Taylor Frankie Paul Addresses Assault Allegations: ‘I’ve Been Here Before and I Got Through It’

Taylor Frankie Paul addressed the recent domestic assault allegations in her first interview since the news broke, and the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives admitted seeing headlines about the incident was hard.

“Honestly, it’s been a heavy time to see the headlines, especially during this time of The Bachelorette being released,” Paul, 31, said during her Wednesday, March 18, appearance on Good Morning America.

“It’s supposed to be a really exciting time,” the reality star continued. “I’m a person that will always speak my truth and that’s what I’m known for and so when the time is right, I will be. But right now just trying to be in the present moment and focus on this.”

Paul was announced to be the lead for the upcoming season of The Bachelorette last year, and her season is set to premiere on Sunday, March 22, just days after season 4 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives dropped on Hulu.

She added that despite the troubling headlines dominating the media right now, her “kids come first” but it was tough trying to be “in the moment” has “been stressful.”

Earlier this week, news broke that season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives had pressed pause on filming, and Good Morning America’s Lara Spencer asked Paul how she saw her future unfolding with the show.

“It’s hard to say now, right? Just with everything going on,” Paul replied. “It’s hard to see past this — I’m not going to lie — in this moment, it’s just so heavy. When your life is broadcasted out there in these headlines, it’s like the end of the world, that’s what it feels like — I’m not going to lie. I will say I’ve been here before and I got through it and I’ve shared my story and my light, and I’m hoping I can do that again.”

On Monday, March 16, the Draper City Police Department confirmed to People that both Paul and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen were being investigated for “domestic assault” allegations.

Paul and Mortensen, 33, share one son – Ever, who turns 2 later this week – and have been involved in a volatile on-and-off relationship for the past few years. During season 4, viewers watched the two continually argue about a variety of things. However, despite their split, Paul slept with Mortensen the night before she left to film season 22 of The Bachelorette.

As Star previously reported, a source told Rob Shuter, the gossip blogger behind the Naughty But Nice Substack, that ABC was having “serious conversations about whether the show can move forward as planned” due to the recent allegations.

On Thursday, March 19, ABC officially pulled the plug on the season.

A Disney spokesperson told TMZ, “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.”