Dakota Mortensen posted a lengthy essay on Instagram early Monday morning, speaking out for the first time after prosecutors in Utah announced last week that Taylor Frankie Paul would not face criminal charges following several domestic violence incidents between the former couple earlier this year.
In the post, Dakota said he has recently taken a step back from all the drama while trying to create a stable environment for the two-year-old son he shares with Taylor. He wrote that he is not perfect, took accountability for what happened between them, and apologized for his role in the situation.
Why the Charges Were Dropped
Utah prosecutors opened two separate domestic violence investigations in February involving Paul and Mortensen after allegations were made in both directions. The District Attorney’s Office ultimately declined to move forward, citing several reasons — including that some alleged incidents fell outside the statute of limitations, others did not rise to the level of criminal offenses, and some lacked sufficient evidence to support charges.
The Custody Situation
Taylor temporarily lost custody of their son after Dakota filed a temporary protective order against her following the February incidents. According to NBC News, a judge ruled in April that Dakota would continue to have temporary custody of their son Ever, with Taylor granted up to eight hours of supervised visitation weekly.
Taylor, for her part, posted her own response on Instagram Sunday — sharing mirror selfies and writing that she is showing “the ugly parts of what healing actually looks like,” adding that she would “admit my parts, flaws, and faults.” She described feeling “forever freed from a certain living hell” and noted: “After waiting 7 weeks on the 7th day EXACTLY I received the call all charges dropped.”
The Broader Fallout
The situation has had consequences well beyond the courtroom. According to TODAY, Disney announced in March it would not move forward with Taylor’s season of “The Bachelorette,” which had been scheduled to premiere March 22, after TMZ published video from a 2023 domestic incident between the two. Taylor had previously pleaded guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault from that incident.
Dakota was also edited out of his brief storyline in “Vanderpump Villa” Season 3, despite his visit being a significant plotline on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” Season 4. Filming for “SLOMW” Season 5 has been on pause since the February incidents.
Neither Dakota nor Taylor has addressed whether the show will resume filming now that charges have been dropped.
“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” is streaming now on Hulu.
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