The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives

Taylor Frankie Paul had a rough year, to say the least.

From baby daddy drama with Dakota Mortensen to her scrapped season of "The Bachelorette" to that alleged domestic violence video ... TFP's rep has been raked over the coals.

But maybe we press pause on that for just a moment, because today's her birthday! And in honor of the 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' star turning 32, we've got some hot shots for you!!!

Taylor Frankie Paul is once again reflecting on her tumultuous relationship with Dakota Mortensen ... posting a lengthy note to Instagram about allegedly being manipulated, threatened, and gaslit.

The 'Secret Wives of Mormon Wives' star laid her feelings bare in a Thursday night post ... never mentioning Dakota by name, but alluding to their relationship as she reminded people she knows she's not fully innocent in the legalities of it all. She says she blames herself for staying in the relationship for so long, but notes she felt insane due to Dakota twisting everything that went down in their romance and gaslighting her to make her "feel insane."

She further alleges ... "I was love bombed then manipulated, threatened, physically hurt, cops called on me, publicly humiliated, lost most friends because he got to them, CPS called, and now in court all because I said no more and he knew I meant it this time."

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" is going back into production, but some cast members -- those with penises -- might not be returning ... and there are dueling narratives as to why.

Production sources tell TMZ ... some of the men have banded together and refused to return in a hardball demand for more money.

However, another source with direct knowledge tells us ... it's unlikely the men will return, but it isn't their decision -- instead, it's producers who think there's not enough bang for the buck, so to speak.

In a nutshell, we're told the ladies are the stars of the series ... and producers got more evidence of that when fans rejected the dudes' recent "DadTok" venture.

Plus, Dakota Mortensen already can't come back, because he and Taylor Frankie Paul have dual restraining orders against each other!

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives OC" cast is already making waves ... and they were anything but reserved at Bobbi Althoff’s comedy event in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

In video obtained by TMZ, Hulu’s newest reality star -- Bobbi Althoff -- is seen onstage during her "Bobbi Althoff Tries Standup" as part of the 2026 Netflix Is A Joke Fest in L.A.

At one point, Bobbi invites attendees to join a playful twerking competition ... including 'SLOMW OC' cast member Madison Bontempo -- who jumps into an impromptu dance battle that quickly escalates into a full-blown twerk-off in front of the crowd.

In the footage, Madison appears to be completely unbothered by the packed crowd ... shaking her booty and even beginning to cartwheel on stage, putting in the work for what we're told is a $500 prize.

Taylor Frankie Paul didn’t hold back on Mother’s Day, taking to social media with a lengthy and emotional post that appeared to call out people in her inner circle.

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star took the opportunity to use Mother's Day as a time to let it all out, while reflecting on what she described as an extremely difficult period in her life ... beginning her lengthy statement with ... "It’s Mother’s Day so I’ll say whatever I want."

In the post, TFP said she was dealing with added stress from so-called friends while already struggling emotionally, writing that she felt they were “kicking while I’m already down” and accused one person of framing their actions as “setting a boundary” while blaming her for reacting.

Taylor Frankie Paul will get a nearly 12-hour hangout with her son on Mother's Day ... TMZ has learned.

In new court documents that hit the docket on Wednesday, a judge awarded her "parent-time" on Sunday, May 10, from 9 AM to 8:30 PM ... which means a whole day with the son she's seen only sparingly since we posted video of her accidentally hitting her other child with a barstool during an argument with Dakota Mortensen.

Paul's weekly parenting time is also increasing across the board ... jumping from just 8 hours a week to 12 hours a week. The court recommends three separate four-hour supervised blocks for mother and child to bond.

'Bachelorette' fans hoping that Taylor Frankie Paul's season would air this summer are going to be disappointed to see ABC's just-released summer lineup schedule ... because the series ain't on it.

There were rumors that the sheveld season would air this summer on the network -- and that it would be announced Tuesday at the TV advertising event, Upfronts -- but that seems pretty far-fetched now.

TMZ broke the news ... Taylor's season was pulled days before it was set to air after a video of her and ex, Dakota Mortensen, in a domestic dispute was made public, also by us.

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Whitney Leavitt just dropped a major announcement on the Broadway stage ... announcing she's officially exiting the hit Hulu show, TMZ has learned.

We obtained video of the reality star–turned–Broadway standout, as she's seen revealing her exit from the hit Hulu series during her final performance in "Chicago" on Sunday night ... evoking a roar of cheers and applause from the crowd.

Leavitt has been a central figure on the Emmy-nominated reality series since it premiered in September 2024, with the show largely revolving around her role within a tight-knit circle of Mormon moms.

Taylor Frankie Paul hasn't been totally banned from "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" ... in fact, one top producer is keeping her fingers crossed she'll appear on the upcoming season.

Jeff Jenkins discussed Paul possibly coming back to the hit reality show during Deadline’s Reality TV Summit on Friday ... and, he says he had a long talk with Taylor the other day -- and, she's very grounded and composed.

Jeff brings up her recent court appearance where she and Dakota Moretensen got permanent restraining orders against each other ... noting its exactly what Taylor wanted.

Miranda Hope's using music to vent her frustrations with her ex-husband, Chase McWhorter ... channeling her inner Blink-182 and slamming him in a new TikTok.

The "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star hopped on the new viral trend of turning text messages into different genres of music ... mostly gospel songs -- though Hope went with the punk rock approach.

Check out the clip ... the song is certainly catchy -- and really gives fans an inside look on what it's like for Hope to text her ex.

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Chase McWhorter is making one thing clear ... when it comes to the show, the women are in charge.

We caught up with Chase in New York, and he told us he leaves all filming decisions up to the ladies of 'SLOMW' ... saying they know what’s best when it comes to what ends up on screen -- and as for whether the show is coming back, he teased it could be, but added the women would have the real scoop.

Chase also dished on his recent connection to "Unwell Winter Games" star Hallie Batchelder, telling us he’s been a longtime fan and finally meeting her felt like a dream. He says he followed her online before they linked up at Coachella and admits he was “stoked” to meet her in person.

If Dakota Mortensen had any chance of returning to "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" with production looming on the horizon ... it was pretty much torpedoed after the recent court hearing with ex Taylor Frankie Paul.

A source with knowledge tells TMZ ... after yesterday's custody hearing -- where the judge extended the couple's restraining orders for three years -- it's highly unlikely Dakota will be appearing on future episodes of 'SLOMW.' We're told the door is open for TFP to come back ... but she's yet to commit.

It all makes sense ... Taylor is one of the stars of the popular Hulu series -- it's 'WIVES' after all -- so that makes Dakota her plus-one. For the moment, it's all moot because word is cameras are not even up yet after production was paused over the couple's drama.

Jessi Draper has clearly changed her mind when it comes to Taylor Frankie Paul ... because she bashed her costar in a voice memo to Dakota Mortensen just two months ago -- but now she's providing a full-throated defense of Taylor instead.

Here's the deal ... we've obtained the voice memo Jessi sent to Dakota on March 5 ... in the wake of production pausing on 'SLOMW' over a new bout of domestic violence allegations involving Taylor and Dakota.

In the message, Jessi tells Dakota the cast is aligned in holding back on any public support for Taylor ... she says they know the "truth" about Taylor ... and she claims production and management on 'SLOMW' is gaslighting the cast by painting Taylor as a victim and Dakota as a liar.

6:47 PM PT -- Taylor’s attorney Eric M. Swinyard tells TMZ ... "Today’s hearing was a significant step forward as the Court entered protective orders requiring that Taylor’s ex-partner stays far away from her.

He continues ... "Taylor was incredibly candid with the Court that she is not perfect and owned her faults, which is in direct contrast to how the other party presented their argument, despite evidence and input from law enforcement that showed otherwise.

He concludes ... "Taylor feels solidarity with the many survivors who have endured similar hardships behind closed doors and shared only part of their stories, and she remains grateful for the outpouring of support she continues to receive. She looks forward to continuing to cooperate with the Court to make progress in the custody case."

Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen finally came face-to-face as they fight for custody over their 2-year-old son -- and it got messy as their legal teams went back and forth for nearly two hours.

The 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' star and her ex had each filed protective orders following domestic violence allegations from both sides ... and were in Utah court battling it out for full custody of their kid, Ever.

The judge ruled to extend both of those protective orders for three years, but ultimately, no custody decision was made by the court -- the two parties were told to continue to work toward mediation.

They will reconvene on June 1 and in the meantime, will receive a recommendation in writing from the judge on parent time.

'Mormon Wives' star Jessi Draper is helping out her costar Taylor Frankie Paul in her restraining order battle with TFP's ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen ... TMZ has learned.

According to online court records, it appears Taylor recently filed declarations from three people -- including Jessi and her sister, Aspen May -- in the restraining order case filed by Dakota. The contents of the declarations are unavailable.

Taylor also filed an exhibit titled "kicking admission" and evidence labeled "abusive texts.”

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" Orange County spinoff already has cameras rolling ... as the brand new bunch has been recently spotted, with a full crew in tow.

Production crews have been spotted all over upscale pockets of Orange County over the past week, with multiple videos being posted online showing the new cast as they've quietly begun filming the anticipated new Hulu series.

The spottings come as a shock, being that Hulu just recently announced the spinoff and the cast just last week during their "Get Real" event in L.A. ... introducing Aspyn Ovard, Avery Woods, Bobbi Althoff, Salomé Andrea, McCall DaPron, Ashleigh Pease, Madison Bontempo, and Chandler Higginson to the Mormon mix.