Taylor Frankie Paul's Rep Responds To Video Of Brutal Fight With Ex-Boyfriend Dakota
Taylor Frankie Paul reps are speaking out after TMZ released a video of a physical altercation between the lead of The Bachelorette and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.
On March 19, TMZ released a cellphone video seemingly recorded by Mortensen, 33, that shows Paul, 31, physically attacking her then-boyfriend, choking him and kicking him before throwing chairs at him. In the video, which was taken in 2023, Mortensen points out that Paul’s daughter was in the room during the incident. Paul shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul. She and Mortensen are parents to son Ever, 2, who was born after this video was taken.
“It’s sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child,” Paul’s spokesperson told TMZ in a Thursday, March 19, statement. “Releasing an old and selectively edited video on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior.”
“Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is,” Paul’s rep added. “Sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show and from their own experiences.”
In February 2023, Paul was arrested after Mortensen called the police, claiming that she had hit him in front of her children. The Salt Lake Tribune reported at the time that police obtained video of the altercation, which showed Paul throwing “heavy metal chairs” at her ex-boyfriend, one of which appeared to strike her then-5-year-old daughter.
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Paul was charged with one felony count of aggravated assault and two felony counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, along with one misdemeanor count each of child abuse and criminal mischief.
Per The New York Times, Paul struck a deal in which she pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, and had the other charges dismissed. She submitted a plea of abeyance of 36 months. A court will review the remaining charge in August 2026 and potentially lessen it to a misdemeanor if she complies with the terms of her supervised probation.
In March 2026, reports emerged that Paul and Mortensen are part of a separate domestic violence investigation, with allegations being made in both directions.
On March 17, Mortensen filed for a protective order against Paul, according to TMZ. Mortensen allegedly claims Paul choked and pushed him in a “chaotic” and “frightening” incident while they were at his home with their son, Ever.