In an exclusive revelation, Taylor Frankie Paul has been spotted for the first time following the abrupt cancellation of her anticipated Bachelorette season. Captured in photographs by the Daily Mail, the reality TV personality has returned to her Utah home, visibly distressed by the unfolding controversy.
The mother of three, who had been in New York City promoting the latest season of the popular dating show, made a swift journey back home when the series was unexpectedly called off just days before its scheduled premiere.
Trying to maintain a low profile, Paul was seen donning dark sunglasses and a green sweatshirt as she drove away in her white SUV from her $699,000 five-bedroom residence on Friday afternoon.
This sighting coincided with a significant development in her personal life. Just hours earlier, a temporary restraining order was granted to her ex, Dakota Mortensen. He secured the order after asserting to a Utah court that Paul posed an ‘immediate threat’ to his physical safety.
Filed on Friday morning in Salt Lake City, the restraining order, obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail, prohibits the 31-year-old Paul from contacting Mortensen, 33, and their two-year-old son, Ever. This order will remain in effect until a court hearing scheduled for April 7.
The order, issued Friday morning in Salt Lake City and obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail, bans Paul, 31, from having any contact with Mortensen, 33, as well as their two-year-old son Ever until a hearing scheduled for April 7.
Taylor Frankie Paul is seen for the first time since her Bachelorette season was sensationally axed
The reality star, 31, has returned home to Utah where she was seen looking stressed amid the fallout, exclusive Daily Mail photos show
The scandal took another dramatic twist on Friday, when ex Dakota Mortensen was granted a temporary restraining order against the fired Bachelorette
She is also banned from a laundry list of activities ranging from stalking to threatening and is not even allowed to send so much as an email to her ex.
The simmering war between the on-off couple exploded into the open on Thursday when leaked video from a 2023 bust-up was published online.
In it, drunken Paul is seen trying to force Mortensen into a headlock before attacking him with a metal barstool.
Her daughter Indy, eight, is also seen in the harrowing clip and can be heard sobbing while curled up on the sofa.
A police report of the incident revealed that the child – then aged five – was hit during the altercation and had ‘a goose egg on her head’ as a result.
The previously unseen clip formed part of a felony prosecution for aggravated assault against Paul, and she subsequently struck a plea deal and was handed three years’ probation which expires in August.
Mortensen, 33, told the court she posed an ‘immediate threat’ to his physical safety, according to the filing
Mortensen filed for a protective order in Utah, citing a new alleged incident that took place in February 2026, just two days before the video of the violent incident was made public
Four other charges, including domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse, and criminal mischief, were dropped as part of the deal.
The video, which was first published by TMZ, has sparked a backlash and saw Paul’s season of the Bachelorette canned just three days before it was due to air.
In a statement, Disney executives blamed the decision to cancel the series on the clip and said their focus was on ‘supporting the family’.
The statement said: ‘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.’
The bombshell decision to can the show could cost ABC up to $28 million, with filming costs for The Bachelorette totting up to $2 million per episode.
Filming has also been halted on Paul’s other TV project – the fifth series of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives – after cast members reportedly told Hulu executives that they didn’t feel comfortable continuing to work with Paul.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star has returned to her $699,000 five-bedroom home in Draper, Utah, amid the scandal
Although the copyright is 2024, this mugshot has emerged showing the reality TV star posing for a police camera after she was arrested in February 2023
In a statement released to the Daily Mail after the video surfaced, Paul claimed she had been the victim of abuse at Mortensen’s hand and said ‘there are too many women suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives’.
It continued: ‘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.’
She said she has previously ‘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.’
Mortensen, meanwhile, hit out in a statement to Entertainment Weekly in which he said his priority was the warring former couple’s toddler son.
Video first published by the Daily Mail in 2023, shows an intoxicated and emotional Taylor Frankie Paul telling police she went ‘ballistic’ on boyfriend Dakota Mortensen after cops responded to a domestic violence call at her Utah home on February 17, 2023
A representative told the outlet: ‘His number one priority here is protecting their son, Ever. He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor.
‘It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well.’
The spokesman added: ‘He was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away. He’s never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side.
‘He kind of just lets it all happen to him, and I think he realizes with the severity of everything now that he just can’t do that.’
Paul and Mortensen have been in an off-on relationship since 2022 when the 31-year-old shot to public consciousness as part of a ‘soft swinging’ scandal that saw her admit to cheating on then husband Tate Paul.
The exes, who have a daughter and a son together, subsequently divorced.
