Tate Paul is Taylor Frankie Paul’s first husband, whom she married in 2016 before their highly publicized divorce in 2022.
Taylor Frankie Paul’s name has been attached to Dakota Mortensen, a canceled “Bachelorette” season, a Utah courtroom, and a voice memo leak in the span of just a few months. But before any of that, there was Tate.
He started MomTok alongside her, stayed quiet through the scandal that blew it up, and has since built a completely separate life.
Here’s everything you need to know about Taylor’s first husband and the marriage that started — and ended — it all.
Who Is Tate Paul?
Tate Paul is a Utah-based man who married Taylor Frankie Paul in November 2016 and largely stepped out of the public eye after their divorce in 2022. He has not appeared on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” — and according to the show’s fan wiki, he was invited to be featured but declined after discussing it with his new partner.
Tate has not given public interviews about his marriage or its end. In an era where everyone connected to Taylor’s story has had something to say, Tate’s silence is genuinely notable.
Taylor has said she felt pressured by her mother and the church to marry Tate because the two were having premarital sex. She described marrying in the temple right after high school. They were young, they were Mormon, and they were building something together — including MomTok, which Taylor started alongside Whitney Leavitt, Mayci Neeley, and Mikayla Matthews before it became what it is today.
The Marriage & The Children
Taylor and Tate married in November 2016. They welcomed their first child, daughter Indy May, in August 2017. Their son Ocean followed in June 2020.
During this period, Taylor was growing her social media presence as part of the Utah Mormon influencer community. Tate was part of that world too — present in her videos, part of the friend group, and by all outward appearances building a life alongside her.
The Scandal That Ended It
In May 2022, Taylor went live on TikTok and blew up the internet. She revealed that she and Tate, along with their friend group, had been participating in what she described as soft swinging — an arrangement where couples could be intimate with others as long as both partners were present and aware. Taylor admitted she had broken the agreement. She had hooked up with someone from their circle when Tate was not there, developing feelings in the process. The man she “cheated with” under the terms of their arrangement was Dakota Mortensen.
“The agreement was just like, as long as we were both there and we saw it and we knew it, it was OK. And the second it goes behind without each other, you’ve stepped out of the agreement. And I did that,” she said in the livestream.
She was careful to add context about the marriage itself. “The divorce is not, like, all because of this huge blow up in our friend group. It was more because I feel like we had a lot of other issues and then this was the tip of the iceberg,” she said in a subsequent TikTok. “No one is innocent. Everyone has hooked up with everyone in this situation.”
Tate did not respond publicly. He filed for divorce and moved forward.
Where Tate Is Now
Since the split, Tate has remarried. His new wife is Bailey Paul, a Utah-based esthetician who specializes in beauty services including lash lifts and brows. The couple welcomed a daughter together in 2023, making Tate a father of three.
Tate maintains a low profile by every available measure. His social media presence is minimal, and he has not sought out the cameras, the podcasts, or the comment sections. He co-parents Indy and Ocean with Taylor, and by her own account, they have a solid arrangement. Taylor has said they frequently attend activities for their kids together and communicate regularly.
The Bigger Context
Tate Paul is the quiet beginning of a story that has gotten very loud. The soft swinging scandal he was part of is the reason “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” exists. The man Taylor cheated with under their arrangement became the central storyline of four seasons of television. The marriage Tate walked away from quietly became one of the most talked about in reality TV history.
He remarried. He had another child. He declined to appear on the show. He has said nothing.
For a story with this many people talking, that is a choice worth noting.
The “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” streams on Hulu.
Read next:
- What Happened on Taylor Frankie Paul’s Unaired ‘Bachelorette’ Season?
- Jessi Draper’s Leaked Voice Memo Explained
- Taylor Frankie Paul Reveals PTSD Diagnosis
- Taylor Frankie Paul Not Facing Domestic Violence Charges
- Dakota Mortensen Speaks Out After Domestic Violence Charges Dropped
For more “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” click here.
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