The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul’s relationship timeline with Dakota Mortensen isn’t easy to pin down after numerous breakups — but how long were they actually together in between their public splits?
Taylor and Dakota started dating before the show premiered on Hulu in September 2024. Dakota was Taylor’s first public boyfriend after her divorce from husband Tate Paul due to a high-profile “soft swinging” sex scandal.
The pair faced major ups and downs — including a domestic violence arrest — before they expanded their family with son Ever in March 2024. (Taylor also shares Indy and Ocean with Tate.)
“I really wanted them to see me and more of me and my personality and a deeper level. I feel like I come off so different online than I actually am in a conversation. So I felt like this was my chance to tell my story and get a deeper look into who I am,” Taylor exclusively told Us Weekly one month after the show premiered.
Mormon Wives’ Taylor Frankie Paul, Dakota Mortensen’s Relationship Timeline
At the time, the reality star said she wished viewers saw more of Dakota’s “good soft side,” adding, “I feel like for him, that wasn’t shown on the show. It did show just defense. So he’s like, ‘I look like this asshole to you while you’re pregnant — when that’s just not the case of how I treated you the whole time. Yes, I did defend myself in cases, but that’s not how I am to you.’”
Taylor and Dakota pulled the plug — only to quickly get back together — on numerous occasions. Dakota, for his part, recalled having concerns about whether they would last very early on in their relationship.
“I was so afraid of how much I liked Taylor and how afraid I was of her and knowing that I didn’t know really what she wanted, or if this could even be a thing,” he said on “The Viall Files” podcast in June 2025. “I didn’t really necessarily want to give her 100 percent of me because I was afraid of that. I didn’t want to get hurt by that, because that’s how I am. When I’m all in, I’m all in.”
After one final public split over Dakota sexting her family friend in 2025, Taylor signed on to be the next Bachelorette. While viewers await to see whether Dakota will try to rekindle their romance again — maybe with a cameo on The Bachelorette — keep scrolling for a complete breakdown of how many days Taylor and Dakota have been together — and all the splits in between:
July 2022 – February 2023 (215+ Days)
Taylor Frankie Paul started dating Dakota Mortensen shortly after her soft-swinging scandal and subsequent divorce from Tate Paul. In July 2022, Taylor hinted at someone new in her life but wasn’t until two months later that she officially debuted Dakota on her social media.
After nearly one year of dating, Taylor was arrested in February 2023 for domestic violence. She was ultimately charged with aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury and criminal mischief after the incident. Taylor pleaded guilty six months later to aggravated assault, while the other four charges were dismissed with prejudice. She reached a plea deal the following month.
Dakota, for his part, defended Taylor despite their rocky relationship status.
February 2023 – October 2024 (608+ Days)
Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen seemingly didn’t call it quits after her arrest but they didn’t confirm they were still dating until June 2023. They then filmed season 1 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — and welcomed son Ever — before their messy romance was thrust into the public eye.
In September 2024, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered on Hulu. Taylor and Dakota’s rocky relationship was the focus of the first season, with cheating claims, an argument over Taylor attending a Chippendales show in Las Vegas and more being at the center of the show.
During an interview for Us Weekly‘s cover story, Taylor revealed she and Dakota were at odds off screen.
“It’s really hard for me to watch [the ups and downs with me and Dakota] because it’s all such true feelings. None of it is fabricated or acting or nothing. It’s all real,” she noted in October 2024. “So it’s really hard for me to watch that back to that. That’s probably one of the hardest moments.”
Taylor said she wasn’t sure about her relationship status with Dakota.
“I would say we’re working on things and I actually have no idea where it goes with us from here. We are not fully together, but not fully done. I don’t know where the future holds with him and I,” she admitted. “It’s just a lot. So I’m coping and trying to cope. But I don’t want to watch the show.”
‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Cast’s Dating History Before the Show
November 2024 – December 2024 (30 Days)
After officially getting back together, Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen’s confusing relationship status continued when they revealed one month later that they weren’t celebrating Christmas as a family.
They later posted separate TikToks subtly hinting that they were both single.
December 2024 – October 2025 (Unclear)
The timeline between Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen’s most recent public split to her going to film season 22 of The Bachelorette isn’t totally clear. The former couple briefly reunited on multiple occasions — as captured on seasons 3 and 4 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Before going to film at the Bachelor Nation mansion, Taylor was asked on a September 2025 episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast when she last hooked up with Dakota, to which she replied, “It’s over and we’ll see that play out. I can’t remember off the top of my head to be honest.”
Taylor admitted the former couple probably hooked up at Stagecoach in April 2025 and “one after,” adding, “It’s been very confusing if I’m being honest.”
Dakota took to the comments section of the TikTok post, writing, “1 or 2 times. Got it lol.”
Based on the trailer for season 4 of Mormon Wives — which filmed in the weeks leading up to Taylor traveling for The Bachelorette in October 2025 — the duo hooked up at least once more.
