All About Taylor Frankie Paul's Ex-Boyfriend Dakota Mortensen & Their Domestic Violence Investigation

The Bachelorette star Taylor Frankie Paul’s relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, is threatening to derail her season of the show.

The couple, whose tumultuous relationship has featured on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, are parents to a 2-year-old son, Ever, who is the youngest of Paul’s three children. She is also a mom to Indy and Ocean with her ex-husband, Tate Paul. Paul and Mortensen ended their relationship before she started filming The Bachelorette. However, details emerging about the alleged domestic violence incident in February suggest that the pair may have reconnected after Paul wrapped the dating show.

For more about Mortensen, his relationship with Paul, and the domestic violence investigation, keep reading.

Who is Taylor Frankie Paul’s Ex-Boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen?

Paul and Mortensen started dating in July 2022, two months after Paul announced her divorce from ex-husband Tate Paul. They welcomed son, Ever, in March 2024, before breaking up again in Dec. 2024.

They got back together several times since then, including allegedly spending the night together the night before Paul left to film The Bachelorette, according to season 4 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

Mortensen grew up on a bird farm in Idaho with four siblings before moving to Utah. According to his Instagram bio, Mortensen owns Basin Tiling, where he does tile and backsplash work for new builds and home remodels.

Dakota & Taylor Are Involved In A Domestic Violence Investigation

On March 16, People reported that the Draper City Police Department are working on a “domestic assault investigation” involving Paul and Mortensen, saying “allegations have been made in both directions.”

According to TMZ, Mortensen called the police after Paul allegedly choked him and ripped off his necklace while staying at his home. He allegedly revoked the allegation, and Taylor came over again the following night, which led to more fighting. After this incident, Dakota’s roommate allegedly called the police.

On March 17, Paul told Entertainment Weekly that she is co-parenting with Mortensen through a third party for pick-ups, drop-offs, and all communication. “No contact right now for me,” she explained, adding, “I think that’s the best case, honestly, because clearly it’s just not to a point of us getting along, so I wanted to take the best action I could.”

Paul was previously arrested for a reported domestic violence incident in 2023, in which she allegedly threw “heavy metal chairs” at Mortensen that hit her daughter, Indy, now 8, who was sitting next to him. She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in Aug. 2023, per the New York Post.

RELATED: Mormon Wives Cast Thought Taylor Frankie Paul Was in a Better Place — Then Her Latest Drama Changed Everything

Dakota Broke His Silence On The Investigation

A rep for Mortensen opened up about the alleged domestic violence investigation between Mortensen and Paul in a March 18 statement.

“His number one priority here is protecting [their 2-year-old son], Ever,” the rep told Entertainment Weekly. The rep also denied the allegation that Mortensen leaked the information to the public. “He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor,” the rep continued. “It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well.”

Mortensen’s rep added, “He was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away. He’s never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side. He kind of just lets it all happen to him, and I think he realizes with the severity of everything now that he just can’t do that.”

Paul has also spoken out about the leaked allegations. “There’s more to the context to everything and it’s unfortunate,” Taylor told Us Weekly at the March 17 premiere of The Bachelorette. “It’s been hard. And it sucks to be in this position. And the mother that I am, that is something I will always stand my ground on.”

“I believe that I am a good mother and I have always treated my kids very well,” she continued. “So the headlines that are out right now are very hard to see because that’s not the truth of it. I have always treated my children with respect and I’ve never touched them. So it’s been really hard.”

Dakota Is A Recovering Addict

In an Nov. 2025 interview with Recovery.com’s Recoverycast podcast, Mortensen revealed that he struggled for years with an addiction to opioids and fentanyl, which included multiple relapses, before he got sober.

In the interview, he revealed that a sports injury in his senior year of high school introduced him to pain pills, which escalated to snorting pills, then trying heroin. This derailed his life, as he gave up on basketball scholarships and even playing the sport. “I didn’t want anything. I was cool with nothing,” he said, adding, “There was no desire to do anything with my life” other than getting high.

He finally got sober after he was caught by his then-wife shooting up heroin in the bathroom. “Seeing her face, I could tell it destroyed her,” he said. “And I remember I wanted to feel something so badly, and I felt nothing. I was so numb that I couldn’t feel anything. … It felt like I had no soul.”

This interaction led to her filing for divorce and prompted Mortensen to get sober.

RELATED: Inside Taylor Frankie Paul’s ‘Swinging’ Scandal & Details on Who Was Allegedly Involved

Taylor Says Her Relationship With Dakota Is ‘Toxic’

In Sept. 2025, Paul opened up about trying to break out of her “toxic” relationship with Mortensen during an appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast.

“If I’m being honest, I did wanna end up with him. That was no secret to anybody,” she admitted. “It still wasn’t a secret, and I’ll always admit that to whoever asked me, Did I love him? Absolutely. I had a baby with him. I wanted to be with him. But it just did not work out.”

On March 11, Paul chatted about her relationship with Mortensen in an interview for Us Weekly. “It was hard because I’m, obviously, a part of that — it’s not like I am pointing the finger like, ‘He is [the toxic one.]’” she said. “It takes two to tango. We were just not progressing. We like each other sometimes, and then we fight. It’s really hard to explain to people and unless you’ve been in that situation, it is hard to understand. If I could just snap out of it, trust me, I would. It’s just a lot harder said than done.”

RELATED: Here’s How Much Taylor Frankie Paul Is Allegedly Getting Paid for The Bachelorette

Dakota and Taylor co-parent son, Ever

Mortensen and Paul share a son named Ever, 2. According to TMZ, Mortensen went to court over custody and support of their son in June 2025. In response, Paul filed a response and a counterclaim.

They currently have a joint custody agreement.

Before you go, click here to see celebrity exes who never buried the hatchet.