Inside Mormon Wives Star Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen’s Roller-Coaster Romance: The Complete Timeline

So, here we are: Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen — the roller-coaster couple at the center of Hulu 's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — are still a question mark. Their relationship has been messy, public, and constantly in motion, and the show only poured gas on the fire. If you lost the plot somewhere between the swinging headlines, a domestic violence case, a baby, and multiple seasons of TV, I got you.

Quick context: why they were ever on your screen

Taylor blew up online in 2022 when she revealed a so-called soft swinging situation among a group of Mormon friends — basically, alcohol-fueled makeouts that sometimes escalated to having sex in the same room, wives kissing, and husbands touching other wives. She then divorced Tate Paul (they share two kids, Indy and Ocean), and later started dating Dakota. Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives launched in September 2024, following Taylor and other Utah mom influencers — Whitney Leavitt, Jen Affleck, Demi Engemann, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley, Jessi Ngatikaura, and Layla Taylor — as the scandal fallout kept unfolding.

Taylor + Dakota: the short version

They started seeing each other after Taylor's divorce, became very public very fast, weathered a 2023 domestic violence incident that led to Taylor pleading guilty to aggravated assault (other charges were tossed), suffered a pregnancy loss, then welcomed a son, Ever, in March 2024. On the show, they fought about jealousy and trust (yes, including a Chippendales night in Vegas and rumors Dakota slept with someone named Jenna), while Taylor kept insisting the internet version of her isn't the whole story. Off camera, they kept breaking up and circling back. Rinse, repeat.

"All I can say is I have never felt more purpose in my life. I also have never been so proud of someone. Taylor is an absolute bad ass that I just fell more and more in love with. She has been so incredible and I couldn't be more thankful that I get to call her the mother of our beautiful boy. I am on freaking cloud 9 !!!! All I have ever wanted was to have a family one day and to be a dad. So thankful and blessed for everything I have in my life."

The legal chapter, cleaned up

In February 2023, after a fight with Dakota, Taylor was arrested and charged with aggravated assault plus four other counts tied to domestic violence and child endangerment. Six months later, she pled guilty to aggravated assault; the other four charges were dismissed with prejudice. A formal plea deal followed the next month. Around then, Dakota told the Daily Mail that Taylor wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone, calling her a good mom dealing with a rough year and a lot of guilt over the scandal that blew up her marriage.

The show made it messier (and more watchable)

Season 1 (September 2024) zeroed in on Taylor and Dakota's back-and-forth: cheating accusations (Dakota denied hooking up with Jenna once they were official), the Vegas Chippendales argument, and Taylor wrestling with whether she could trust him. The finale even cut to a cliffhanger — Mayci called Jenna on camera, and then credits rolled before we heard a word of it. Taylor later said she wished viewers had seen more of Dakota's soft side and less of him on defense.

Where they stood as the show rolled out

Taylor did press saying she wasn't rushing into engagement number two. She wanted a slower build, a foundation of trust — because, yeah, she doesn't want another divorce. Watching the season back was painful for both of them; she admitted the show could stir up old fights and that, at that point, they were doing OK day-to-day. A month later, she said on the record that they were in limbo: not together-together, but not done either.

Holiday whiplash

By November 2024, Taylor posted Dakota doing chores and bringing flowers, with her costar Layla joking in the comments. In December, fans noticed Taylor's holiday card didn't include Dakota — but her mom posted a version that did. Then they spent Christmas separately. Taylor shared a video about the silence and the hurt; in comments, she said she was just glad Dakota got a day with their son. Dakota posted that he wrapped gifts alone, was sober, and grateful to be present for Ever's first Christmas. In January 2025, Taylor told followers she cried every day and was letting grief move through so she could heal.

Fast-forward to season 4 (and 5)

Season 4 (March 2026 ) followed Taylor gearing up to film The Bachelorette. Hours before her flight, cameras caught Dakota leaving her place after what looked like another late-stage hookup. Taylor wrote that watching the season back was brutal and reminded people these are their actual lives, not manufactured arcs. She also said their dynamic was toxic on both sides — they liked each other, then fought, then got stuck in the same cycle she couldn't easily break.

Days after Season 4 hit Hulu, word broke that production allegedly paused filming Season 5 after a new domestic dispute between Taylor and Dakota on set. Draper City Police told People there was an open domestic assault investigation. A month later, in April 2026, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office said it had reviewed reports from Draper and West Jordan police and declined to file charges against Taylor.

Timeline hits

• May 2022: Taylor announces her divorce on TikTok, moves out on her own with Indy and Ocean, and later explains the group's soft swinging escalations on The Viall Files.
• July 2022: She soft-launches Dakota on TikTok with a cheeky caption about keeping this one to herself.
• November 2022: They announce a pregnancy, which ends as an ectopic pregnancy.
• February 2023: After a fight, Taylor is arrested and charged with aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in front of a child, child abuse with injury, and criminal mischief.
• August–September 2023: She pleads guilty to aggravated assault; the other four charges are dismissed with prejudice. A plea deal is finalized the next month. Dakota publicly says she wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone and is a good mom going through it.
• September 2023: Taylor reveals she's pregnant again, calling it a rainbow baby.
• March 2024: Their son, Ever, is born. Taylor says Dakota was a supportive partner during labor and, for the first time, she felt confident about their future — if she could learn to trust him.
• September 2024: The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premieres on Hulu with eight episodes and a full cast of Utah mom influencers. Season 1 centers on Taylor and Dakota's trust issues, the Jenna rumors (which Dakota denies), a Vegas Chippendales fight, and a cliffhanger call to Jenna. Hulu renews the show for Season 2 while Taylor and Dakota keep trying to figure out their future.
• September 2024: Taylor says she's not rushing into another engagement and wants a real foundation this time. She also worries that watching Season 1 could trigger old fights.
• October 2024: She admits it's hard to watch because it's all real, and says their relationship is undefined: not together, not over.
• November 2024: Taylor posts Dakota doing chores and bringing flowers; Layla ribs him in the comments.
• December 2024: One holiday card without Dakota surfaces — another version from Taylor's mom includes him. Taylor and Dakota spend Christmas separately; she posts about the pain, and he posts about being sober and present for Ever's first Christmas.
• January 2025: In a Q&A, Taylor says she cries daily and is letting grief move so she can heal.
• March 2026: Season 4 captures Taylor prepping for The Bachelorette; cameras show Dakota leaving her house right before she flies out. She writes that these aren't manufactured stories and hopes sharing might help someone. She tells Us Weekly their pattern is toxic on both sides and hard to break.
• March 2026: Days after Season 4 drops, production on Season 5 reportedly halts after a new on-set dispute. Draper City Police confirm an open domestic assault investigation involving Taylor and Dakota.
• April 2026: The Salt Lake County DA reviews reports from Draper and West Jordan police and declines to file charges against Taylor.

Where that leaves them now

Somewhere between not-together and not-done, again. They've got a baby, a long paper trail, and a show that keeps putting their worst days in 4K. If Season 5 gets back on track, expect more of the same: real feelings, messy choices, and very behind-the-scenes details playing out for everyone to judge.