Fired ‘Bachelorette’ Star Taylor Frankie Paul Detailed Dakota Mortensen Fight Years Before Video Was Released

Taylor Frankie Paul was not hiding her sordid past.

The reality star went into detail about the 2023 physical fight with ex Dakota Mortensen that landed her in jail during a podcast interview later that year.

“I was a different person. I went crazy. I was throwing things,” Paul, 31, said during a November 2023 appearance on the CHEERS! with Avery podcast. “I was throwing everything. I was so angry. I mean, as we all know, I was trying to attack him and I assaulted him. I took it all out on him.”

“There was enough evidence there that I was the aggressor. And I was,” she continued. “So they took me to jail.”

The years-old clip resurfaced one day after a video filmed during the altercation was released, which showed the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star physically attacking Mortensen.

In the footage, which was released by TMZ, Paul can be seen flinging metal barstools at Mortensen, 33, with whom she shares son Ever, 2. One allegedly hit her then-5-year-old daughter, Indy — whom she shares with ex-husband Tate — who was on the couch.

“I didn’t know my daughter was downstairs on the couch,” she told host Avery Woods. “I was throwing stuff. I threw a chair, like towards him, and so I was charged with child abuse because it could have hurt her.”

Paul was taken into custody that evening and charged with multiple felonies. She later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was ordered to abstain from alcohol and illegal drugs for three years.

Hours after the release of the video, ABC announced its decision to pull the plug on Paul’s season of The Bachelorette–which was set to premiere on Sunday, March 22.

“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security. After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm,” a rep for the reality star said in a statement to People. “There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives. Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.”