{"id":381243,"date":"2026-04-15T20:09:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/381243\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T20:09:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:09:11","slug":"what-is-happening-with-season-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/381243\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Happening With Season 5?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tCameras may be down on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives<\/a>, but drama is still up.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s been roughly a month since news broke<\/a> that production on the Hulu<\/a> series\u2019 fifth season had been paused amid a domestic assault investigation centered on star Taylor Frankie Paul<\/a> and ex Dakota Mortensen. The events, which occurred on Feb. 22 and 23, triggered a hiatus in filming and subsequent investigations by the Draper City Police Department, along with the show\u2019s own production company, Jeff Jenkins Productions in association with 3BMG and Walt Disney<\/a> Television Alternative.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the days following, breadcrumbs of information about Paul\u2019s 2023 domestic violence arrest entered the news cycle, with the final nail in the coffin arriving on March 19 when a video of Paul<\/a> throwing barstools at Mortensen with her daughter present was leaked to TMZ.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tABC<\/a> pulled Paul\u2019s season of The Bachelorette<\/a><\/a> hours later; the next day, on March 20, NBC News reported on a Zoom call the Mormon Wives cast had with Disney execs where they voiced concerns<\/a> about continuing to film with Paul amid the allegations; and on March 25, reports of an alleged third domestic violence<\/a> investigation involving the reality star and Mortensen were made public.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut now, on Tuesday, the Salt Lake County District Attorney\u2019s Office announced Paul will not face charges<\/a> after separate investigations led by the Draper and West Jordan police departments. Because the incidents occurred over three years ago, the statute of limitations expired, per the DA.<\/p>\n

\n\tA source close to the situation previously told The Hollywood Reporter that the cast call with Disney execs was held so the executives could inform the women that the show was going on pause amid their own investigation. The women were informed that filming for season five was to be paused until production\u2019s investigation, which is separate from the law enforcement investigation, concludes; it was initially expected to wrap by the end of the week of March 27, but that was before the third alleged incident was made public.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere has been no update on the status of the investigation, or the status of Mormon Wives season five. In adjacent Disney news, ABC has also not given an update on the status of the future of The Bachelorette franchise following the cancellation of Paul\u2019s season 22. (Hulu and ABC have not responded to THR\u2019s multiple requests for comments).<\/p>\n

\n\tAs Paul faced a wave of backlash<\/a>, Mortensen\u2019s participation on two reality shows<\/a> was also called into question, as both parties were being investigated. This prompted Hulu to edit out Mortensen\u2019s presence<\/a> on season three of Vanderpump Villa. (He still received airtime on Alex Cooper\u2019s new YouTube reality show<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\n\tOutside of Mormon Wives, the former couple appeared in court on April 7, their first appearance tied to an existing order of protection Mortensen had filed against Paul. An hour before the scheduled court date, the former Bachelorette lead filed a temporary restraining order<\/a> against Mortensen, which was granted<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn Paul\u2019s filing, which THR obtained, she recounted several alleged abusive incidents involving Mortensen, including a Feb. 23 event where she says he \u201cbecame physically violent,\u201d and slammed her head on the dashboard of his truck. (The filing included photos of Paul\u2019s bruises and screenshots of text messages between the two.)<\/p>\n

\n\tPaul and Mortensen\u2019s next hearing is slated for April 30, where a judge will review<\/a> both of their filed orders, which may influence parental time for both parents. (Paul was granted eight hours of supervised visitation with their shared son, Ever True, on April 7). The judge was hoping to have confirmation on if criminal charges will be filed against either or both parties \u2014 which could be a decision that both ABC and Hulu may be waiting for to assess how to move forward.<\/p>\n

\n\tPaul will not receive additional charges tied to the investigations led by police.<\/p>\n

\n\tThroughout these past weeks, the Mormon Wives cast has been riddled with other viral dramas, including Jessi Draper seemingly canoodling<\/a> with Miranda Hope\u2019s ex-husband. On a more serious front, Draper recounted allegations<\/a> of emotional abuse in her own marriage to Jordan Ngatikaura on Call Her Daddy; he also filed for divorce amid the production pause (on the same day ABC pulled Paul\u2019s Bachelorette season), which Draper claims ensued after he learned she was set to share her side of their split on the prominent podcast.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter her podcast appearance, Jeff Jenkins, executive producer of Mormon Wives, reshared<\/a> a Deadline pickup from Draper\u2019s interview noting that she\u2019d be ready to pick up cameras soon, which many of the castmembers reshared and commented on in support of. <\/p>\n

\n\tWith the fate of the series caught in the crossfire of plenty scandals, some cast members are making moves for their futures. On March 23, People<\/a> reported that the show\u2019s first spinoff is in the works, with Jen Affleck<\/a> set to star in the new Orange County-based series.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAffleck\u2019s team and Hulu did not respond to THR\u2019s requests for comment about that report, though the Dancing With the Stars\u2019 alumni\u2019s social media<\/a> activity hints<\/a> that she made the move to SoCal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhitney Leavitt<\/a> also previously told THR in mid-March that she\u2019s \u201cfiguring out\u201d what her future on the reality show looks like amid her blossoming Broadway<\/a> and scripted career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe rest of the cast<\/a>, meanwhile, has continued on with their lives, posting their brand deals and attending music festivals, with no real word on what\u2019s to come from the show that amplified their careers. Nonetheless, if Mormon Wives doesn\u2019t pick back up soon \u2014 or if the network decides to fully scrap The Bachelorette \u2014 two of Disney\u2019s most pop-culturally dominated unscripted shows of all time hang in the balance.<\/p>\n