“Mormon Wives”' Mikayla Matthews says it was a group decision to pause filming on season 5 amid Taylor Frankie Paul investigation
“Mormon Wives”' Mikayla Matthews says it was a group decision to pause filming on season 5 amid Taylor Frankie Paul investigation
Leigh BlickleyThu, March 19, 2026 at 2:59 PM UTC
0
Mikayla Matthews and Taylor Frankie Paul.Credit: JC Olivera/Getty (2)
The cast of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives were apparently all on the same page when it came to pausing production on season 5 of their hit Hulu reality series.
Mikayla Matthews shared that, in light of the investigation concerning an alleged domestic dispute between costar Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex Dakota Mortensen, the women decided it would be best to stop filming.
“It was a decision that all us girls came up with and agreed on. We didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening," Matthews said when a fan asked if the show was "actually on pause" during an Instagram Q&A on Thursday.
News of the reported domestic assault incident made the rounds on Monday in the lead-up to Paul's debut as the Bachelorette. Although some assumed the other women in the Mormon Wives cast were jealous of Paul's new gig, costar Jessi Ngatikaura shot down that theory on Tuesday.
Ngatikaura commented on an Instagram post from influencer Zack Peter, who speculated about unverified reports of cast jealousy, writing, "It was never a jealousy thing lol."
Dakota Mortensen and Taylor Frankie Paul.Credit: Disney/Fred Hayes
A spokesperson for the Draper City police Department in Utah confirmed to PEOPLE on Monday that "allegations have been made in both directions" and "contact was made with involved parties on [Feb.] 24th and 25th."
A source close to the matter told Entertainment Weekly that cameras were not rolling when the incident took place, and claimed that Paul’s children were not present. And another source close to the matter told EW that Mortensen's “number one priority here is protecting” his and Paul's son, Ever.
Advertisement
“He knew there was a possibility it could come out,” the source said, “but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor. It's been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well."
In an exclusive interview with Paul on Tuesday, she implied to EW that Mortensen was not aligned with her desires to keep their legal issues out of the media.
"I actually took action about a few weeks ago. I'm just doing third-party everything — pick-up, drop-offs, communication — so no contact right now for me," she told EW of her current status with Mortensen. "I think that's the best case, honestly, because clearly it's just not to a point of us getting along, so I wanted to take the best action I could. … I didn't want to bring anything to the public eye, making it a bigger deal for the sake of my son, and just everything about to come out. But that wasn't the plan for [Mortensen]."
Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.
Paul also addressed the situation in her first televised interview since the scandal broke, telling Good Morning America on Wednesday that she will comment further when she is able to do so.
"Honestly, it’s been a heavy time to see the headlines, especially during this time of The Bachelorette being released, and it's supposed to be a really exciting time. I'm a person that will always speak my truth and that's what I'm known for and so when the time is right, I will be," she said. "But right now, just trying to be in the present moment and focus on this."
The Bachelorette is set to premiere on Sunday, March 22, at 8 p.m. ET.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
