Trigger Warning: This story contains descriptions of domestic violence.
Jessi Draper is coming to the defense of her Secret Lives of Mormon Wives castmate Taylor Frankie Paul amid the ongoing “domestic assault investigation” into Taylor and her ex-boyfriend/baby daddy Dakota Mortensen, insisting her friend and fellow “MomTok” member was “caught in a really bad cycle.”
As fans are aware, Season 5 of ‘Mormon Wives’ is currently paused due to an alleged incident in February between Taylor and Dakota, in which Taylor allegedly choked her ex, ripped his necklace off, and grabbed his throat and face, all while their two-year-old son Ever was in the room. (Dakota has been granted temporary custody of Ever, while a hearing has been set for April 7.)
Right on the heels of that controversy, ABC announced it was pulling the plug on Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette, just days before Season 22 was set to premiere. ABC made the call following the release of a shocking video that showed Taylor physically attacking Dakota in 2023. The incident– in which Taylor was shown kicking, hitting and throwing metal stools at Dakota– occurred in the presence of at least one of the two children Taylor shares with ex-husband Tate Paul. (Taylor’s daughter was accidentally hit by one of the metal stools Taylor threw at Dakota, which can also be seen in the video.)
On Wednesday’s episode of Alex Cooper‘s Call Her Daddy podcast, Jessi spoke about the recent controversies involving Taylor, while revealing that production actually initiated a first “pause” in filming after the cast and producers learned that Dakota had filed a police report for the February incident between himself and Taylor. While cameras briefly “picked back up,” the cast called for another pause after learning that the infamous 2023 footage was being released.
“ … we were just like, ‘Hey, let’s jump on a Zoom call,’ and we all got on a Zoom call– even Whitney [Leavitt] was on it, even though she’s not in our lives every single day anymore– and we all just kind of talked about it as a whole,” Jessi said. “We were like, ‘Hey, how’s everyone feeling? Pulse check. How do you wanna handle this?’ And we were unanimously on the same page.”
Jessi explained that she and the rest of the cast made this decision in part because they didn’t know the full story and wanted to avoid potentially saying the wrong thing on camera.
“And we didn’t want to have to process all this information for the first time and then also be speaking about it,” she added. “So we just thought, like, for everyone’s mental health, let’s take a beat and let’s not film right now. And that’s probably the best thing for everyone in this situation.”
While Jessi admitted that she and the rest of the cast knew the details of the 2023 incident prior to last week and were aware that there was a video from that night, she said no one in the group saw it until it was released publicly. She also said the cast “talked about it” at the time, noting that she personally doesn’t like to “judge someone in their darkest moment.”
“ … I don’t wanna judge the person, I’ll judge the mistake,” Jessi said. “And Taylor really has made a lot of changes and that’s what’s so hard for me is, like, this is my real friend and she does have a really good heart and I love her so much. Seeing that video is so hard because … there’s so much pain underneath the surface for Taylor and I tell her this all the time, that is not who Taylor is. She got caught in a really bad cycle.”
Jessi acknowledged that it was “awful” to see Taylor’s child in the video, though she maintains that Taylor is a good person who has made some mistakes. She noted that Dakota has made some mistakes, as well.
“I’ve seen Taylor at her darkest moments, holding her crying, like, I’ve been there for her,” she said. “I know what goes on behind the scenes and I just want this to be maybe a wake-up call for them and let’s get them healthy and happy and move forward. I believe people can come back from things like this and I just want the kids to be safe and happy and healthy. That’s all I really want for them right now.”
According to Jessi, the ‘Mormon Wives’ cast “all knew it was a toxic cycle” with Taylor and Dakota, though she said no one really knew the extent of it until recently.
“ … Taylor herself has said to us, like, ‘I didn’t wanna tell anyone the extent,’” Jessi claimed. “I think anyone in that situation knows that it’s so easy just to be like, ‘Everything’s fine,’ like, I’ve been there too. So yeah, none of us really knew the extent and now finding [out] all these details, it’s been hard for sure.”
Jessi also revealed this week that she didn’t find out that Taylor’s season of ‘The Bachelorette’ had been scrapped by the network until the news went public, though she did receive a call from Taylor shortly after.
“I answered and she was like, ‘How are you?’” Jessi recalled. “The thing about Taylor is she’s always checking [on people]. She has her own s**t going on, so sometimes she’s not, like, very present, but she does care about her friends … .”
When she spoke to Taylor later in the week (presumably on Friday), Jessi said that Taylor “seemed pretty positive,” though she believes Taylor realizes that navigating this current situation will be “a long and scary journey.”
“ … I think she’s gonna handle this in the best way possible and I think she’s taking a beat to figure that out,” she said. “She’s not just running to TMZ leaking stories, so I think that’s the right way to go about it.”
The JZ Styles co-owner also insisted that she didn’t know who leaked the 2023 video to TMZ, though she speculates it was Dakota, due to the footage coming out right before Season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette’ was set to premiere.
“I definitely think that has something to do with it,” she said. “I don’t know if he was holding it over her head for that long, maybe they were doing it to each other. I have no clue … I just think the timing is a little crazy.”
Earlier in the podcast, Jessi said she was “sure” that there have been other situations in the past– prior to the February incident– when Dakota could have filed a police report against Taylor, which makes her wonder, “why now?”
“ … I don’t know the reason behind it, kind of speculating on that,” she said. “But I think maybe he had hit a limit … I don’t know. I genuinely have no idea.”
Miranda McWhorter was the first member of MomTok to speak out about the 2023 video last week, writing on her Instagram Story that domestic violence and abuse of any kind are things that she takes “very seriously.”
“As a human, and especially a mother, I cannot support that kind of behavior,” she continued. “My heart is with the children in this and I hope they’re safe, supported, and surrounded by love.”
Layla Taylor also spoke out shortly after the video was released, telling fans on social media, “My personal history as a survivor makes it impossible for me to stay silent.” Layla added that she stands “firmly against domestic violence in any form,” and is “keeping [Taylor’s] children in my thoughts, hoping for their safety above all else.”
Whitney has also publicly addressed the footage, telling Interview Magazine this week that she has “a lot of emotions” about the Hulu series and is “still processing everything that’s happening.”
“ … the safety of human beings, especially children, comes first. Always, period, the end,” Whitney went on to tell the outlet. “I don’t want that to be overlooked. It’s just so fresh. That’s all I have to say about that.”
(Photos: Hulu; Instagram)
4 Responses
Ok, but throwing metal chairs, hitting, and kicking are violence.
That is against the law. Im sure there is probably a terrible cycle with dakota and Taylor. I dont think either one are innocent. They both need professional help imo.
The difference is that Taylor was caught on tape being violent. There was evidence of that. A neighbor reported hearing screaming from the garage. Apparently that was Dakota assaulting Taylor.
My point is theres a legal difference with prosecution. Im team Jessi 100%, Jordan has always seemed like a creep. I feel like shes making the right moves. Jessi never assaulted someone.
To me, thats the difference in how situations are handled. Taylor and Dakota are also very impulsive so there might be some undiagnosed mental health issues.
But, the police officers said that she didn’t have a mark on her. She was screaming when she was throwing those chairs though. Have you seen the transcripts or watched the police body cams? She was trying to get to him with the police there.
The police report says she sustained a “goose egg” to the head. Taylor and her mom have publicly stated she was never hit at all. I read somewhere that the goose egg was told to the police later as having been present. So I dunno if we ever get the truth of it.