[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
A counselor once thought Taylor Frankie Paul had an issue with alcohol…
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives fans will recall that following her swinging scandal, the 31-year-old reality star found herself in trouble with the law after an altercation with Dakota Mortensen in 2023. Following another recent alleged domestic dispute, new details about the previous legal issue have emerged — and they are concerning.
TMZ obtained a 2023 substance abuse and mental health assessment filed as part of her criminal case on Wednesday. In the report, the counselor who spoke to Taylor shared that the Hulu personality showed up on time and was “smiling and friendly.” But more importantly, according to the person, she came in willing to share information “about the event that brought her in for the assessment.”
Related: Taylor Frankie Paul Interview Glitch Leads To Theories About Abuse Claims
The counselor said Taylor denied ever using drugs or abusing prescription drugs. However, when it came to an alcohol screening test, the counselor noted the MomTok star was an “intermediate problem drinker.” Oof. Taylor went on to recall what happened that night of her arrest in the session, saying she had a “girls’ night” at a friend’s home. The content creator said she drank vodka after not drinking for three months and started to think she “ruined” her family due to her divorce and “feeling like she broke her family up.”
Taylor recalled she asked Dakota to pick her up. While in the car, she became increasingly upset and began to cry. She shared that she had an ectopic pregnancy, which happened only a few days before the incident. After that, Taylor told the counselor she did not remember much after driving home.
When Taylor got arrested, Dakota claimed she had hit him during an argument. She also allegedly threw a phone and a wooden playset at him, which hit his car and damaged it. According to Dakota, Taylor hurled “heavy, metal chairs” at him, putting holes in the wall. One of the chairs allegedly hit her daughter, Indy, whom she shares with ex-husband Tate Paul. The police noted they saw redness and swelling on Dakota, and there’s a video of the incident showing Taylor kicking him, putting him in a chokehold, and hitting him multiple times.
OMG…
While speaking with the counselor, Taylor said she looked at her daughter afterward but claimed she was fine and did not have any marks or redness from the incident. Ultimately, the counselor decided the mom should attend parenting classes, which she completed, and attend a class on alcohol and its side effects. Taylor also reached a plea deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to only aggravated assault. That meant the two counts of felony domestic violence in the presence of a child causing injury, one count of misdemeanor child abuse, and one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief were all dropped.
Per a progress report in February 2025, Taylor had been fulfilling the terms of her probation, which will end in August 2026. We’ll see how that is impacted following the investigation into domestic assault after another incident between her and Dakota in February, which halted Mormon Wives production. And those producers reportedly have been sitting on other abuse allegations from BOTH sides for a while. What a mess.
Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments (below).
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
[Image via Bachelor Nation/ABC/YouTube, Dakota Mortensen/Instagram]
