Mormon Wives’ Whitney Leavitt Reacts to Taylor Frankie Paul Scandal

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Whitney Leavitt is breaking her silence on Taylor Frankie Paul’s domestic violence scandal.

About a week after a video surfaced showing a 2023 argument between Taylor and her former partner, Dakota Mortensen, Whitney spoke out about the situation, stating she has no tolerance for physical abuse.

The 32-year-old told Interview magazine that they were still trying to understand everything that was going on, but emphasized that protecting people—especially children—is the most important thing. They stated this is always their top priority, unequivocally.

Speaking about a recent incident, the star of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, who shares three children – Sedona, 6, Liam, 4, and 17-month-old Billy Gene – with her husband, Conner Leavitt, stated she wants the issue addressed and not ignored, as it’s still very recent. She declined to comment further.

A concerning video surfaced on March 19, released by TMZ, showing Taylor yelling and trying to physically harm her boyfriend while their daughter was present. The video, recorded by Dakota, shows Taylor even throwing a bar stool at Dakota, who pointed out that their daughter was witnessing the incident.

Hours after the clip’s release, ABC canceled the March 22 premiere of Taylor’s Bachelorette season.

The show’s cancellation happened just days after filming for season five was put on hold. This pause followed a reported disagreement between Taylor and Dakota, which the Draper Police Department was looking into, as confirmed by People magazine.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following the increasingly difficult situation between Dakota and Taylor. They had an on-again, off-again relationship from 2022 to 2025, and things have unfortunately escalated. Just recently, Dakota filed for and was granted a temporary restraining order against Taylor, and she’s been awarded temporary custody of their two-year-old son. To make matters even more complicated, police are currently investigating another alleged incident of domestic violence between them, this one dating back to 2024. It’s also worth noting that Taylor shares two children with her ex-husband, Tate Paul.

The controversy has deeply affected the entertainment industry, particularly those who work closely with Taylor. Several of her colleagues from the show SLOMW have publicly criticized her behavior.

In a recent Instagram post on March 20th, Layla Taylor explained that her own experiences as a survivor compel her to speak out against domestic violence. She strongly condemns it in all its forms and expressed deep concern for the safety of the children involved.

Miranda Hope also emphasized her shock as the situation came to light.

It’s been really hard to watch everything unfold,” she shared on Instagram. “I strongly condemn domestic violence and abuse in all forms. As a person, and especially as a mom, I can’t stand by when I see behavior like that.”

Recently, Jessi Draper spoke about the issue, stating that Taylor is a genuinely good person who simply made some errors in judgment.

She said on the March 25th episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast that watching the video was incredibly difficult. She explained that Taylor seems to be hiding a lot of pain and she often tells her that the behavior shown isn’t representative of who she truly is. She believes Taylor got stuck in a harmful pattern, and seeing the video—especially with a child involved—is upsetting for everyone connected to the situation.

I’m not defending any of this behavior,” the 33-year-old explained. “But I know Taylor personally, and it’s easy to forget that people on reality TV are real individuals with real lives. It’s easy to treat us like characters, but this is actually how we live. I’ve seen Taylor at her lowest, comforting her when she was upset, and I hope this situation will make everyone think about how they’re acting.

For more about Taylor and Dakota’s complex history, keep reading…

Taylor Frankie Paul, who gained popularity on TikTok as #MomTok, was arrested in Utah on February 17, 2023, following an altercation with her boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. According to court documents obtained by ABC 4 Utah, she allegedly threw metal chairs and a wooden playset at him while one of her children was present. She shares these children with her ex-husband, Tate Paul.

As a lifestyle expert, I’m always advocating for healthy and safe environments, so it’s disheartening to share this news. Court documents show that Taylor is facing some very serious charges, including aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence with a child present resulting in injury, a charge of child abuse, and also criminal mischief. These are all allegations, of course, but represent a deeply troubling situation.

According to court documents, the responding Herriman police officer stated that Dakota told him he had been arguing with his girlfriend. Dakota said that during the argument, he tried to leave, but his girlfriend, Taylor, started hitting him.

In August 2023, Taylor admitted guilt to a serious assault charge, a third-degree felony, as shown in court records obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune. Four other charges against Taylor were dropped and cannot be filed again.

For three years, the charges against her were put on hold. If Taylor followed the conditions of her agreement, the case would then be filed as a minor offense, according to court records.

As part of her agreement, Taylor was required to undergo evaluations for both substance abuse and domestic violence, and complete any treatment recommended by the evaluators within three years. She also had to avoid breaking any major laws during that time.

Taylor and Dakota welcomed their son a week ahead of schedule. On April 4, 2024, Taylor shared a photo from the hospital on Instagram, expressing their joy and writing, “These past two weeks with him have been wonderful. We all love him so much, and he’s already brought our families together.”

Taylor told TopMob News that the fight with Dakota was definitely their lowest point.

Oh my god, she told me he was there for her because he just understood what she was going through, everything that nobody else knew. She said it was the worst night of her life, and she really, really regrets it. Apparently, Dakota’s been through some seriously tough times too, so he got it, you know? She said he basically told her, ‘I want to help you get through this,’ and honestly, it just makes me love him even more!

As for the confrontation itself, she later said the incident had been building up. 

She revealed on the Viall Files podcast in September 2024 that she’d experienced an ectopic pregnancy a few months earlier, followed by a chemical pregnancy. While she doesn’t want to directly attribute it to hormonal imbalances, she suspects they may be playing a role, saying she feels ‘pretty off’.

Taylor explained that she felt confused and upset after what happened, and admitted to drinking as a result. She said Dakota picked her up, but was upset that she had been drinking.

I recall throwing objects and not recognizing my daughters who were on the couch. We had babysitters, so they were probably upstairs asleep. Apparently, Dakota tried to tell me my five-year-old was there too, but I was so out of it that I didn’t even care and just threw another chair.

The reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered on Hulu in September 2024, and the first episode of its initial season included footage of Taylor’s arrest in 2023.

Taylor publicly announced her breakup with Dakota in May 2025. The news came after the premiere of season two of SLOMW revealed that Dakota had been unfaithful shortly after their son was born. Taylor shared the news on TikTok, stating, “Dakota isn’t mine anymore, wish him the best.”

We were living together and so happy with our new baby, and I was starting to think about getting engaged,” she shared. “But then I found out he’d been lying to me the whole time.

In a season four episode of SLOMW, Dakota confessed to having an affair with a friend, Shinia Powell. During a FaceTime call with Taylor, Dakota admitted, “It was a bad decision, and I could have chosen someone else. My mistake was getting involved with someone who I knew would cause drama. That was really awful of me.”

Taylor was unexpectedly chosen as the next Bachelorette for season 22, and she announced the news on the Call Her Daddy podcast in September 2025. This is a change for the show, which typically selects contestants from past seasons of The Bachelor to be the Bachelorette.

Honestly, when I saw Taylor say that in the preview – “I do believe I was gifted this for another chapter in my life” – I nearly screamed! It’s like she knew this was all meant to be, a whole new beginning! It just confirms everything I’ve always felt – she’s destined for amazing things, and this is just the start of something incredible. I’m SO ready for this next phase of her life!

Taylor shared that she’s faced criticism, judgment, and rejection, but believes people who truly get to know her will see she’s sincere, has good intentions, and deserves another opportunity at love.

Just before Taylor started filming season 22 of The Bachelorette, a conversation with Dakota from season four of SLOMW resurfaced. In it, Dakota apologized for his past relationship with Shinia, admitting it was a mistake.

He explained that both he and Taylor had caused each other pain, but he still thought they loved each other deeply.

The couple acknowledged their relationship was unhealthy, and Taylor believed appearing on The Bachelorette could actually be beneficial, even if they didn’t end up together. She felt it would give them both a chance to step back, break their pattern, and begin to heal.

Dakota let Taylor know he still had feelings for her, saying he was glad she was happy and wished her well if she found someone else. He playfully asked her to ‘save a rose for him,’ hinting he hoped she hadn’t completely ruled out the possibility of them being together.

Production on season five of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stopped in February 2026 following a reported argument between Taylor and Dakota.

On March 16, a representative from the Draper City Police Department told People magazine they were investigating claims of domestic assault involving Taylor and Dakota. The representative stated that both individuals had made accusations against each other. Police made contact with those involved on February 24th and 25th, but are limited in what they can share while the investigation is ongoing.

According to a source speaking with TopMob News, Taylor is taking responsibility for her actions and is primarily focused on shielding her son, Ever, from negative press or anything that might affect his opinion of his father. She wants Ever to have a positive view of his father.

After Taylor and Dakota had a disagreement in 2026, TMZ released video of a physical fight between them that originally happened in 2023.

Okay, so let me paint you a picture. I was watching this video, and it’s pretty intense. Basically, Taylor was really upset and confronting Dakota, even trying to physically get at him. At one point, she actually put him in a headlock while he was trying to film the whole thing on his phone. It’s definitely a heated moment.

“Look,” Dakota can be heard saying, “this is called physical abuse.”

As things escalated, he said she mentioned their daughter was there, right before Taylor started throwing metal barstools at him. During the fight, Taylor claimed Dakota pushed her to the ground before he started filming, and he responded by blaming her and asking for help with their 5-year-old child. Taylor was later heard shouting at him to stay away from her daughter.

According to a police report obtained by TopMob News in 2023, the child was struck by a stool.

Following the video’s release, a representative for Taylor stated to TopMob News that it was part of an effort to damage her reputation. They said the video left out important information and was intended to divert attention from Dakota’s behavior. Dakota, the real estate agent, dismissed Taylor’s accusations, calling them untrue.

Following the release of video showing a 2023 incident involving Taylor and Dakota, ABC announced it was cancelling season 22 of The Bachelorette. A Disney Entertainment spokesperson told TopMob News, “We’ve decided not to proceed with the new season at this time, and our priority is supporting the family involved.”

Following ABC’s decision, Taylor broke her silence about the situation. 

Taylor appreciates the support she’s receiving from ABC as she focuses on keeping her family safe. According to her representative, she’s been dealing with years of severe mental and physical abuse, along with threats, but is now finding the courage to confront her abuser and protect herself and her children from future harm.

The statement highlighted that many women are quietly enduring hardship caused by controlling, possessive former partners who won’t allow them to rebuild their lives.

Taylor’s team said she is considering her next steps, getting help, and will eventually talk publicly about what happened.

Dakota addressed claims of domestic violence involving him and Taylor, stating in a March 19th interview with TopMob News that the situation, as seen in a video, was “deeply upsetting.”

He stated he was sadly accustomed to false accusations regarding himself and their relationship, and firmly denied them all.

Dakota said her priority is her son Ever and making sure he’s safe, and she hopes Taylor will prioritize his well-being too.

According to documents obtained by People magazine on March 20th, Dakota has been granted temporary custody of Ever after filing a protective order against Taylor. A hearing is scheduled for April 7th where Taylor will have the opportunity to present her perspective. However, until that hearing, neither parent is currently allowed to spend time with Ever, according to the report.

Utah police are investigating a new claim of domestic violence from 2024 that Dakota reported in February, according to a West Jordan Police Department spokesperson who spoke to NBC News on March 24. Investigators have contacted Taylor’s lawyer but haven’t yet spoken to Taylor directly. They are hoping she will provide a written statement or agree to an interview to confirm the details of Dakota’s report.

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2026-03-26 01:21