Taylor Frankie Paul has responded to online critics amid her recent fallout with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives co-star Mikayla Matthews.
On Monday, May 11, the 31-year-old reality star shared on Instagram Story that she spoke with a trauma specialist and her coach, finding it validating to hear from professionals rather than keyboard warriors. She also mentioned seeing videos from other specialists commenting on her situation from a distance.
The Mormon Wives star shared supportive videos from content creators after her recent court battles with ex Dakota Mortensen. Taylor temporarily lost custody of their 2-year-old son Ever following an alleged domestic violence incident in February, though Utah police declined to press charges.
Taylor thanked those who supported her through personal and professional upheavals. In March, ABC canceled plans to air her season of The Bachelorette, and production on Mormon Wives season 5 was temporarily paused.
The drama escalated on May 6 when Mikayla, 26, replied to a comment about not publicly supporting Taylor and Jessi Draper. Mikayla initially called the comment interesting, then said she was fed up. When a fan mentioned her marital issues and chronic illness, Mikayla defended her stance, saying she doesn’t switch opinions to save face.
In an Instagram Story, Mikayla explained she tried to stay removed from Taylor’s legal issues with Dakota, 33. She felt sick about the situation but said it wasn’t her job to enable poor behavior, especially involving children. She stated she supported Taylor before but believed you can’t save someone unwilling to participate in their own rescue.
Taylor criticized Mikayla’s portrayal, calling her the epitome of someone waiting for her downfall. Taylor said she rarely cried to Mikayla for help and was fed up, noting Mikayla couldn’t do the same. Taylor added Mikayla could leave if she didn’t want to film together.
Mikayla denied hoping for Taylor’s downfall. Taylor seemingly targeted Mikayla again in a Mother’s Day post on May 10, mentioning friends kicking her while she’s down and blaming her for responding. She referenced reports that Mikayla had concerns about filming season 5 of Mormon Wives.
Mikayla doubled down, saying she could write a book on the matter. She stated two things can be true: someone hurting can still hurt others. She explained her silence was about not normalizing a cycle affecting everyone, especially with children and repeated violence involved.