'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' resumes filming after Taylor Frankie Paul fallout

Melina Khan, USA TODAYWed, April 22, 2026 at 1:16 PM UTC

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"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" Season 5 is set to resume production after the fallout from domestic violence allegations involving cast member Taylor Frankie Paul, according to multiple news reports.

People, NBC News and Deadline reported the news on April 21 and 22. USA TODAY has reached out to Hulu for comment.

Last month, several "Mormon Wives" stars confirmed filming was put on pause after reports emerged of an alleged domestic dispute between Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.

The Hulu reality show follows Paul and a group of Utah-based Mormon influencers known as MomTok.

Paul, 31, was set to star on the newest season of "The Bachelorette," but ABC canceled the season days before it was set to air last month in light of the new abuse allegations.

Officials in Utah confirmed they were investigating the incident, but later announced they were declining to press charges.

More: Taylor Frankie Paul, Dakota Mortensen share conflicting assault claims

1 / 0See 'Mormon Wives' star Taylor Frankie Paul's life in the spotlight

Taylor Frankie Paul took the reality TV world by storm in 2024 when "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" became a cultural phenomenon. The "MomTok" influencer and most recent "Bachelorette" spoke candidly about her infamous "swinging scandal" and has faced legal troubles throughout the show. See her career in the spotlight, beginning here backstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026, in Hollywood, California.

Why did 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' pause production on Season 5?

(L-R) Mayci Neeley, Miranda McWhorter, Whitney Leavitt, Jessi Draper and Mikayla Matthew during "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" Season 4.

Cameras went down on filming the fifth season of "Mormon Wives" last month, several cast members said.

In a March 18 interview on "Good Morning America," Paul confirmed the pause in production, but said, "I do not call those shots."

"So, as far as I know, it was, but I don't know for how long and why," she said.

Another cast member, Mikayla Matthews, wrote in a March 19 Instagram story that the pause in filming "was a decision that all us girls came up with and agreed on."

"We didn't feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening," she wrote.

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Jessi Draper said in a March 25 interview on "Call Her Daddy" that producers originally initiated the pause in filming, but the rest of the cast later decided to keep cameras down for longer.

"We just didn't want to be filming and say the wrong thing on camera, not knowing the full story yet. And we didn't want to like have to process all this information for the first time and then also be speaking about it, you know?" she said.

"So, we just thought like for everyone's mental health, let's take a beat and let's not film right now. And that's probably the best thing for everyone in this situation," Draper added.

Taylor Frankie Paul, Dakota Mortensen return to social media after abuse allegations

Dakota Mortensen, left, is seen in the Season 2 reunion of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives." Ex-girlfriend Taylor Frankie Paul, right, poses at the Season 3 reunion.

Paul and Mortensen's on-and-off relationship has played out during the first four seasons of "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," including co-parenting their son, Ever.

Hulu has not announced whether the pair will be returning for Season 5.

The former couple has both leveled abuse accusations against each other. Mortensen currently has a temporary protective order against Paul, while Paul also filed a petition for a protective order against Mortensen on April 7.

Amid the ongoing legal proceedings, both Mortensen and Paul have returned to social media.

"Thank you to every message, meal, gift, call, prayer, and support of any kind sent. There is the human side of this and then it gets to a point of it being miraculous when you start to see it from a bigger lens," Paul wrote on Instagram on April 9.

She wrote in another post on April 19: "This public atrocity that I not only lived through once but twice now, on even a bigger scale was ultimately the cost to my freedom. I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy or even the ones who publicized it."

Mortensen shared his own statement to Instagram on April 20, writing that he has "chosen to step away from the spotlight."

"I regret not stepping away from a difficult cycle sooner. I’m not perfect, and I take accountability for my part. I’m sincerely sorry to those I’ve hurt," he wrote. "At the same time, I don’t agree with how this situation has been portrayed publicly. It does not reflect the full context of what occurred or the impact it has had on me and my son."

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Season 5 to resume filming

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