{"id":353169,"date":"2026-03-18T20:39:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T20:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/353169\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T20:39:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T20:39:11","slug":"taylor-frankie-pauls-bachelorette-debut-feels-heavy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/353169\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor Frankie Paul\u2019s \u2018Bachelorette\u2019 Debut Feels \u2018Heavy\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"98th <\/p>\n

Earlier this week, multiple<\/a> sources<\/a> reported The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives had paused filming<\/a> after an altercation between Taylor Frankie Paul<\/a> and the father of her youngest child, Dakota Mortensen. Details of the incident remain unclear, but police told People<\/a> there is an open \u201cdomestic assault investigation\u201d involving Paul and Mortensen and that \u201callegations have been made in both directions.\u201d The reports came one week before Paul\u2019s starring season on The Bachelorette<\/a> is scheduled to begin. Ahead of the premiere, Cinnabon told Entertainment Weekly<\/a> that it was ending its collaboration with both The Bachelorette and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives because \u201crecent developments and allegations surrounding the lead cast member led us to reassess this collaboration as it no longer aligns with our brand values.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul addressed all this news on Tuesday, telling People<\/a> this is a \u201cheavy time\u201d for her. \u201cHonestly, just like, my heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time,\u201d Paul said. \u201cJust the timing is hard, and it\u2019s a big deal.\u201d Still, she is doing her best not to let it overshadow her Bachelorette debut. \u201cI feel like every premiere that I\u2019ve experienced, I\u2019ve never enjoyed fully, so this is another one \u2026 it\u2019s extremely hard, and it took everything to get me here today,\u201d she said, adding that she\u2019s \u201cstruggling for sure,\u201d but \u201cif I don\u2019t show up, then I\u2019m just giving these opportunities away and not enjoying what we\u2019ve worked on and something super exciting that\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also on Tuesday, Paul told Entertainment Weekly<\/a> that she and Mortensen had gone \u201cno contact\u201d and were coordinating pickups and drop-offs of their son through a third party. \u201cI didn\u2019t 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\u2019t the plan for him,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Taylor Frankie Paul responds to recent headlines about an alleged domestic violence incident with her ex-boyfriend, the future of \u201cThe Secret Lives of \u201cMormon Wives\u201d and what fans can expect from this season of \u201cThe Bachelorette.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/naOAKPf5lu<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Good Morning America (@GMA) March 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Paul made an appearance on Good Morning America<\/a> during which she again spoke about how \u201cheavy\u201d it felt to be in the news this way when her Bachelorette season is about to start.\u00a0She confirmed that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives had paused filming but said she \u201cdidn\u2019t know for how long and why.\u201d \u201cHonestly, it\u2019s been a heavy time to see the headlines, especially during this time of The Bachelorette being released \u2014 it\u2019s supposed to be a really exciting time,\u201d Paul said. She added that she would \u201cspeak my truth\u201d when \u201cthe time is right\u201d but is currently \u201cjust trying to be in the present moment and focus on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen your life is broadcasted out there in these headlines, it\u2019s like the end of the world \u2014 that\u2019s what it feels like, I\u2019m not going to lie,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I will say, I\u2019ve been here before, and I got through it and shared my story \u2026 so I\u2019m hoping I can do that again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mortensen also responded to the reports on Wednesday. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly<\/a>, a rep for him said his \u201cnumber one priority here is protecting [their 2-year-old son] Ever.\u201d The rep denied rumors that Mortensen took the investigation public himself. \u201cHe knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor. It\u2019s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well,\u201d the rep said.<\/p>\n

According to the rep, Mortensen had been keeping quiet, hoping the matter would go away on its own. \u201cHe was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away. He\u2019s never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side,\u201d the rep said. \u201cHe kind of just lets it all happen to him, and I think he realizes with the severity of everything now that he just can\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cut has reached out to Mortensen, the police, and ABC and will update this post if we hear back.<\/p>\n

This post has been updated.<\/p>\n

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