“Mormon Wives” star Jessi Draper reacts to video leak of Taylor Frankie Paul's domestic assault incident: 'There's so much pain underneath the surface'

Mekishana PierreWed, March 25, 2026 at 4:30 PM UTC

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Jessi Draper; Taylor Frankie PaulCredit: Disney/Nik Roberts (2)

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Draper is opening up about the domestic assault investigation into her costars Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen, and the footage of the 2023 incident that leaked last week.

"Obviously back in 2023 we knew what happened and we knew there was a video, but like we never saw it," Draper shared during an appearance on Wednesday's episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast in an interview that was recorded on March 20. "It was like the police had had it and they talked about it and we all just were like, 'Okay, I don't like to judge someone in their darkest moment.' You know? Like I don't wanna judge the person, I'll judge the mistake."

News broke March 16 that a "domestic assault investigation" had been opened involving Paul and her ex-boyfriend Mortensen. A spokesperson for the Draper City police Department in Utah confirmed to PEOPLE that "allegations have been made in both directions" and "contact was made with involved parties on [Feb.] 24th and 25th."

Dakota Mortensen and Taylor Frankie Paul on 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives'Credit: Disney/Fred Hayes

In the days since, Paul has been the subject of continuous headlines as production halted on Mormon Wives' fifth season, video of her 2023 altercation with Mortensen was released, and her season of the Bachelorette was abruptly shelved in the wake of the leak.

Draper, whose own husband Jordan Ngatikaura filed for divorce last week, became emotional as she told host Alex Cooper that the mother of three "has made a lot of changes" in her life that makes it "hard" for her to watch as she goes through the media scrutiny.

"This is my real friend and she does have a really good heart and I love her so much," she shared, tearing up. "Seeing that video is like so hard because it's just, there's so much pain underneath the surface for Taylor and I tell her this all the time, that it's not who Taylor is. She got caught in a really bad cycle and just seeing that video and yes, the child being involved is awful and everyone involved like is really hard. But Taylor's such a good person and she's made some mistakes and so has Dakota."

Paul, who has a son with Mortensen and a son and a daughter with her ex-husband, Tate Paul, began dating Mortensen years before Mormon Wives premiered in September 2024. They were on-and-off throughout the series, leaving things on uncertain terms at the end of season 4.

Taylor Frankie Paul on 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives'Credit: Fred Hayes/Disney

In February 2023, Paul was arrested in connection with the aforementioned incident on misdemeanor charges of assault, criminal mischief, and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child. Six months later, she pleaded guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault, with the other charges being dismissed. She received three years of probation, which will be up this August.

"I'm not saying any of it's right, but I know Taylor as a person and it's so easy to speculate about these people on a reality show," Draper mused. "I think when you watch it, like we're characters, we're not real people, but this is our real lives. And I've seen Taylor at her darkest moments holding her crying like I've been there for her. I know what goes on behind the scenes and I just, I want this to be maybe a wake up call for them and let's get them healthy and happy and move forward. And I believe people can come back from things like this and I just want the kids to be safe and happy and healthy. That's all I really want for them right now."

Jessi Draper and Taylor Frankie Paul on 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives'Credit: Natalie Cass/Disney

Since Mormon Wives halted production amid the latest investigation, rumors have swirled that the reality stars want to distance themselves from Paul as more details emerge. Draper shared that while the decision to pause filming originally came from their production after learning Mortensen had filed a police report, the cast ultimately decided to stop when the news made headlines because "we just didn't want to be filming and say the wrong thing on camera, not knowing the full story yet."

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"And we didn't wanna have to process all this information for the first time and then also be speaking about it, you know, so we just thought like for everyone's mental health, let's take a beat and let's not film right now," the JZ Styles owner added. "And that's probably the best thing for everyone in this situation."

When Cooper asked whether Draper had been shocked that Mortensen made contact with police about the domestic incident, she said that she was.

"I'm sure there are situations in the past where he could have and didn't and same with her. So because of that I was like, 'Why now?'" she said of her reasoning. "I don't know the reason behind it, kind of speculating on that. But I think maybe he had hit a limit. Maybe, I don't know. I genuinely have no idea."

Mortensen, who last week was granted a temporary restraining order against Paul and temporary custody of their 2-year-old son, Ever, said Thursday in a statement to EW, "As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation." He added, "I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same."

In an exclusive interview with Paul last Tuesday, she told EW, "I actually took action about a few weeks ago. I'm just doing third-party everything — pick-up, drop-offs, communication — so no contact right now for me. 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. … I didn't want to bring anything to the public eye, making it a bigger deal for the sake of my son, and just everything about to come out. But that wasn't the plan for [Mortensen]."

Earlier on Wednesday, NBC News reported that Paul is under investigation in connection with an additional alleged incident involving Mortensen.

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Watch Draper's appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast above.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

on Entertainment Weekly

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