Ex ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Star Dakota Mortensen Sues Producers, Hulu for Defamation

Dakota Mortensen, the ex-boyfriend and co-star of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul, sued the reality show’s producers and Hulu for defamation, alleging they manufactured scenarios to portray him as an abuser and cheater.In the filing, which was obtained by Salt Lake City, Utah’s ABC4, Mortensen, who exited “Mormon Wives” in April, accused producers of deceiving viewers, claiming they “assembled from staged events and from the deliberate deletion of footage that contradicted the storyline, and published after the producers had been informed by Mortensen and by others, that the allegations were false.” “The knowingly false portrayal of Mortensen as the abuser in the relationship continued uninterrupted,” the suit states, “while the only footage of physical aggression between the two, aggression by Paul against Mortensen, was intentionally withheld from viewers to promote a false narrative.” “The series across seasons 3, 4, and 5 presented Mortensen to millions of viewers as a domestic abuser, as a man who retaliated against the mother of his child by reporting her to child protective services and as a serial adulterer,” Mortensen’s defamation suit continues. Mortensen’s suit seeks unspecified damages in excess of $300,000. Representative for Hulu, Jeff Jenkins Productions and Ludwig Productions did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. Mortensen and Paul have been in embroiled in a legal battle for most of 2026. As we previously reported in March, ABC pulled Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” mere days before it was slated to premiere. The decision to shelve Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” came after video surfaced online of a domestic violence incident between Paul and Mortensen, for which she was arrested in 2023. The incident was discussed at-length on Season 1 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” The video controversy came as production paused on “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” amid a different “domestic assault investigation” in Utah, a spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department confirmed. Additionally, in the aftermath of the scandal, the ex-couple exchanged accusations of abuse at one another and battled over custody. However, in April, the Salt Lake County district attorney declined to file charges against the reality star, noting at the time, “Several incidents that were submitted do not rise to the level of criminal offenses. The remaining incidents lack sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges where the State must be able to prove such allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. Such incidents lack specificity as to when and what actually occurred or corroboration.” A week later, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” resumed filming on Season 5. Both Mortensen and Paul appeared on Season 5 of “Mormon Wives,” where their tumultuous, on-again-off-again relationship played out for viewers. However, Mortensen and Paul’s drama has occurred off-screen as well, with the exes both being granted mutual three-year protective orders by a judge in Utah. The exes are still engaging in a custody battle over their son Ever.