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Taylor Frankie Paul Quits 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Amid Bullying Claims
Confirmed
In Short: Taylor Frankie Paul has stepped away from 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' after allegedly failing a court-ordered drug test and facing bullying from castmates.
Taylor Frankie Paul has announced her departure from 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' after a series of controversies and alleged bullying from her co-stars. Paul revealed on social media that she no longer desires to move forward with the show, citing 'disgusting' behavior from castmates who have been laughing about her children.
Paul's decision comes after she was set to return for Season 6 of the Jeff Jenkins-produced series, which is currently in production. However, she noted that she had previously told the production team she would not film if certain cast members returned, as it would be 'unethical' given the involvement of children.
The drama surrounding Paul's involvement in the show has been ongoing since the production hiatus caused by her legal issues. Season 5 of 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' premiered on September 10 but only featured five episodes due to the production halt.
Paul's recent troubles include allegations of failing multiple court-ordered drug tests over the last 60 days, leading to a reduction in her parenting time. She is now allowed only four hours with her two children and another four hours with her son from a previous relationship.
In her Instagram post, Paul expressed gratitude to the production and crew for their support during a tumultuous year. She accused others of 'bullying for months now' and noted that her fellow cast members had told her to demand more pay, suggesting that her 'voice was the only one that can make it happen and then they would work.
Mikayla Matthews, another cast member, had already announced her exit from the show if Paul was involved in filming. Matthews' decision came after a nasty social media feud with Paul that began following the controversy surrounding Paul's toxic relationship with her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
The Bachelorette season 22, which featured Paul, was pulled from air after a video surfaced of her throwing barstools at Mortensen during a domestic violence incident, leading to her arrest. This incident preceded the production pause on 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives'.
Paul's exit from the show comes less than a week after reports that she allegedly failed a drug test ordered by a Utah court amid her custody battles for her children. The show's sixth season is in active production, and it remains unclear whether Paul had already shot for the upcoming season.
Background
Mikayla Matthews has quit the reality show 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' due to ongoing conflicts with co-star Taylor Frankie Paul.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is an American reality television series created for Hulu. The series follows a group of Utah-based TikTok influencers, known as "MomTok", as they navigate their personal and professional lives.
What's confirmed
- Almost the entire cast plus some, going at me….laughing about my kids is disgusting.
- “My gratitude goes to all the networks that supported me throughout this and gave me the chance to return,” Taylor began.
- Taylor Frankie Paul is done with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
- I agree it’s to the point of bullying for months now.
What's still developing
- The following month, Taylor and Dakota were ordered to stay at least 100 feet away from each other for three years, while the existing custody arrangement for Ever remained in place.
- I’m grateful I never followed through with their requests of demands and I’m grateful I kept same pay out of fairness and integrity.” Taylor wrote, “I treated production and crew with respect always, in fact they are ones who checked on me throughout this.
- “I just love her so much. It’s such an impossible situation for everyone involved but I’m finishing out season 6 and then tbd,” Mormon Wives star Layla Taylor said about Matthews leaving the show in an Instagram Story response.
- Paul took to Instagram Monday to air out her side of the story in a lengthy post.
- “It’s a pleasure to remove myself so they can continue, because I’ve almost convinced myself I’m deserving of all this pain and to a certain degree absolutely this is consequences of my actions,” Paul wrote in the Monday post.