“Mormon Wives” star Jessi Ngatikaura reacts to show's pause amid Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen reports
“Mormon Wives” star Jessi Ngatikaura reacts to show's pause amid Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen reports
Leigh BlickleyTue, March 17, 2026 at 5:39 PM UTC
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Jessi Ngatikaura (L) and Taylor Frankie Paul.Credit: Disney/Nik Roberts (2)
Filming for season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is currently on hold, and star Jessi Ngatikaura is weighing in on why.
Amid reports of an investigation into allegations of domestic assault involving costars Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen, Ngatikaura commented on an Instagram post from influencer Zack Peter, who speculated about unverified reports of cast jealousy over Paul’s status as the new star of The Bachelorette.
"It was never a jealousy thing lol," the JZ Styles owner replied, insinuating that the pause in production is much more complicated.
On Monday, news of a "domestic assault investigation" involving Paul and her ex-boyfriend Mortensen made the rounds. A spokesperson for the Draper City police Department in Utah confirmed to PEOPLE that "allegations have been made in both directions" and "contact was made with involved parties on [Feb.] 24th and 25th."
A source close to the matter told Entertainment Weekly that cameras were not rolling when the incident took place, and that Paul’s children were not present.
Taylor Frankiel Paul (L) and Dakota Mortensen.Credit: JC Olivera/Variety via Getty; Sara Jaye/Getty
A spokesperson for the Draper City P.D. said in a statement to EW that the department does not "release details related to active investigations" without "an immediate impact to public safety."
EW has reached out to representatives for Taylor, Mortensen, and Hulu for comment.
Rumors swirled that Ngatikaura — alongside costars Jennifer Affleck, Mayci Neeley, Whitney Leavitt, Mikayla Matthews, Layla Taylor and Mirana McWhorter — wanted to distance themselves from Taylor as details of the investigation emerged.
"None of the women want to be associated with her," a source told PEOPLE.
"The girls are very overwhelmed. They all banded together and they don't want to come back right now," the insider added. "They were just getting tired of Taylor, honestly."
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The source also claimed that "everything was going smoothly" before this incident, but "the girls do have a resentment towards her."
"They kind of all decided, as a unit, that they're taking the production pause, that they don't want to film right now," the source said. "I don't think they care about her really right now. They're just kind of like, 'We're done for right now.'"
Paul is set to make her debut as the lead of season 22 of The Bachelorette on Sunday. The season is highly anticipated, in no small part thanks to Paul’s admission on season 4 of Mormon Wives that she spent the night before day one of filming with Mortensen.
Taylor Frankie Paul as the Bachelorette.Credit: Michael Kirchoff/Disney
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It’s no surprise, however, as Paul has been the subject of near-constant controversy since she founded MomTok, the community of Mormon influencers whose lives Mormon Wives chronicles.
She was arrested on suspicion of alleged domestic violence in 2023 after an altercation with Mortensen, ultimately being 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 instead hit her daughter, Indy. (Paul shares two children, Indy and Ocean, with ex-husband Tate Paul. She and Mortensen share a son, Ever.)
Paul eventually pleaded guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault, which means that if she complies with the terms of the plea, the charge will be dismissed. All other charges were also dismissed.
In a September interview on Call Her Daddy, Paul said her arrest will "never be a topic" she can approach without a "lump in my throat because it's just such a hard time in my life."
She continued, “I never really think about me in that situation. Obviously, it's, like, my kids because they were involved, like, they were in the house.”
"I never hurt my daughter," Paul claimed. "I never intentionally did anything with my children."
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
