The production of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" has been halted for the fifth season, according to multiple sources that confirmed to PEOPLE. "They are not filming," a source revealed to PEOPLE about the hit Hulu reality TV show. "Taylor [Frankie Paul] has some pretty serious stuff happening regarding her past, and they will see what happens. Until that resolves, they are off."
A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department confirmed that there is an ongoing "domestic assault investigation" involving Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. The spokesperson affirmed that "allegations have been made in both directions" and that "contact was made with involved parties on [February] 24th and 25th." The spokesperson declined to share further information due to the ongoing investigation.
Another source close to the cast confirmed to PEOPLE that the fellow members of MomTok are distancing themselves from Paul as the situation continues to unfold. "None of the women want to be associated with her," the source noted. TMZ was the first to report the halt in filming, and representatives for Paul, Mortensen, and Hulu did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Paul's season of "The Bachelorette" is set to premiere this Sunday, March 22, on ABC. A spokesperson for the show did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Paul - Mormon Wives star and the original founder of MomTok - was previously arrested for alleged domestic violence in 2023 following an argument with Mortensen, with whom she shares a 1-year-old son, Ever. She was charged with misdemeanor assault, criminal mischief, and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child, after she was accused of throwing a chair at Mortensen that allegedly hit her daughter. However, as reported by CBS News at the time, the charges were later dropped.
The shocking production pause comes days after Hulu released the fourth season of "Mormon Wives." The latest season was rife with drama among the members of MomTok. Notably, viewers learned that Mikayla Matthews separated from her husband, Jace Terry, amid ongoing intimacy issues. Though the season concludes with them no longer together romantically, Matthews took to Instagram on March 13 to say that "so much context is missing from our story that was supposed to be on the show."
Before the release of the season, Matthews spoke to PEOPLE about where she stood with Terry, admitting that she and her husband were still working through her trauma surrounding her being sexually abused as a teenager. "It's still new to me, and it's new to him, and we're just navigating it the best way that we can," Matthews said, referencing her relationship with Terry. "Unfortunately, I think it's just something that's going to take a lot more time. I feel like that's all I can say on it now."
Season 4 also included the bombshell news that Paul spent the night with Mortensen the night before leaving to star in the forthcoming season of "The Bachelorette." The pair's rocky relationship has served as a main story arc throughout the first "Mormon Wives" seasons, and several members of MomTok said in the fourth season that they were concerned that Paul wasn't ready for "The Bachelorette" because of her ongoing entanglement with Mortensen.
In season 4, after Paul lands in Los Angeles to film the ABC dating competition show, the pair speaks over FaceTime. During this conversation, Mortensen apologizes and acknowledges that his past actions have "caused a lot of problems" - including his decision to date a friend of "Mormon Wives" costar Miranda Hope. Though during the call, he also asks Paul to "save a rose" for him.
Paul thanks her ex for his apology, though during a confessional, she admits, "The apology is just words, like it always is." "I do think it's an opportunity to get away from him, absolutely," she says of going on "The Bachelorette." "It's like a dream come true."
