The reality star made her first public appearance on March 17 after news broke of an open "domestic assault investigation" regarding Paul and her ex Dakota Mortensen
Credit: JC Olivera/Variety via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen are involved in an ongoing domestic assault investigation in Utah as she prepares for the premiere of her season leading The Bachelorette
- Sources confirmed to PEOPLE production of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has paused as cast members distance themselves from Paul amid the drama
- The star spoke to PEOPLE in NYC on March 17 during her first public appearance since the news
Taylor Frankie Paul is speaking out following news of her alleged involvement in an ongoing domestic assault investigation.
While attending a press preview for her upcoming season of The Bachelorette on Tuesday, March 17, in NYC, the reality star addressed the shocking headlines for the first time.
"Honestly, just like, my heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time," Paul told PEOPLE exclusively. "Just the timing is hard, and it's a big deal. I feel like every premiere that I've experienced, I've never enjoyed fully, so this is another one… it's extremely hard, and it took everything to get me here today.
"It's just heavy. It's a heavy time, and it's unfortunate," she continued. "I'm struggling for sure, but also at the same time I feel like if I don't show up, then I'm just giving these opportunities away and not enjoying what we've worked on and something super exciting that's coming. I just feel like it was the right thing to do… show up even though it's hard."
Credit: Araya Doheny/Getty; Michael Kirchoff/Disney via Getty
On Monday, March 16, PEOPLE reported that Paul, 31, and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen — whose volatile relationship has been documented throughout several seasons of Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — are part of an open “domestic assault investigation,” per a spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department. The spokesperson said that "allegations have been made in both directions" and "contact was made with involved parties on [Feb] 24th and 25th," but declined to share more as the investigation is ongoing.
A source close to Paul denied to PEOPLE that she was "violent" with Mortensen during the altercation and stated that the reality star remains "focused" on her upcoming Bachelorette premiere.
Multiple sources also told PEOPLE that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has halted production for season 5,
"They are not filming," a source confirmed. "Taylor has some pretty serious stuff happening regarding her past, and they will see what happens. Until that resolves, they are off."
Another source close to the cast said that the members of MomTok were distancing themselves from Paul as the situation continues to unfold. "None of the women want to be associated with her," the source noted.
“The girls are very overwhelmed. They all banded together and they don’t want to come back right now," a third source close to production further told PEOPLE. “They were just getting tired of Taylor, honestly."
"Everything was going smoothly" before this incident, but "the girls do have a resentment towards her," the source claimed. “They kind of all decided, as a unit, that they're taking the production pause, that they don't want to film right now. I don’t think they care about her really right now. They're just kind of like, ‘We're done for right now.' "
Credit: JC Olivera/Variety via Getty
Season 22 of The Bachelorette, starring Paul, is set to premiere this Sunday, March 22, on ABC.
A separate source close to the Bachelorette cast previously told PEOPLE that several of the men who were vying for love on her season of the reality show are "losing their minds over this" behind the scenes.
"They're extremely disappointed. They felt betrayed when they found this out because they all went into this to genuinely get to know Taylor," says the source. (Another insider insists Paul is "on great terms with the men from The Bachelorette.")
Reps for Paul, Mortensen and ABC have not commented to PEOPLE on the allegations.
News of the alleged incident came days after season 4 of Mormon Wives was released on Hulu, which showed Paul’s costars express concern about her leading the dating competition series given her dynamic with her ex. It was later revealed that Paul spent the night with Mortensen the night before leaving to film The Bachelorette.
Paul was previously arrested on suspicious of domestic violence in 2023 following an argument with Mortensen, with whom she shares 1-year-old son Ever.
At the time, CBS News reported that Paul was accused of throwing a chair at Mortensen that allegedly hit her daughter, leading her to receive misdemeanor charges of assault, criminal mischief and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child.
Paul pled guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault, which means that if she complies with the conditions of the plea, that charge will be dismissed. Meanwhile, the other charges have already been dismissed.
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If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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