Taylor Frankie Paul’s Mormon Wives Costar Jessi Ngatikaura Speaks Out amid Show Halt, Shuts Down ‘Jealousy’ Claims
Taylor Frankie Paul was allegedly involved in a domestic violence dispute, prompting a pause in production of season 5 of ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’
Jessi Ngatikaura is breaking her silence after reports surfaced about tension behind the scenes of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The situation reportedly intensified following an incident involving castmate Taylor Frankie Paul, which has impacted production.
On Monday, March 16, a source told PEOPLE that season 5 of the reality series has halted production. “They are not filming,” a source said. “Taylor has some pretty serious stuff happening regarding her past, and they will see what happens. Until that resolves, they are off.”
Another source close to the cast confirmed to PEOPLE that the fellow members of MomTok are distancing themselves from Paul, 31. “None of the women want to be associated with her,” the source noted.
A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department previously confirmed to PEOPLE that there was an open “domestic assault investigation” regarding Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. The spokesperson also confirmed that “allegations have been made in both directions” and “contact was made with involved parties on [Feb] 24th and 25th.”
A source close to Paul denies she was “violent” with Mortensen during the altercation and says the reality star remains “focused” on her upcoming Bachelorette premiere.
After news of the production halt, social media personalities shared the update on Instagram, including No Filter with Zack Peter, who spoke on reports that allege the cast is “upset with Taylor” for “stealing the show” and serving as the new Bachelorette.
“It seemed like maybe it could have been a jealousy thing,” Peter said in his video, to which Ngatikaura, 33, replied in the comment section.
“It was never a jealousy thing lol,” the TV personality wrote.
“The girls are very overwhelmed. They all banded together and they don’t want to come back right now,” a source close to production told PEOPLE. “They were just getting tired of Taylor, honestly.”
“Everything was going smoothly” before this incident, but “the girls do have a resentment towards her,” the source claimed.
“They kind of all decided, as a unit, that they’re taking the production pause, that they don’t want to film right now,” the source said. “I don’t think they care about her really right now. They’re just kind of like, ‘We’re done for right now.’ “
“She’s been very quiet,” the source said of Paul.
The pause of season 5 production comes three days after Hulu released the series’ fourth season. Throughout the series, Paul and Mortensen’s tumultuous relationship has served as a central story arc.
A rep for Paul has not commented. ABC and Hulu did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment about the production stop and investigation.
The latest season revealed that Paul spent the night with Mortensen the night before leaving to star in season 22 of The Bachelorette. Paul’s season of The Bachelorette is set to premiere this Sunday, March 22, on ABC. A spokesperson for the show did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Previous to the production of The Bachelorette and the more recent seasons of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Paul was arrested in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident in February 2023 following an argument with Mortensen. Thirteen months later, in March 2024, she and Mortensen welcomed their son, Ever. Paul also shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband, Tate Paul.
The reality TV star was charged with misdemeanors assault, criminal mischief and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child, after she was accused of throwing a chair at Mortensen that allegedly hit her daughter, per reporting by CBS News at the time.
During a Sept. 10 appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, Paul noted the charges “were all dropped.” According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Paul pled guilty in abeyance to the charge of aggravated assault, which means that if she complies with the conditions of the plea, the charge is dismissed. All other charges were dropped
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
