Mormon Wives Drama: Mikayla and Taylor Spar Over Rumored Rift

Quick check-in on Hulu 's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: two of the show’s most visible faces, Mikayla Matthews and Taylor Frankie Paul, are very much not aligned on where their friendship stands — and they made it public right before Mother ’s Day.

Mikayla draws a line

On Saturday, May 9, Mikayla Matthews, 26, posted a long Instagram Story saying she’s pulled back from Taylor Frankie Paul, 31, while Taylor deals with legal and personal fallout. For context: Taylor temporarily lost custody of her son Ever, 2, after an alleged domestic violence incident involving her ex Dakota Mortensen; local police declined to press charges.

Mikayla said she feels sick about what everyone involved is dealing with, but she’s not going to enable what she called poor or dangerous behavior from either side — especially where kids are concerned. Her stance: the only correct side to pick is the child’s, so she’s set what she calls healthy friendship boundaries.

She also made it clear she hasn’t been a fair-weather friend. Mikayla says she showed up for Taylor after the swinging scandal fallout and again after the 2023 arrest, and even supported Taylor after Mortensen’s past trysts with Jenna, Shinia, and a family friend were in the mix. According to Mikayla, she sent cookies, drinks, and meals without being asked — all while working through her own trauma, betrayal, and health issues — but the same destructive patterns kept repeating and were even celebrated online as 'messy' and 'relatable.' In her view, continuing to pour sympathy into someone who openly says they can’t be a friend right now, knows what they’re doing, and still expects online loyalty isn’t fair to anyone. Bottom line: having a moral compass and boundaries doesn’t make her a bad or jealous friend.

Taylor fires back (in the comments, of course)

The really meta part: Taylor didn’t respond with her own post — she jumped into the comments under a fan’s recap of Mikayla’s Story. She accused Mikayla of waiting for her downfall, said she rarely asked Mikayla for help, and claimed the cast was always pressing for life updates anyway. Taylor said she was trying to stay home and suffer in silence while Mikayla labeled herself exhausted by it all.

PS: she can find her way to the door if she doesn’t want to film with me. Next.

Taylor added that she held back because she knew Mikayla was dealing with health issues but felt Mikayla didn’t extend the same grace. Then she twisted the knife with: 'It’s the timing for me. This has been going on for months ... Happy Mother’s Day weekend to you too @mikayla__matt. Hope you said what you needed.' (That tag doubles as a reminder Mikayla has four kids.)

Mikayla replied elsewhere that she wasn’t praying for Taylor’s downfall and was just trying to be a good friend. For additional context, Taylor also shares two children with her ex-husband.

Where the show stands

Both women are part of the MomTok influencer circle that Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives follows. Production on season 5 was paused in March after Taylor’s alleged altercation with Mortensen. Cameras started rolling again last month, but Taylor hasn’t been back on camera yet.

Quick beats

• Sat, May 9: Mikayla posts a long IG Story saying she’s stepped back from Taylor, citing kids’ well-being and 'healthy' boundaries after repeated patterns.
• Same day: Taylor responds in the comments under a fan recap, accusing Mikayla of waiting for her downfall and dropping the 'find her way to the door' line about filming.
• Ongoing legal context: Taylor temporarily lost custody of son Ever, 2, after an alleged domestic violence incident with ex Dakota Mortensen; local police declined to press charges.
• March: Season 5 production halted after Taylor’s alleged altercation with Mortensen.
• Last month: Filming resumed; Taylor has not appeared on camera yet. Taylor also shares two children with her ex-husband; Mikayla has four kids.