” “Contact was made with the persons involved on February 24 and 25,” a police spokesperson said.
The police department, reached by NBC News on Monday, declined to confirm 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 in the presence of a child, criminal mischief and domestic violence, according to Salt Lake County sheriff’s records.
The arrest stemmed from allegations of a separate domestic violence dispute with Mortensen in 2023, which aired on the first episode of “Mormon Wives.” Ever, their son, was born about a year after that argument.
Appearing on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast in September, Paul said charges related to that dispute had been dropped.
The Utah Department of Children and Family Services on Tuesday declined to share information about any possible ongoing case between Paul and Mortensen, citing “privacy and the privacy of children and families DCFS works with.”
Other key “Mormon Wives” cast members did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Jessie Ngatikoura, one of the ladies in “MomTalk”, weighed in on a break from filming.
He was commenting on a recent video posted by Zach Peter, the social media personality behind the No Filter with Zach Peter account. In the video, she accused the “Mormon Wives” cast of being upset with Paul for “stealing the show’s thunder.”
“It was never a matter of jealousy,” Ngatikaura wrote in a comment.
In the show’s fourth season, which premiered last week, viewers learn that Paul and Mortenson spent the night together before Paul left town to film “The Bachelorette.”
Paul’s most recent public appearance was Sunday on the Oscars red carpet, which aired on ABC.
