'Mormon Wives' Star Taylor Frankie Paul Was "Nervous" to Show Her and Dakota's "Baggage" (EXCLUSIVE)

In September 2024, Hulu watchers tuned in to watch The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The show that follows a Mormon mom influencer group, MomTok, quickly exploded, as many reality lovers binge-watched the eight-episode series and had many opinions about MomTok's decisions, especially in the romance department.

Before SLOMW aired, MomTok's creator, Taylor Frankie Paul, was involved in a sex-swinging controversy during her divorce from her ex-husband, Tate.

After Taylor and Tate, who have two children, divorced, she started a new relationship with her boyfriend Dakota Mortensen. During the season, the show documented Taylor and Dakota's new relationship, an ectopic pregnancy, and the birth of their son, Ever.

The couple had several arguments on camera, which led viewers to comment on their relationship.

Taylor spoke exclusively to Distractify about being open about her and Dakota's issues, expressing uncertainty about this decision.

Taylor and Dakota's tumultuous relationship was featured on the first episode of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The premiere ended with Taylor getting arrested for a domestic dispute at the couple's house. When we see them in the second episode, she's pregnant with the couple's first child, which was conceived shortly after her ectopic pregnancy.

The couple's problems continued into the rest of the season. Throughout Taylor's pregnancy, she and Dakota argued about him wanting to marry the recent divorcee; her friends, especially Mayci Neeley, hated him, and the Jenna mystery that lasted until the season finale when Mayci decided to call Jenna after a DM on Mayci's "Sinner Sunday" Instagram game showed someone anonymously admitting to sleeping with Dakota without knowing she and Taylor had started dating exclusively.

After watching the show, many fans on social media called the couple's relationship toxic and "codependent." Taylor discussed her and Dakota's drama-filled season with Distractify and said the public's opinion of their connection was what she was "most nervous" about after filming wrapped.

"I feel like that is what I'm probably most nervous about, is everyone's judgment on the relationship," she admitted. "I think I can handle it. I worry for Dakota because he is very sensitive and cares what people think about him, and that's OK."

Taylor also said she worried sharing her and Dakota's issues could "create more drama" than they've already faced from the swinging scandal and what her followers already thought about her boyfriend.

"I think [Dakota] can take things to heart, where I ignore a lot of it, and it doesn't really phase me," she added. "So I'm nervous about that. And I also do think we could stir up and create more drama. Because, you know, these are real people in real situations."

While The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives gave viewers a more in-depth look into Taylor and Dakota's relationship, the couple had already caused a stir online. In 2022, a Reddit user reposted a TikTok comment thread where a fan told the mother of three her boyfriend was cheating on her, to which Taylor replied, "Can't cheat on a single girl, boo."

MomTok followers have also mentioned Dakota's past heroin addiction and have accused him of using her for clout.

The couple was honest about Dakota's substance issues on the show. However, Taylor said their relationship could've been more "solid" before bringing cameras into their home.

"Obviously, you see on the show that we're pretty rocky, given our history and the baggage," she shared. "We're just really trying to navigate it all together."

Taylor added that, though they weren't on the same page during filming, they are still actively trying to make their relationship work, whether critics want to see them together or not.

"At the end of the day, we really care for each other," she declared. "This would have ended a long time ago if not. But of course, doing reality TV does shake things in a relationship."

Stream The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu.