Taylor Frankie Paul Gives Parenting Update as Dakota Mortensen Dispute Keeps Drawing Public Attention

Taylor Frankie Paul is trying to move forward while her custody fight with Dakota Mortensen continues to play out in public.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star has shared a new update about parenting her 2-year-old son, Ever, whom she shares with Mortensen. The update comes during a difficult year for Paul, marked by mutual restraining orders, domestic violence allegations from both sides, a canceled Bachelorette season, and renewed public focus on her personal life.

Paul recently responded to a fan who asked how often she gets to see Ever. Her answer was simple and emotional. She said she has daily FaceTime calls with him and sees him once a week. She also wrote, “Better than nothing. I’m thankful.”

That line sums up the moment.

She is not claiming everything is fixed. She is not pretending the situation is easy. She is saying she has limited time with her son, and she is holding on to what she has.

Custody Battle Over Ever Remains Ongoing

Paul and Mortensen have been in a legal dispute involving their son Ever after a series of allegations and court filings. Earlier this year, Mortensen was granted temporary custody of Ever, while Paul was allowed supervised visitation. Reports said the judge initially granted Paul supervised time with Ever for at least six hours after a virtual court hearing in April.

A later custody update reportedly gave Paul more parenting time. According to reports, her weekly supervised daytime visitation increased from 8 hours to 12 hours, and she was also granted a special nearly 12-hour Mother’s Day visit, from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The court situation is still not final. Reports said a more complete parenting plan was expected to be reviewed after assessments from the Department of Children and Family Services.

For Paul, the custody issue is personal before it is public. She is known through reality television and social media, but the dispute involves a child. That changes the stakes.

The public may argue online.
The court has to decide what arrangement is safest and best for Ever.

Paul Shares Bruised-Arm Photo and Talks About ‘Psychological Torture’

The custody update came around the same time Paul posted a photo of a dark bruise on her arm and opened up about the emotional impact of her relationship with Mortensen.

In the Instagram post, Paul described “psychological torture” and said emotional damage can be harder to show than physical injuries. She did not directly name Mortensen in the post, but the message landed in the middle of their ongoing legal conflict and public dispute.

Complex reported that Paul shared the bruised-arm image amid her legal battle with Mortensen.

The post added another layer to the public conversation. This is not only about custody. It is also about competing abuse claims, emotional harm, and a relationship that both sides have described as damaging.

Paul has previously submitted evidence in court, including photos she said showed injuries from alleged assaults. Mortensen has also made claims against Paul. Prosecutors and courts have had to sort through conflicting accounts, and reports said charges were not pursued in one matter due to the difficulty of proving the case beyond the competing narratives.

That is the messy part.

There is the public story.
There is the court record.
There is what each person says happened.
And there is a child in the middle.

Mutual Protective Orders Change Everything

In April, a Utah judge granted mutual protective orders involving Paul and Mortensen. That means both sides are under legal restrictions. The orders have also affected how the two can interact and how their reality TV futures may work.

The protective orders matter because Paul and Mortensen are not just former partners. They are also reality TV personalities connected to the same public world. Their relationship and conflict have become part of the wider conversation around Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

Executive producer Jeff Jenkins has said both Paul and Mortensen are welcome back to the show despite the legal situation. But there is one clear limitation: they cannot film together while the restraining orders remain in place.

That creates a production problem.

Reality TV thrives on confrontation.
Court orders restrict contact.
The show may want the story.
The law controls the access.

Jenkins reportedly praised Paul’s natural reality TV presence and compared her screen quality to major reality stars. Still, the legal constraints are real.

A Hard 2026 for Paul

Paul’s year has been rough professionally and personally.

She had been connected to ABC’s The Bachelorette, but reports say the season was canceled after news emerged that she was being investigated in connection with a domestic violence incident involving Mortensen.

That was a major public blow. A lead role on The Bachelorette would have moved Paul into a bigger national spotlight beyond TikTok and Hulu. Instead, her personal controversy became the story.

At the same time, her role in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives became uncertain because of the legal restrictions and production pause. Entertainment Weekly reported that the off-screen controversies forced challenges for the show’s production, though producers said the door remained open for Paul’s return.

This is what happens when reality TV and real life collide.

The cameras can make a person famous.
They can also make a private crisis harder to survive.

The Relationship With Dakota Mortensen Has Become a Public Case Study

Paul and Mortensen’s relationship has long drawn attention from viewers. The pair share Ever, and their relationship was part of Paul’s public story after the “MomTok” scandal helped make her a major online figure.

Now, the public sees a much darker version of that relationship.

Reports have described mutual allegations, protective orders, custody disputes, and claims from both sides. Mortensen has said he felt fear and relief after receiving a restraining order. Paul has posted about emotional harm and shared images of bruising.

The danger in a story like this is that people pick teams too quickly.

Some viewers see Paul as a victim.
Others see Mortensen as a victim.
Some focus on past allegations against Paul.
Others focus on her claims of abuse.

The truth is being handled in court, not in comment sections.

And the court’s most important concern is Ever.

Paul Still Shares Life With Her Other Children

Paul is also mother to two older children, whom she shares with ex-husband Tate Paul. Reports say she has described her coparenting relationship with Tate as healthier than the current situation with Mortensen.

That contrast matters because it shows Paul’s family life is not defined by one relationship. She is navigating different parenting arrangements at the same time.

Public attention is focused heavily on Ever because of the court case. But Paul’s role as a mother includes all three of her children.

That is easy for the internet to forget.

What Is Clear Right Now

The confirmed picture is this:

• Taylor Frankie Paul shares son Ever with Dakota Mortensen.
• She says she FaceTimes Ever daily and sees him once a week.
• Mortensen was previously granted temporary custody.
• Paul has had supervised visitation, with reports saying her parenting time was later increased.
• Paul and Mortensen have mutual protective orders.
• Both have made serious allegations against each other.
• Paul recently shared a bruised-arm photo and described psychological harm.
• Her planned Bachelorette season was canceled amid the controversy.
• Producers say Paul and Mortensen remain welcome on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, but cannot film together under current legal restrictions.

The Bottom Line

Taylor Frankie Paul is in the middle of a custody fight, a public breakup fallout, and a reality TV storm all at once.

Her latest parenting update was not dramatic. It was small. Daily FaceTime. One visit a week. Gratitude for what she has.

That may not sound like much. But in a legal fight involving protective orders and temporary custody, even small access matters.

The public will keep watching because Paul is famous. The show will keep circling because conflict drives reality TV. But the real issue is not entertainment.

It is a child, two parents, and a court trying to decide what happens next.

Paul says she is thankful for the time she gets. The bigger question is what the court decides from here.