The cast of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reportedly raised concerns about filming with Taylor Frankie Paul during a meeting with Disney executives earlier this month.
The Draper City Police Department in Utah confirmed to Us Weekly earlier this week that it had an open “domestic assault investigation” into an alleged dispute between Taylor, 31, and ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen that took place last month.
According to an NBC News report on Thursday, the cast of Mormon Wives met virtually with Hulu and Disney executives on March 7 to discuss how to proceed with production on season 5 while the investigation is ongoing. The cast ultimately agreed to pause filming.
“It’s a dangerous situation, it’s a sad situation, and we don’t know how to navigate it because Taylor is our friend,” one cast member said during the 30-minute call, per NBC News, which said it had obtained audio of the meeting.
The cast member said they did not feel comfortable filming while Taylor was being investigated, reported the outlet.
Us Weekly has reached out to Hulu for comment.
In a Wednesday, March 18, Instagram story, cast member Mikayla Matthews appeared to confirm that she and her costars were behind the decision to pause filming.
“It was a decision that all of us girls came up with and agreed on. We didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening,” Mikayla wrote.
Taylor’s legal drama escalated further on Thursday, March 19, when ABC pulled the upcoming season of The Bachelorette starring the TikTok influencer just days before it was set to premiere. The decision came after TMZ published footage earlier Thursday that appeared to show Taylor throwing a chair at Dakota during a 2023 domestic dispute.
“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” a Disney Entertainment spokesperson told Us on Thursday.
A rep for Taylor told TMZ, “It’s sad to see the latest installment of [Dakota’s] never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child. Releasing an old and selectively edited video on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior.”
“Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is and sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show and from their own experiences,” Taylor’s rep added.
Dakota told Us in his own statement, “As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation. I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same.”
On Thursday, Dakota filed for a protective order against Taylor, as well as temporary custody of their son, Ever, 2. (Taylor also shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul.)
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