MomTok is taking matters into their own hands. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast reportedly expressed concerns about their co-star Taylor Frankie Paul to ABC, which led to filming being paused on Season 5 of the Hulu series. Taylor is involved in a domestic violence investigation with her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, stemming from an alleged altercation in late February.
NBC News obtained — but did not publish — audio of the cast’s Zoom meeting with executives of ABC and Hulu’s parent company Disney Entertainment, which reportedly took place on March 7, days after the alleged incident between Taylor and Dakota but before it became known publicly. While the exes have made accusations against each other, the investigation is still ongoing.
On March 19, ABC scrapped Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette days before the planned premiere after a video resurfaced of her 2023 altercation with Dakota, which led to her arrest and was covered during the first season of Mormon Wives.
What Happened On The Call?
The Mormon Wives stars voiced concerns about the show’s brand and their careers due to the allegations, with one castmate saying they didn’t feel comfortable filming while Taylor was being investigated.
“It’s a dangerous situation, it’s a sad situation, and we don’t know how to navigate it, because Taylor is our friend,” an unnamed cast member reportedly said.
The women reportedly mentioned “distressing” and “upsetting” videos of Taylor’s alleged behavior, but did not play them during the call. However, a source who spoke with NBC News said Rob Mills, the executive vice president of unscripted entertainment at Walt Disney Television, could not speak on the investigation, allegedly saying, “I don’t know a lot, nor do I want to know too much.”
This apparently led one of the stars to say it was “concerning” that executives didn’t seem to want to know the content of the videos. At the meeting, an unknown cast member reportedly asked Mills if he’s “aware she’s hurt a child,” and he replied, “I don’t think for us getting into it is right.”
Mills stressed that Disney is “never going to hide anything that is wrong for the sake of business,” and encouraged the ladies to speak about their concerns on the show, but reportedly did not promise that their comments would make the final cut. Eventually, the cast and executives agreed to halt filming on Mormon Wives until the investigation concludes. (Mills didn’t immediately respond to NBC News for comment.)
Aside from Taylor, Mormon Wives also stars Jennifer Affleck, Jessi Draper, Whitney Leavitt, Mikayla Matthews, Miranda McWhorter, Mayci Neeley, and Layla Taylor, as well as Demi Engemann, who left the series during Season 4. However, it’s unclear whether every cast member was part of the reported meeting.
