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The full scope of the fallout from Taylor Frankie Paul\u2019s legal issues remains to be seen, after her season of The Bachelorette was pulled<\/a> from the 2026 TV schedule<\/a>. Paul\u2019s \u201ctoxic relationship\u201d with her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen is at the center of the disturbing viral video from Paul\u2019s 2023 arrest and reports of two other domestic violence incidents since then. Knowing what we do now, it\u2019s devastating to look back at what the MomTok leader said about her ex and why she agreed to lead The Bachelorette.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unknown if we\u2019ll ever see the already filmed episodes<\/a> of The Bachelorette Season 22 or if this could spell \u201cthe beginning of the end<\/a>\u201d of ABC\u2019s longtime dating franchise. The future of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives<\/a> \u2014 which prominently featured Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen\u2019s drama \u2014 is seemingly at risk too. Now an interview from 2025 has resurfaced in which ET<\/a> asked Paul why she went the reality dating show route to find love. She responded:<\/p>\n First of all, it wasn\u2019t working the way I was doing it. We\u2019ve seen it go over and over, same thing, same thing, and I\u2019m, like, oh my gosh. A toxic relationship is, statistically, it\u2019s like a drug. It\u2019s like you can\u2019t withdraw, and also when they\u2019re your baby daddy, you know, I can\u2019t just be like, \u2018Peace, no contact,\u2019 like that doesn\u2019t work. So I think I need to be taken away from this, and this was an opportunity of, like, \u2018I have to go.\u2019<\/p>\n Taylor Frankie Paul talked a lot on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 4 (which you can stream with a Hulu subscription<\/a>) about the cycle she was in with Dakota Mortensen. In between the fighting, crying and trying to make each other jealous, they slept together at least twice in the weeks leading up to her filming The Bachelorette.<\/p>\n I\u2019m no mental health expert, but I get the feeling she was trying to escape the situation, hoping that physical distance from her ex might help to break the cycle. She continued:<\/p>\n It also came to a point where I was so unhappy, and I\u2019m like, \u2018I want to get outside of Utah. Get me out of here.\u2019 Let\u2019s progress. This is out of my comfort zone, and I was like, \u2018You know what? You want to progress in life? Just do it. Do it.\u2019 And here we are.<\/p>\n It sounds to me like she was running from unresolved issues between her and Dakota Mortensen, and \u2014 after watching all of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives<\/a> \u2014 it feels safe to say that she probably wasn\u2019t in the best headspace to go on a show where you get engaged to someone in a matter of weeks.<\/p>\n It\u2019s sad to hear her say her bond with her ex-boyfriend was something she didn\u2019t feel she could \u201cwithdraw\u201d from, especially given the son they share (she also has two children with her ex-husband Tate Paul). Taylor Frankie Paul has said the worst part of that 2023 video leaking<\/a> has been its effect on her children.<\/p>\n Dakota Mortensen currently has custody of 2-year-old Ever after filing a temporary protective order against Taylor Frankie Paul in March following a reported February incident in which, according to TMZ<\/a>, Paul allegedly choked and scratched Mortensen during two separate fights in the presence of their son. Paul has denied that she was the aggressor.<\/p>\n The two are scheduled to appear remotely for a hearing April 7 to discuss their custody arrangement and then again for another hearing April 30.<\/p>\n