Taylor Frankie Paul is leaving the Mormon church.
The star of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and Season 22 of “The Bachelorette,” which ABC pulled amid a domestic scandal involving her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, shared the personal news on Easter Sunday.
“The last 40 days felt like hell on earth. Through every panic attack I prayed for strength as I could feel my body breaking down and out from the distress of it all,” Paul wrote in an Instagram caption. Along with the beginning of Lent, the 40-day window before Easter lines up with the incident between herself and Mortensen that led production on “Mormon Wives” Season 5 to go on pause, kicking off the scandal that led to “The Bachelorette” being pulled. Though specific details about the late February incident have not been made public, police investigated domestic violence allegations both parties made against each other.
The caption was posted under a video stitching together various images of Paul taking notes on the Bible, texting people about her faith and dealing with physical symptoms of her stress. Paul continued, “And HE sent just that in various ways along with so many undeniable signs saying ‘I am with you’ which I can’t wait to share that part. I’ve prayed since I was young and never strayed away because I believe he wants us to ask for help especially during our lowest points. However, instead of just asking I switched over to thanking him at the end of each day no matter how low I felt.”
And in an Instagram story, Paul more directly addressed her religious affiliation: Though she remains a Christian, she’s no longer a Mormon.
“Born and raised Mormon (lds) and I’ll always have love and respect towards it. I’ll even continue to go with my family at times, with that being said, it’s time to detach myself from it,” Paul wrote. “I strongly believe in Christ, God, the bible, the divine. I believe we are loved whether we are praying in church building or from a bathroom floor at home. I’ve also experienced grace and love from amazing people that aren’t sure what they believe if at all and that’s okay too. Point being there is more out there to learn. And I’m writing this out as a release.”
Days after news broke that “Mormon Wives” was on pause because of the late February incident between Paul and Mortensen, TMZ published footage from a 2023 domestic incident that showed Paul throwing metal chairs at Mortensen while one of her children from a previous marriage was nearby. Though the footage was new, the incident had been public knowledge and was discussed in Season 1 of “Mormon Wives”; with Paul pleading guilty to aggravated assault and being put on probation. Still, Disney pulled Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” in response to the video leaking, saying that the company’s “focus is on supporting the family,” with a spokesperson for Paul later saying that “after years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.” Soon after, Mortensen was granted a temporary restraining order against Paul as well as temporary custody of their son. Mortensen has also alleged that a third domestic violence incident took place in 2024. A hearing regarding Mortensen’s restraining order and the allegations between the two is set for Tuesday.
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