Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen‘s complicated romance was thrust into the spotlight on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — and their relationship status remains unclear.
The couple started dating before the show premiered on Hulu. Dakota was Taylor’s first public boyfriend after her divorce from husband Tate Paul due to a high-profile “soft swinging” sex scandal.
Before The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives debuted in September 2024, Taylor and Dakota faced major ups and downs — including a domestic violence arrest — before they expanded their family with son Ever. (Taylor also shares Indy and Ocean with Tate.)
“All I can say is I have never felt more purpose in my life. I also have never been so proud of someone. Taylor is an absolute bad ass that I just fell more and more in love with,” Dakota wrote via Instagram in March 2024. “She has been so incredible and I couldn’t be more thankful that I get to call her the mother of our beautiful boy.”
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He continued: “I am on freaking cloud 9 !!!! All I have ever wanted was to have a family one day and to be a dad. So thankful and blessed for everything I have in my life.”
Taylor admitted she was nervous to see her life play out on screen.
“I’m pretty much known from my headlines of ‘Swinger Mom.’ I mean, the arrest, unfortunately, was another big all over the internet. And so I would say those things are pretty negative — obviously the [arrest] but the swinger one was also not a good thing I want to be known for the rest of my life,” Taylor exclusively told Us Weekly one month after the Hulu series premiered. “So, for the show, I really wanted them to see me and more of me and my personality and a deeper level. I feel like I come off so different online than I actually am in a conversation. So I felt like this was my chance to tell my story and get a deeper look into who I am.”
The reality star went on to say she wished viewers saw more of Dakota’s “good soft side.”
“I feel like for him, that wasn’t shown on the show. It did show just defense,” she noted in September 2024. “So he’s like, ‘I look like this asshole to you while you’re pregnant — when that’s just not the case of how I treated you the whole time. Yes, I did defend myself in cases, but that’s not how I am to you.’”
Hulu renewed the show for a second season as Taylor and Dakota attempted to figure out their future together. The pair have since offered glimpses of them spending time together — but also shared posts hinting they’re no longer an item.
Keep scrolling to relive Taylor and Dakota’s relationship:
May 2022
Taylor announced her divorce from Tate via TikTok, writing, “In my twenties, getting divorced, started therapy, living on my own for the first time ever along with two little kids.”
That same month, Taylor confirmed she and Tate were involved in soft swinging with some of their fellow Mormons.
“I think we were all drinking and partying and the guys were like, ‘You girls should make out,’ and that’s that. It wasn’t a big deal to me,” Taylor recalled on “The Viall Files” podcast after The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was released. “[It was] making out in the same bed, intercourse in the same bed next to each other, the girls kissing and the husbands touching the other’s wife. It just starts to escalate.”
July 2022
Taylor introduced Dakota when she posted a TikTok of them. “I will not be sharing this one,” she quipped in the caption.
November 2022
The pair announced that they were expecting their first child together. Taylor subsequently suffered an ectopic pregnancy.
February 2023
Following a heated fight with Dakota, Taylor was arrested for domestic violence. She was ultimately charged with aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury and criminal mischief after the incident. Taylor pleaded guilty six months later to aggravated assault, while the other four charges were dismissed with prejudice. She reached a plea deal the following month.
Dakota told the Daily Mail in an interview that Taylor would never hurt anyone “intentionally,” adding, “She’s a good mom, she’s going through a lot in her life right now. Taylor’s been struggling, it’s been a hard year for her. She is racked with guilt [over] her cheating scandal that cost her her marriage.”
September 2023
Taylor revealed she and Dakota were expecting their rainbow baby.
March 2024
After filming The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Taylor gave birth to her and Dakota’s son.
“Dakota, he was such a good partner in the process and very supportive,” she said in a confessional about her birth, which was filmed after production initially wrapped. “I’m like, on cloud nine, and this is like the first time I’ve been so confident in us, in a future. I just — I hope that I can trust him.”
September 2024
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered with eight episodes that followed Mormon mom influencers who were caught up in a swinging sex scandal. In addition to Taylor, the series introduced Us to Whitney Leavitt, Jen Affleck, Demi Engemann, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley, Jessi Ngatikaura and Layla Taylor.
Taylor and Dakota’s rocky relationship was the focus of the first season. Their issues included cheating claims, an argument over Taylor attending a Chippendales show in Las Vegas and more.
“It wasn’t something he was wanting to bring on the show,” Taylor exclusively told Us about rumors Dakota slept with someone named Jenna. “I guess at the end of the day, we’ll see how that ends up going because I don’t know. I have no problem with it though.”
On the show, Dakota denied hooking up with Jenna or stepping out on Taylor once they made things official. (The first season ended with Mayci calling Jenna, but the finale wrapped before their conversation was heard by the audience.)
“At the end of the day, I was like, ‘Why is this an issue to call?’ I was fine with her calling her because I am like, ‘What is there to hide?’” Taylor added at the time. “If there’s nothing to hide, there should be no question. But that is a very major trigger for me, and he knows that.”
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September 2024
Taylor admitted to Us that she was in no rush to get engaged to Dakota.
“I just want to take my time with this time around, this is my second marriage. It is going to be very important to me, and I don’t want to end up in another situation of being divorced,” she explained. “So, I really just want everything to be really solid and have a foundation of trust. And so I feel like that takes time. I would love for that to be the end goal. But right now, I think building it up to that is where I’m at.”
The Hulu personality also discussed how she and Dakota were preparing to watch their ups and downs on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
“I feel like I might’ve vented to my mom and been a little harsh — and he’s very sensitive — so I feel like it could be a lot harder for him,” she continued. “Also it could be triggering, too, to bring up these conversations. Especially, I think I’ve heard the [season] cliffhanger, so that in itself stirs up some stuff. We are doing good today, we’re going through work, so I really hope that not too much comes out.”
October 2024
During an interview for Us‘ cover story, Taylor revealed she and Dakota were at odds off screen.
“It’s really hard for me to watch [the ups and downs with me and Dakota] because it’s all such true feelings. None of it is fabricated or acting or nothing. It’s all real,” she noted. “So it’s really hard for me to watch that back to that. That’s probably one of the hardest moments.”
Taylor said she wasn’t sure about her relationship status with Dakota.
“I would say we’re working on things and I actually have no idea where it goes with us from here. We are not fully together, but not fully done. I don’t know where the future holds with him and I,” she admitted. “It’s just a lot. So I’m coping and trying to cope. But I don’t want to watch the show.”
November 2024
The speculation about Taylor and Dakota‘s relationship status continued when she shared a video of him doing chores around their home and giving her flowers.
“At least he be tryin,” she captioned the post. Her costar Layla poked fun at Dakota in the comments section, replying, “GIRL IM TIREDDDDDD.”
December 2024
Taylor hinted she wasn’t in a relationship with Dakota when she shared a holiday card without him. Eagle-eyed fans, however, noticed another version posted by Taylor’s mother that featured Dakota.
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December 2024
The duo revealed in separate TikTok videos that they weren’t celebrating Christmas as a family.
“Chaos to pure silence. Wouldn’t wish this pain upon anyone,” Taylor wrote alongside a video of her crying. “If you’re there, take a drive, scream, cry, feel the pain, because I promise avoiding it will make it much worse.”
Taylor elaborated in the caption, adding, “I was told you got through this once, you’ll get through it again. #coparenting #loss #relationships.”
In the comments section, a follower noted that “Dakota’s TikTok brought” them to Taylor’s account. “Just happy he can have his day with him,” she replied in reference to her and Dakota’s son, Ever.
Dakota, meanwhile, uploaded a video of him preparing for the holiday festivities solo. “Wrapping presents alone. But I am sober and can be there for my son’s first Christmas,” he captioned the video before adding in a separate post, “He is the only gift I’ll ever need in my life. I love being a dad.”
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