- A video published by TMZ on Thursday shows Taylor Frankie Paul attacking her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, in front of her daughter in 2023, the same incident for which she was arrested and later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
- Within hours of the video’s release, Disney confirmed it was pulling Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette, which had been set to premiere this Sunday, saying its focus is now on supporting the family.
- Meta also confirmed it has no plans to work with Taylor Frankie Paul again following the video’s release.
The Taylor Frankie Paul assault video dropped Thursday morning, and by the afternoon, her entire career had been dismantled in real time. The Bachelorette season she filmed. The premiere party was planned for Sunday. The brand deals. The sponsorships. All of it, gone. In a single day.
And the video itself is, by every account, very hard to watch.
What the Video Actually Shows
TMZ obtained the footage, which was used as evidence in the case, and it shows Dakota struggling to record the altercation with his cellphone as Taylor puts him in a headlock. She backs off, then charges and tries to kick him. The struggle escalates as Taylor grabs a metal barstool and hurls it at Dakota. He screams at her that her daughter is sitting right there, but she persists, throwing two more stools at him.
At that moment, you hear her child, who was curled up on the couch, begin crying. The police report says the 5-year-old girl was hit and later had a goose egg on her head.
Police arrived that night after a neighbor called to complain about the noise. The footage was sitting in an evidence file for three years. Until Thursday, when it became the most talked-about video on the internet.
A Career Built on That Same Arrest
Here is what makes this story so layered and so uncomfortable. Taylor Frankie Paul’s reality TV career started with Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, a Hulu show whose very first episode ends with her in handcuffs after police are called about a domestic disturbance. The arrest that created the video that just ended her career is the same arrest that launched it.
She was the first Bachelorette lead who had never competed on the longtime reality franchise. ABC took a calculated risk on the MomTok founder, betting that her built-in audience and chaotic energy would revive a show that had been losing steam for years. They had even planned a “House of Roses” premiere party at Nya Studios West in Los Angeles for Sunday, an immersive pop-up offering fans a sneak peek at Taylor’s season, one-on-one experiences, group date simulations, exclusive goodies, and photo ops. All of it is now cancelled.
Her Team Is Pushing Back Hard
Taylor’s camp has not gone quiet. A rep for Taylor is calling the video release part of Dakota’s “never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child.”
A spokesperson for Paul said she is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story. Taylor herself told NBC News Thursday: “I will have my truth.”
The Draper City Police Department confirmed there is an open domestic violence investigation into both Paul and Mortensen relating to incidents on February 24 and 25, saying that allegations have been made in both directions. Dakota filed a protective order against her on Thursday as well.
The Fallout Is Still Coming
Production on Season 5 of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has also been paused. The dominoes fell fast, and they are not done falling. She pleaded guilty to a felony count under a deal that reduces her charge to a misdemeanor in three years if she abides by the agreement, which ends in August. She was this close to putting it all behind her permanently.
One video changed everything. The Bachelorette is gone. The brand deals are gone. The premiere party is gone. And right now, the only thing Taylor Frankie Paul has left is the promise that her truth is coming.
