Taylor Frankie Paul lived in fear for years that a video showing her engaged in a domestic violence incident with Dakota Mortensen would be released, Page Six is told.
A source close to the situation claims to us that Taylor, 31, was nervous about if and when the 2023 footage, which was taken on Mortensen’s cellphone, would see the light of day.
Reps for the Utah-based reality stars did not immediately respond to our requests for comment.
On Thursday, TMZ obtained and published the video in question, which showed Paul screaming at and attacking Mortensen, 33, at home in the presence of one of her children.
The “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star then began throwing metal barstools across the room in his direction.
Mortensen repeatedly shouted that her daughter — 8-year-old Indy, who was 5 at the time — was close by on the couch.
Indy could be heard crying after seemingly being struck, with Mortensen later claiming, “Your daughter just got hit in the head with a metal chair.”
Mortensen, mid-scuffle, urged Paul to “go help [her] daughter,” and when he attempted to do so, she ordered him to “get away” from the child.
After Mortensen professed his “love” for Paul’s kids and accused her of being “drunk,” responding officers rang the doorbell.
During the argument, Paul accused Mortensen of starting the fight.
“You did this. You threw me,” she yelled repeatedly, alleging to police that Mortensen threw her to the ground before he began recording her.
She ultimately pleaded guilty to aggravated assault under a deal that would reduce the charge to a misdemeanor if she abided by her three-year probation conditions. The other charges were dropped.
In response to the “selectively edited” abuse video, Paul’s rep claimed to Page Six that it “conveniently omits context” and is part of Mortensen’s “never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child.”
Mortensen replied to the claim, “As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation. I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same.”
Paul and Mortensen — whose tumultuous relationship began in 2022 — share a 2-year-old son named Ever, while she co-parents Indy and son Ocean, 5, with her ex-husband, Tate Paul.
After the footage made its rounds, Disney — which owns and operates ABC — announced that Taylor’s season of “The Bachelorette,” which was set to premiere Sunday, would be shelved.
“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time,” a Disney rep told Page Six, adding, “Our focus is on supporting the family.”
In response to the news, Taylor’s rep told us that she “is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security” after “years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation.”
The 2023 video surfaced after it was reported that filming for Season 5 of Hulu’s “SLOMW” had been halted amid a separate domestic violence investigation involving Taylor and Mortensen.
Mortensen filed for a restraining order against Taylor earlier this week, alleging that she choked him last month in the presence of their son. He was granted temporary custody on Friday.
