Jessi Draper Shuts Down Mormon Wives Rumor Amid Taylor Frankie Paul Reports

It’s an uncertain time for #MomTok.

On March 16, TMZ reported that production on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 5 has paused in the wake of a “heated blowup” between Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex-boyfriend and co-parent, Dakota Mortensen. In additional reporting by People, sources also pointed to Taylor and Dakota — with one telling the magazine that Taylor “has some pretty serious stuff happening regarding her past.”

Indeed, a spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department told People that there is currently a “domestic assault investigation” into Taylor and Dakota. The department made contact with the “involved parties” in late February and said, “allegations have been made in both directions.”

Have The Mormon Wives Reacted?

After Zack Peter discussed the news on his No Filter podcast, characterizing a previous blind item about the filming pause as jealousy over Taylor “stealing the thunder,” Jessi Draper set the record straight in the comments.

“It was never a jealousy thing lol,” wrote the Mormon Wives star.

Jessi appears to be the first castmate to weigh in on the production pause, specifically. However, Mayci Neeley previously hinted at tension in an interview ahead of the show’s Season 4 premiere, telling Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea podcast that she’s been feeling some “rage” toward Taylor recently.

“It wasn’t us starting it. Let’s just put it that way,” she said in the joint chat with Mikayla Matthews.

Mikayla chimed in, too. “Taylor has a lot of resentment and anger built up as well,” she said. “And so I think that kind of just unravels, unfortunately, on whoever is in the line of fire. So, we’ve been dealing with that.”

Mayci seemed to hint that future episodes would shed light on the situation, adding: “That’s something for you to watch later.”

Looking Ahead

Of course, it’s not clear if (or how) Mormon Wives Season 5 will address the allegations surrounding Taylor and Dakota. Taylor next appears on The Bachelorette Season 22, marking the first time the dating show has been led by someone outside the franchise.

“There has been such a weight weighing on me with everything coming soon,” Taylor wrote in a recent Instagram post. “As glamorous as it may seem, the more you share with an audience, the more emotional toll it takes. Reminding myself you have to be okay with being misunderstood, and you have to be okay with not being liked by everyone.”