Taylor Frankie Paul has officially stepped away from Hulu’s reality series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Severe cast drama and an alleged failed court-ordered drug test forced her hand.
Taylor Frankie Paul Exits Hulu Hit Amid Cast Revolt
According to reports from Variety and TMZ, the reality personality announced her departure via Instagram on Monday. She cited what she described as a "pile on" and "disgusting" bullying from her castmates regarding her children.
A Fractured Set and Season 6 Departures
In her social media statement on Monday, Paul expressed gratitude to the networks that supported her return. However, she stated she no longer desired to move forward with the show. According to Variety, her announcement follows months of intense back-and-forth feuding on social media among the Mormon Wives cast.
Season 5 of the series premiered on September 10. Meanwhile, the rest of the cast had been filming Season 6 without Paul since July.
Cast dynamics fractured further following Paul’s intended return. Mikayla Matthews announced her departure from the show midway through filming Season 6 due to a moral objection to Paul’s comeback.
Other cast members, including Mayci Neeley and Layla Taylor, expressed uncertainty about their futures on the program. Whitney Leavitt had previously exited to pursue an acting career.
Targeting Co-Stars Over Ongoing Scrutiny
In her post, Paul addressed the ongoing scrutiny from her former peers. Her statement shared online noted: “I originally was willing to be removed to let them all continue on with less stress and I’m back to that point.”
She added that some parents on the cast have made similar mistakes yet continued to point fingers. She wrapped up her thoughts by stating: “My question has been how much suffering and scrutiny is going to be enough… I’m just relieved to be out.”
Court-Ordered Drug Tests and Unsealed Files
Paul’s exit coincides with developments in her ongoing legal battles with the fathers of her children. These include her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, with whom she shares a son, and her ex-husband, Tate Paul, with whom she shares a son and daughter.
According to sources cited by Variety and TMZ, Paul allegedly failed a recent drug test ordered by a Utah court. The screening was required under a court ruling issued in July.
Results from the test had initially been placed under a protective order. However, Tate Paul filed documents on August 13 asking the court to unseal them, leading to public reporting by TMZ.
Paul did not address the drug test allegations in her public statement. Representatives for Hulu and Paul did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Domestic Violence Probes and Disney Fallout
The legal disputes and network fallout trace back to March. At that time, production on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives paused due to a police investigation into domestic violence allegations made reciprocally by Paul and Mortensen.
The situation escalated when TMZ published video footage from a separate incident showing a violent altercation between the pair, during which Paul threw a chair near one of her children.
That footage prompted Disney to unschedule the premiere of The Bachelorette Season 22, which featured Paul as the star. While a court subsequently granted mutual restraining orders between Paul and Mortensen, neither faced charges.