Over the past few weeks, one question has been on every reality fan's mind: "How will #MomTok survive this?" On September 6, 2024, Hulu premiered The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, a new reality show chronicling the eight Mormon moms and TikTok stars as they live their lives despite the societal confines of the Church of Latter Day Saints. While the cast boasts hundreds of thousands of TikTok followers, Taylor Frankie Paul was the most known before and after the series dropped.
Taylor first jumped from online to mainstream notoriety in 2022, when she revealed that she was part of a Mormon soft-swinging circle that resulted in a divorce from her first husband. Though the swinging scandal didn't play as much of a role in Mormon Wives as netizens anticipated, millions of viewers have become mesmerized by Taylor's life, which was put on full display on what is now one of Hulu's most-watched unscripted series. As we wait for any word on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 2, it's time to learn more about Taylor Frankie Paul (including any updates on life post-filming).
Taylor Frankie Paul is a TikToker who focuses on lifestyle and mom content.
Taylor Frankie Paul, 30, is a full-time content creator based in Utah who's best known for her TikTok, which boasts 4.6 million followers. She posts a mix of lifestyle and parenting content, and her children and boyfriend often appear in her videos. Before her soft-swinging scandal and Mormon Wives, she became well known for originating #MomTok content.
Taylor Frankie Paul is a mother of three in a serious relationship.
According to Parade, Paul was previously married to her ex-husband Tate Paul from 2016-2022, and they share two children, Indy (born in 2017) and Ocean (born in 2020). Following their separation, Taylor met Dakota Mortensen, a real estate agent and recovered addict, on Instagram. A large part of their contentious relationship was seen in Mormon Wives, as they often fought and had trust issues. Taylor also revealed on the show how she was arrested in February 2023 due to an altercation with Dakota, and that she subsequently stopped drinking.
Taylor and Dakota are still dating, after they welcomed their first child together, a baby boy named Ever, in March 2024. They raise their child together, while Taylor co-parents her two children with Tate.
“I definitely love him a lot," Taylor told Parade of her relationship with Dakota. "We came into this relationship with a lot of baggage, and it’s been really hard to work through… it’s been rocky but I choose him always."
Taylor Frankie Paul was part of a Mormon swinging scandal that took over the Internet.
In 2022, the self-proclaimed founder of #MomTok became infamous nationwide when she revealed on TikTok Live that she and her husband Tate Paul were getting a divorce. During the video, Taylor explained that she, Tate, and other Mormon couples had been practicing non-monogamy and soft swinging, a.k.a. switching partners with the stipulation that no one would "go all the way" unless their spouses were in the room. Per The Cut, Taylor added that she had been having an emotional affair with one of the husbands in the group and that they eventually "stepped out" of the group's agreement not to "go all the way," leading to Tate and Taylor getting divorced.
Though the scandal was discussed in Mormon Wives, the cast members (besides Taylor) deny engaging in non-monogamy. However, Salon reports Camille Munday and Miranda McWhorter, fellow Mormon TikTok moms who used to make videos with Taylor before the scandal, have been accused of possibly being involved. Since Mormon Wives has aired, Taylor has also revealed that all of the couples who were involved have since gotten divorced.
During her appearance on the podcast "The Viall Files," Taylor explained that she revealed the swinging secret in order to set the record straight as rumors began circulating online that she cheated on her then-husband Tate with her best friend's husband.
"I don't know who did it, but it ended up hitting the internet. All my TikToks were like, 'Cheater, husband stealer.' And the girls were liking it, confirming it, my friends. So I was like okay, well if you're gonna do that, I'm just gonna go tell my story," she told host Nick Viall.
"So I got online, not thinking at all, but like, 'Hey yes, I did do this, but we were also all hooking up just the other night.' It just didn't feel like it was fair," she added. "There was a lot more to the story than just I am some sort of home wrecker."
Taylor Frankie Paul almost joined another Utah-based reality show.
It turns out that Taylor may have been destined to become a reality TV star. During her appearance on the podcast "Scheananigans," per Us Weekly, Taylor revealed to host Scheana Shay that the TikTok star was approached for Real Housewives of Salt Lake City before she ended up on Mormon Wives.
"I actually did get interviewed for the [The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City]. I had an interview I think a few months prior [to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives], maybe a little longer," Taylor said. "And basically … a little birdie told me, ‘You didn’t have enough drama in your life.'"
Taylor then admitted that she had not divulged the intimate details of her life, e.g. the tea that would eventually become the swinging scandal. "I was obviously not admitting to what we were up to," she added.
Taylor Frankie Paul hasn't spoken on whether #MomTok will survive after 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.'
In the weeks since Mormon Wives premiered, Taylor has mostly limited her feeds to promo for the reality series and family content with her kids and Dakota. She and the other cast members have also stayed mum on how the show has affected their friendships and #MomTok, though they all appear to be on good terms while promoting the series.
Taylor has made clear that she is still a practicing Mormon and attends church, despite backlash from some church members about the show. Speaking to TheWrap on September 6, the influencer said, “There’s not one way to be Mormon. I was still going to church, and now, even more so, with all of this press coming out about our show and judgment of the other members. I still am going to go to church with a smile on my face.”
When asked about Mormon Wives' impact, she added, “I hope girls that maybe aren’t as by-the-book and make mistakes and [have] done wrong [that] don’t think that they can’t be a part of the LDS religion, or they can’t go to church because they’re feeling so guilty about things they’ve done. I hope that they know that they can make mistakes and still go and be a part of it. I don’t go for the people, you know, I’m going there for God and Jesus, and that’s always been my reasoning.”
