May 1, 2026
“This Has Been Dysfunctional”; Judge Orders Taylor Frankie Paul and Ex To Stay Apart for Next Three Years
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RSS Feed Late Thursday, Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex, Dakota Mortenson faced an Utah judge together, who made their respective restraining orders permanent. Both must stay 100 feet away from one another for the next three years. The judge called the pair toxic and acknowledged “there’s been violence both ways between these parties” as he set a later date to decide custody for their year old son, Ever. Dakota currently has custody, Taylor only has 8 hours of supervised visits a week.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey, that folks is Friday, May one, and a judge yesterday said out loud what a lot of us were thinking that Taylor Frankie Paul and Dacorta and Mortensen need to stay away from each other. And the judge said this at a hearing that could go a long way in determining whether or not we ever see Taylor Frankie Paul's season of The Bachelorette. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. This was a hearing in which Dakota and Taylor were squaring off over protective orders. Let's just start with the tension. It was kind of something to see these two sitting what fifteen twenty feet away from each other.
00:00:40
Speaker 2: In courtroom because they have to stay one hundred feet away from each other for the next three years now according to this judge, he made their temporary restraining orders permanent. But yes, this was the first time they were physically together, or at least in the same room that we know of, since these allegations of domestic violence and started flying.
00:01:01
Speaker 1: And when those allegations started flying, video started coming out. What also started flying was all kinds of filings and paperwork and these two were going after each other, and one of those things they were doing was to file protective orders against each other.
00:01:17
Speaker 3: So this is what the hearing was about.
00:01:18
Speaker 1: But also wrote the judge was trying to resolve some issues with their two year old child, some custody issues that frankly, he put in place a few weeks ago after the video came out, and he wasn't necessarily inclined to change it just yet.
00:01:31
Speaker 4: Yes, that's right.
00:01:32
Speaker 2: So as of April seventh, Taylor Frankie Paul could only spend and currently can only spend eight supervised hours with her two year old son Ever.
00:01:44
Speaker 4: And before all of this, she was the primary custodian of him.
00:01:49
Speaker 2: She had they had shared custody, but she he spent most nights with her, So this was a huge adjustment, and I'm sure she was hoping that the judge was going to lift at least the supervised part of it this time around. But we heard from the Guardian at LTAM, the person responsible for representing Ever in court as well. It was fascinating watching these proceedings take place late yesterday.
00:02:13
Speaker 1: So and it's good you brought that up because there were essentially three different sides, or I guess three different people being represented Dakota, Taylor, and then their child, and there was an independent representative in there speaking for the child and Robes, they hear that person talk was really fascinating, and we'll get into why, Robed. He was almost shocking to hear this person whose only responsibility is that child didn't give a damn about any one else. To hear that person make an argument that I don't think that child so should be with mama just yet.
00:02:47
Speaker 3: We'll get into that.
00:02:48
Speaker 1: But Robes, you had three sides, I said, But you had Dakota's attorney, you had Taylor's attorneys. And they're sitting up there a robe. They start presenting their cases, and their cases against each other include a lot of exhibits, essentially making an argument that this person on the other side is violent or beat me up, or is responsible for this and that. So I thought the first one to go up was Dakota's attorney laid out a case. A lot of this was stuff we'd already heard, was it not.
00:03:14
Speaker 2: Uh, Yes, there were eleven fights between the two that were under examination that each one alleges in these protective orders. And yes, hearing from Dakota's side. He describes obviously what takes place in these videos, and he said that his client is a victim of domestic violence and that fear.
00:03:36
Speaker 4: Fear kept him from speaking out sooner. Fear.
00:03:39
Speaker 2: He said that Taylor Frankie Paul told him he'd never work again, that his life would be ruined, and then he would always go back but then fall into the same cycle, but that it was fear, like most domestic violence survivors, as the motivating factor for him not coming forward or saying anything sooner.
00:03:57
Speaker 1: And when you said eleven fights, I had right. What we're talking about here were physical altercations. Each of them they're talking about in some way. Now they're not all chair tossing situations like we saw, but Robes, that is.
00:04:08
Speaker 3: A lot of domestic incidents, Yes.
00:04:10
Speaker 2: Just over a period of two or three years that were noted. You know, I'm sure there were plenty of other little verbal disagreements, but yes, to think that there were that many times where it rose to the level that it needed to be documented and filed in a court room is pretty significant.
00:04:27
Speaker 3: Doesn't it.
00:04:28
Speaker 1: Didn't it feel to you that the judge in listening as the code's attorney was trying to really make the case. My client is a domestic violence victim, and this follows a cycle, a pattern he gets drawn back in. And the judge didn't necessarily seem to buy fully that argument because he was saying, it sounds like your client d codea.
00:04:52
Speaker 3: Yeah, he was kind of manipulating a lot of this.
00:04:54
Speaker 4: Yes, he said, I thought this was really fascinating.
00:04:57
Speaker 2: The judge was describing both Taylor and Dakota, and he said Taylor is reactive, emotionally reactive, which we can clearly see, but Dakota was calculating. And he questioned why Dakota decided instead of putting his son down. There's the video that got them here in the first place, where at least certainly is one of the main reasons why Taylor does not have custody of her son ever, is because there is a video where she pushes him or shoves him while he has their son in his arms. And the judge, actually, I thought this was really interesting, said why did you feel the need to record this and pull your phone out instead of putting your son down? So his implication was and even we heard from Taylor's side saying they absolutely believe Dakota is the person who leaked the video that ended up having the Bachelorette removed from air because of that video that was released. They said it was deliberate, It was timed exactly the way he wanted it to. He is calculating, he is manipulative, and the judge acknowledged some of that.
00:05:58
Speaker 3: But I've on the video thought the Joe that who cares. I know what they're saying.
00:06:02
Speaker 1: They said, we're making a point about manipulation, but it didn't for the judge at least doesn't make a difference to me one way or another. And how I'm deciding doesn't mean he's an abuser or he's.
00:06:11
Speaker 3: This or that.
00:06:12
Speaker 1: The judge in so much of this stuff was interesting and he seemed to be stuck in a lot of ways when he was giving his final judgments. Now wrote the the other point you were making about who leaked the video, there was a point of contention and argument and even different witnesses. They didn't testify, but they're on the record about an incident in which one of her what fellow cast members, said she overheard Dakota saying he was going to leak the video and then the other side said, actually, Dakota had a witness at that same meeting who's saying the absolute opposite.
00:06:45
Speaker 4: Yes, So it was Jesse Draper.
00:06:47
Speaker 2: If you are a fan of the Secret Lives of Mormon wives, you'll know exactly who she is. And she's actually in the middle of a divorce from her husband right now as well. But while they were all still together, she claims she walked downstairs and overheard a conversation with Dakota and her husband where Dakota was talking about specifically mentioned TMZ, which is of course the organization that received or at least disseminated that video, and said he was going to do it to basically to ruin her life, to ruin her career, to ruin the bachelorette. So she I think submitted sworn testimony or written testimony to that effect to the judge.
00:07:27
Speaker 1: Again, Robes, this whole thing was just a back and forth and some of the arguments the lawyers were making, and this is you and I making a judgment based on what we were listening to. It sounded like a stretch like some of the stuff we know things happened. But sometimes as they were making arguments, they tried to. It almost sounded like they were embellishing and trying to make some things sound like a bigger deal than they actually were. The judge seemed to pick up on some of that, but Robes, we hear this, Look, we've at an age where we've had divorces. We're at age we've seen a lot of people have divorces, and people joke about this all the time. After a few years of marriage, you're just collecting evidence against each other. And these two seem like all they did all the time was try to find and set each other up. Here's a text message he sent me. Here's a phone call she did. Here's that. It seemed like they're just the only thing they've been doing the past year is building cases against each other.
00:08:23
Speaker 2: Yes, it did seem like that. Certainly they had plenty of evidence going both ways. I did like what the judge said, though he summed it up like this, I'm finding that there's been violence both ways between these parties, and honestly, with all the he said, she said, I have a bruise. This came from that he kicked me while I was down. She you know, violently, you know, attacks me. All of this back and forth. That's pretty much the summation. You all have both been violent towards one another.
00:08:50
Speaker 3: Ruse he put it the how I don't have a quote in front of me.
00:08:54
Speaker 1: He said there that that no, no, no, Taylor Frankie Paul has shown and inability to control her emotions, but it's only when she's in the vicinity of Dakota. What the hell he's acknowledging. Yep, this woman is out of control. But he is the key to all of that happening.
00:09:13
Speaker 4: He knows the buttons to push, he does.
00:09:16
Speaker 1: But she clearly she can't control herself. Who's responsible both? Yes, I saw her toss the chairs, but they're he acknowledging that both of them are doing it's a different way.
00:09:28
Speaker 3: He didn't. And the kicking was something I hadn't heard a lot about.
00:09:31
Speaker 4: I hadn't neither.
00:09:32
Speaker 2: Adm is that she tripped when they were in this fight, and that he was kicking her violently while he was holding her son after he turned the phone off, after he turned the recording off, and she says she has the bruises to prove it.
00:09:44
Speaker 1: Some this scenario makes zero sense because even the judge stopped because his attorney was saying, Dakota doesn't believe he kicked her.
00:09:53
Speaker 2: You and I both look, he doesn't believe he kicked her, And then the judge said the exact same thing.
00:09:58
Speaker 4: Wait a minute, believe he kicked her?
00:10:02
Speaker 2: And I guess they clarified it by saying he could have inadvertently as he was trying to get her away from him, but he didn't deliberately kick her.
00:10:10
Speaker 1: And it was described as by the other side as a violent stomping almost.
00:10:15
Speaker 2: Yep, so somewhere in between, perhaps is the truth. I thought the judge had a lot of really interesting comments. I have a couple of his quotes that I thought were pretty significant. He said, I'm hoping you're not just people who thrive on the drama and the conflict. I looked at you and said, well, they're in reality TV, so maybe they've taken it a little bit too seriously. But he did make that point. He said, you guys have a lot to figure out here. You have to figure out how to function as co parents. This is dysfunctional.
00:10:43
Speaker 4: You're linked together for the remainder of your lives. This is your legacy. You're modeling right now how you deal with conflict To a two year.
00:10:51
Speaker 3: Old right there. I thought the hearing should have stopped.
00:10:55
Speaker 1: Both of them should have looked down at each other and said, Okay, this is bullshit. Let's go figure this out. That line right there should have stopped the proceeding. Are you kidding me? You all are at that sweetart? That was perfectly said the judge. You remember when he started the hearing, he said, you all talked, try to figure things out, try to work he gave. He asked them, have the sides gotten anywhere on resolving anything?
00:11:19
Speaker 2: No, no, And he kept saying that that was his hope. Yes, it's so much better for you all to figure out what works best for you rather than have me come in and tell you what to do.
00:11:30
Speaker 1: Or yes, yes, robes, But I thought that was he brought it home. With all this celebrity, this and that, with all the bachelorette, with all the Mormon wives, all that stuff robes. This really boils down to two adults, two parents who are showing their child how to deal with your anger issues, how to deal with conflict, how to deal with the person you say you love. The kid has seen more fights at the age of two than I have ever seen between a mommy and a daddy. That's really saying, and the kid isn't too. Yeah, Roves, that drove the point home. I thought that was so well said, and they are not taking him.
00:12:11
Speaker 4: Up on it, I know.
00:12:13
Speaker 2: And the judge even said, you're going to have He was pointing out all the milestones we know as divorced parents what this is like. But he was pointing out, you're going to have school events, graduations, weddings, You're going to have to be in the same room. You're going to have to figure it out.
00:12:28
Speaker 4: Roads.
00:12:29
Speaker 1: That How excellent of a point is that, ro This is simple stuff. You all can't be in a room together without fighting, physically fighting. The kids got what is it the grandkid's line?
00:12:41
Speaker 3: Right?
00:12:41
Speaker 4: Oh yeah.
00:12:42
Speaker 2: He said, you're gonna have grand You're going to share grandkids together. You are your lives are intertwined for the rest of your lives. Figure this out now before it's too late. And that makes a lot of sense. But we also learned a little bit of information about this tattoo, this lip tattoo, and there are questions about based on how the judge decides this case, is the bachelorette salvageable.
00:13:08
Speaker 4: We'll tell you all of that when we come back.
00:13:20
Speaker 1: All Right, we continue here on Aby and DJ May first sort today of the month. Here Robes a significant hearing yesterday. That's not just a matter of their family situation with Tayley Taylor, Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen. Not just a matter of their future earnings, or it's not just a matter of whether or not Frankie Tilly Paul can be a reality TV star.
00:13:42
Speaker 3: Again.
00:13:43
Speaker 1: We understand she's probably gonna go back to Mormon Wives or make appearances at least at some point. But Robes, it was key when they canceled this season of The Bachelorette. There's very specific few words in there that jumped out at.
00:13:58
Speaker 4: Us at this time.
00:14:00
Speaker 1: There it is, there, it is. Is it possible that thing, well, not possible. That thing is sitting on the shelf, not quite collecting dust yet still brand new. How soon before they could roll that thing back out?
00:14:14
Speaker 2: You know that Disney executives, ABC, Hulu executives have been watching this case very closely. And when the two different jurisdictions in Utah decided not to pursue domestic violence charges against Taylor Frankie Paul, that was the first moment. I believe that those executives thought, hmm, we might be able to air this, we might be able to salvage this. She's not being pursued criminally, that's.
00:14:39
Speaker 4: A big deal.
00:14:41
Speaker 2: And the video that we all saw, we already knew about the incident. So now the next question is, look, if this woman loses, if Taylor Frankie Paul loses custody or is forced to continue to have supervise visits with her own son because she can't be trusted to not have a violent outburst, I don't think that's still a good look enough for them to be able to put it on the air. However, if she shows that she can be a responsible well mother, if the judge sees improvement, if the judge says, way to go, here's joint custody back, it's possible.
00:15:12
Speaker 4: There's there's a way forward for the show.
00:15:16
Speaker 1: It's amazing we're even talking about this. It's amazing that this is on the table. It's amazing that they're still considering this thing. Because yes, we've seen the video. We knew about that incident, but Rhoades, I didn't know about the incident in May of twenty twenty five. I didn't know all these details about February.
00:15:32
Speaker 4: Or the eleven other incidents that were detailed.
00:15:34
Speaker 1: So now what's happened in the hearing? Yes, she's not being charged criminally, I ask you, babe, does this make things look worse? Does this actually make her look worse? We are getting now details more into not just an isolated incident, but a pattern of behavior and a domestic abuser that for some reason. She's short, and she's sweet and she's cute, and we are giving her. But the other part is Dakota is starting to look a little more terrible. Quite frank, not to say he was some saint, but Robes, how how forgiving are people going to be to what is? Can we say out loud that she is a domestic abuser, a convicted one. I want to say she is recovering or whatever. And you I tried with you yesterday, Robes on this. I'm trying to understand how the conversation is so different And you said it's simply a matter of size.
00:16:31
Speaker 4: I do think that's a huge part of it.
00:16:33
Speaker 2: She's a tiny thing and Dakota is a big guy, and it's to the point where you're like, Okay, so.
00:16:38
Speaker 4: You punched him. How hard did that hurt?
00:16:40
Speaker 3: Like?
00:16:40
Speaker 2: That's literally what people think, and that's not fair, but that is what people So the.
00:16:44
Speaker 1: Next question was is that fair? Is that okay? Should we look at it that way? Yes, she's hitting him, but he's bigger. Is she really a threat? Is she bet that big of a threat if she's swung out blah blah blah.
00:16:56
Speaker 3: The answer is.
00:16:57
Speaker 1: On video, she could have connect with a stool or whatever else was in her hand. I am just so fascinated Robes that it is a consideration that someone with a documented history of years of domestic violence is being considered to be the star of a show that's meant to find love.
00:17:21
Speaker 4: Well, she wasn't considered. She was chosen.
00:17:24
Speaker 2: Millions and millions of dollars were put into the production of that show, knowing I don't know how many new revelations we actually maybe a longer pattern of violence, but certainly, I don't know. You would think that they did their due diligence. You would think that they that they dug a little to see what they were getting, and they hedged their bets, and they hoped that it wouldn't come out, and they certainly didn't. Well, they didn't anticipate a video being leaked the tattoo. Wanted to talk about that because that was interesting, the lift tattoo.
00:17:59
Speaker 3: That's crazy.
00:18:00
Speaker 2: One of the allegations or one of the reasons why Taylor Frankie Paul said that Dakota Mortensen was possessive.
00:18:08
Speaker 4: Was exhibit A.
00:18:09
Speaker 2: He had her name correct tattooed on the inside of her lip, which we were all just that was pretty significant.
00:18:17
Speaker 4: And you're thinking, wow, that does sound slightly obsessive and bizarre and strange.
00:18:21
Speaker 1: Can you tell me the timing right he would have gotten it, like, didn't they say was around the time when they were broken up or after the Bachelorette.
00:18:28
Speaker 4: That was while she was shooting the Bachelorette.
00:18:30
Speaker 2: Now, according to Dakota's side, this is a yet to be aired scene from Mormon Wives where all the guys went and got crazy stuff. And here's the big headline. He says, this was not a permanent tattoo. It's a temporary tattoo, so it's not quite that obsessive.
00:18:47
Speaker 1: He even pointed over to him he could show you right now. You can barely even see it, and on the inner lip bro, that's a pretty big distinction. And that's the point I was making earlier about their embellished They make things sound so terrible, like, oh my god, this guy went she's over dating other guys and he goes and gets a tattoo. How creepy is that? Well, it was for a TV show.
00:19:08
Speaker 2: And all the apparently all the other husbands did something similar. Context was important, and then yes, And then they went on to say that at the time, she said it was hot, and I believe they had sex that night.
00:19:19
Speaker 3: That night.
00:19:21
Speaker 1: They are using this as an argument for why she needs a protective order and she's so creeped out by it.
00:19:27
Speaker 4: That she sets with them.
00:19:28
Speaker 1: Then it was hot that he did it and they had sex that night. This is they need to stay away from.
00:19:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, So the judge talked a lot about their sexual chemistry and how they couldn't stay away from each other, and to the point where you and I were like, this is getting a little creepy on the judge part, But he wanted to He wanted to make the point. Yes, I get it, you guys have this, you know, strange attraction to each other, but it has to stop because it doesn't take long and it ends and turns violent almost every time you're in the room together.
00:19:57
Speaker 3: He almost.
00:19:57
Speaker 1: He also suggested Robe that some of that attract has to do with the drug of celebrity and what they mean for each other in that whole world. He did, but it was we were laughing, like this was he saying, here, I know you guys are hot for each other.
00:20:12
Speaker 4: Yeah, really, that's what he's like. The sex must be great.
00:20:14
Speaker 2: He didn't say that, but he just, wow, y'all must have an amazing physical connection.
00:20:21
Speaker 3: I get it. Look at you too.
00:20:22
Speaker 2: I mean, he didn't say any of those things, but he kind of was saying those things.
00:20:27
Speaker 4: Yes. But so the next court date, by the way, so this is a.
00:20:30
Speaker 2: Big one for Taylor Frankie Paul because obviously she wants to be able to spend unsupervised time with her son in certainly more than eight hours a week. The judge is taking this time to consider the custody arrangement he thinks is going to.
00:20:43
Speaker 4: Be best forever.
00:20:45
Speaker 2: But he's going to make those recommendations, he said by May eleventh. So stay tuned on what happens next for Taylor Frankie Paul and custody of her son. Ever, but this drama will likely continue. But three years, these two not supposed to be within a hundred feet of one another.
00:21:03
Speaker 3: They won't be able to do that. I know they won't be able to stay away each other.
00:21:07
Speaker 4: How soon will they violate.
00:21:08
Speaker 3: That they were texting after the hearing pro.
00:21:10
Speaker 2: Probably all right with that, everyone, We always appreciate you listening to us.
00:21:14
Speaker 4: I made me Roebuck alongside t. J. Holmes. We will talk to you soon.
Speaker 1: Hey, that folks is Friday, May one, and a judge yesterday said out loud what a lot of us were thinking that Taylor Frankie Paul and Dacorta and Mortensen need to stay away from each other. And the judge said this at a hearing that could go a long way in determining whether or not we ever see Taylor Frankie Paul's season of The Bachelorette. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. This was a hearing in which Dakota and Taylor were squaring off over protective orders. Let's just start with the tension. It was kind of something to see these two sitting what fifteen twenty feet away from each other.
00:00:40
Speaker 2: In courtroom because they have to stay one hundred feet away from each other for the next three years now according to this judge, he made their temporary restraining orders permanent. But yes, this was the first time they were physically together, or at least in the same room that we know of, since these allegations of domestic violence and started flying.
00:01:01
Speaker 1: And when those allegations started flying, video started coming out. What also started flying was all kinds of filings and paperwork and these two were going after each other, and one of those things they were doing was to file protective orders against each other.
00:01:17
Speaker 3: So this is what the hearing was about.
00:01:18
Speaker 1: But also wrote the judge was trying to resolve some issues with their two year old child, some custody issues that frankly, he put in place a few weeks ago after the video came out, and he wasn't necessarily inclined to change it just yet.
00:01:31
Speaker 4: Yes, that's right.
00:01:32
Speaker 2: So as of April seventh, Taylor Frankie Paul could only spend and currently can only spend eight supervised hours with her two year old son Ever.
00:01:44
Speaker 4: And before all of this, she was the primary custodian of him.
00:01:49
Speaker 2: She had they had shared custody, but she he spent most nights with her, So this was a huge adjustment, and I'm sure she was hoping that the judge was going to lift at least the supervised part of it this time around. But we heard from the Guardian at LTAM, the person responsible for representing Ever in court as well. It was fascinating watching these proceedings take place late yesterday.
00:02:13
Speaker 1: So and it's good you brought that up because there were essentially three different sides, or I guess three different people being represented Dakota, Taylor, and then their child, and there was an independent representative in there speaking for the child and Robes, they hear that person talk was really fascinating, and we'll get into why, Robed. He was almost shocking to hear this person whose only responsibility is that child didn't give a damn about any one else. To hear that person make an argument that I don't think that child so should be with mama just yet.
00:02:47
Speaker 3: We'll get into that.
00:02:48
Speaker 1: But Robes, you had three sides, I said, But you had Dakota's attorney, you had Taylor's attorneys. And they're sitting up there a robe. They start presenting their cases, and their cases against each other include a lot of exhibits, essentially making an argument that this person on the other side is violent or beat me up, or is responsible for this and that. So I thought the first one to go up was Dakota's attorney laid out a case. A lot of this was stuff we'd already heard, was it not.
00:03:14
Speaker 2: Uh, Yes, there were eleven fights between the two that were under examination that each one alleges in these protective orders. And yes, hearing from Dakota's side. He describes obviously what takes place in these videos, and he said that his client is a victim of domestic violence and that fear.
00:03:36
Speaker 4: Fear kept him from speaking out sooner. Fear.
00:03:39
Speaker 2: He said that Taylor Frankie Paul told him he'd never work again, that his life would be ruined, and then he would always go back but then fall into the same cycle, but that it was fear, like most domestic violence survivors, as the motivating factor for him not coming forward or saying anything sooner.
00:03:57
Speaker 1: And when you said eleven fights, I had right. What we're talking about here were physical altercations. Each of them they're talking about in some way. Now they're not all chair tossing situations like we saw, but Robes, that is.
00:04:08
Speaker 3: A lot of domestic incidents, Yes.
00:04:10
Speaker 2: Just over a period of two or three years that were noted. You know, I'm sure there were plenty of other little verbal disagreements, but yes, to think that there were that many times where it rose to the level that it needed to be documented and filed in a court room is pretty significant.
00:04:27
Speaker 3: Doesn't it.
00:04:28
Speaker 1: Didn't it feel to you that the judge in listening as the code's attorney was trying to really make the case. My client is a domestic violence victim, and this follows a cycle, a pattern he gets drawn back in. And the judge didn't necessarily seem to buy fully that argument because he was saying, it sounds like your client d codea.
00:04:52
Speaker 3: Yeah, he was kind of manipulating a lot of this.
00:04:54
Speaker 4: Yes, he said, I thought this was really fascinating.
00:04:57
Speaker 2: The judge was describing both Taylor and Dakota, and he said Taylor is reactive, emotionally reactive, which we can clearly see, but Dakota was calculating. And he questioned why Dakota decided instead of putting his son down. There's the video that got them here in the first place, where at least certainly is one of the main reasons why Taylor does not have custody of her son ever, is because there is a video where she pushes him or shoves him while he has their son in his arms. And the judge, actually, I thought this was really interesting, said why did you feel the need to record this and pull your phone out instead of putting your son down? So his implication was and even we heard from Taylor's side saying they absolutely believe Dakota is the person who leaked the video that ended up having the Bachelorette removed from air because of that video that was released. They said it was deliberate, It was timed exactly the way he wanted it to. He is calculating, he is manipulative, and the judge acknowledged some of that.
00:05:58
Speaker 3: But I've on the video thought the Joe that who cares. I know what they're saying.
00:06:02
Speaker 1: They said, we're making a point about manipulation, but it didn't for the judge at least doesn't make a difference to me one way or another. And how I'm deciding doesn't mean he's an abuser or he's.
00:06:11
Speaker 3: This or that.
00:06:12
Speaker 1: The judge in so much of this stuff was interesting and he seemed to be stuck in a lot of ways when he was giving his final judgments. Now wrote the the other point you were making about who leaked the video, there was a point of contention and argument and even different witnesses. They didn't testify, but they're on the record about an incident in which one of her what fellow cast members, said she overheard Dakota saying he was going to leak the video and then the other side said, actually, Dakota had a witness at that same meeting who's saying the absolute opposite.
00:06:45
Speaker 4: Yes, So it was Jesse Draper.
00:06:47
Speaker 2: If you are a fan of the Secret Lives of Mormon wives, you'll know exactly who she is. And she's actually in the middle of a divorce from her husband right now as well. But while they were all still together, she claims she walked downstairs and overheard a conversation with Dakota and her husband where Dakota was talking about specifically mentioned TMZ, which is of course the organization that received or at least disseminated that video, and said he was going to do it to basically to ruin her life, to ruin her career, to ruin the bachelorette. So she I think submitted sworn testimony or written testimony to that effect to the judge.
00:07:27
Speaker 1: Again, Robes, this whole thing was just a back and forth and some of the arguments the lawyers were making, and this is you and I making a judgment based on what we were listening to. It sounded like a stretch like some of the stuff we know things happened. But sometimes as they were making arguments, they tried to. It almost sounded like they were embellishing and trying to make some things sound like a bigger deal than they actually were. The judge seemed to pick up on some of that, but Robes, we hear this, Look, we've at an age where we've had divorces. We're at age we've seen a lot of people have divorces, and people joke about this all the time. After a few years of marriage, you're just collecting evidence against each other. And these two seem like all they did all the time was try to find and set each other up. Here's a text message he sent me. Here's a phone call she did. Here's that. It seemed like they're just the only thing they've been doing the past year is building cases against each other.
00:08:23
Speaker 2: Yes, it did seem like that. Certainly they had plenty of evidence going both ways. I did like what the judge said, though he summed it up like this, I'm finding that there's been violence both ways between these parties, and honestly, with all the he said, she said, I have a bruise. This came from that he kicked me while I was down. She you know, violently, you know, attacks me. All of this back and forth. That's pretty much the summation. You all have both been violent towards one another.
00:08:50
Speaker 3: Ruse he put it the how I don't have a quote in front of me.
00:08:54
Speaker 1: He said there that that no, no, no, Taylor Frankie Paul has shown and inability to control her emotions, but it's only when she's in the vicinity of Dakota. What the hell he's acknowledging. Yep, this woman is out of control. But he is the key to all of that happening.
00:09:13
Speaker 4: He knows the buttons to push, he does.
00:09:16
Speaker 1: But she clearly she can't control herself. Who's responsible both? Yes, I saw her toss the chairs, but they're he acknowledging that both of them are doing it's a different way.
00:09:28
Speaker 3: He didn't. And the kicking was something I hadn't heard a lot about.
00:09:31
Speaker 4: I hadn't neither.
00:09:32
Speaker 2: Adm is that she tripped when they were in this fight, and that he was kicking her violently while he was holding her son after he turned the phone off, after he turned the recording off, and she says she has the bruises to prove it.
00:09:44
Speaker 1: Some this scenario makes zero sense because even the judge stopped because his attorney was saying, Dakota doesn't believe he kicked her.
00:09:53
Speaker 2: You and I both look, he doesn't believe he kicked her, And then the judge said the exact same thing.
00:09:58
Speaker 4: Wait a minute, believe he kicked her?
00:10:02
Speaker 2: And I guess they clarified it by saying he could have inadvertently as he was trying to get her away from him, but he didn't deliberately kick her.
00:10:10
Speaker 1: And it was described as by the other side as a violent stomping almost.
00:10:15
Speaker 2: Yep, so somewhere in between, perhaps is the truth. I thought the judge had a lot of really interesting comments. I have a couple of his quotes that I thought were pretty significant. He said, I'm hoping you're not just people who thrive on the drama and the conflict. I looked at you and said, well, they're in reality TV, so maybe they've taken it a little bit too seriously. But he did make that point. He said, you guys have a lot to figure out here. You have to figure out how to function as co parents. This is dysfunctional.
00:10:43
Speaker 4: You're linked together for the remainder of your lives. This is your legacy. You're modeling right now how you deal with conflict To a two year.
00:10:51
Speaker 3: Old right there. I thought the hearing should have stopped.
00:10:55
Speaker 1: Both of them should have looked down at each other and said, Okay, this is bullshit. Let's go figure this out. That line right there should have stopped the proceeding. Are you kidding me? You all are at that sweetart? That was perfectly said the judge. You remember when he started the hearing, he said, you all talked, try to figure things out, try to work he gave. He asked them, have the sides gotten anywhere on resolving anything?
00:11:19
Speaker 2: No, no, And he kept saying that that was his hope. Yes, it's so much better for you all to figure out what works best for you rather than have me come in and tell you what to do.
00:11:30
Speaker 1: Or yes, yes, robes, But I thought that was he brought it home. With all this celebrity, this and that, with all the bachelorette, with all the Mormon wives, all that stuff robes. This really boils down to two adults, two parents who are showing their child how to deal with your anger issues, how to deal with conflict, how to deal with the person you say you love. The kid has seen more fights at the age of two than I have ever seen between a mommy and a daddy. That's really saying, and the kid isn't too. Yeah, Roves, that drove the point home. I thought that was so well said, and they are not taking him.
00:12:11
Speaker 4: Up on it, I know.
00:12:13
Speaker 2: And the judge even said, you're going to have He was pointing out all the milestones we know as divorced parents what this is like. But he was pointing out, you're going to have school events, graduations, weddings, You're going to have to be in the same room. You're going to have to figure it out.
00:12:28
Speaker 4: Roads.
00:12:29
Speaker 1: That How excellent of a point is that, ro This is simple stuff. You all can't be in a room together without fighting, physically fighting. The kids got what is it the grandkid's line?
00:12:41
Speaker 3: Right?
00:12:41
Speaker 4: Oh yeah.
00:12:42
Speaker 2: He said, you're gonna have grand You're going to share grandkids together. You are your lives are intertwined for the rest of your lives. Figure this out now before it's too late. And that makes a lot of sense. But we also learned a little bit of information about this tattoo, this lip tattoo, and there are questions about based on how the judge decides this case, is the bachelorette salvageable.
00:13:08
Speaker 4: We'll tell you all of that when we come back.
00:13:20
Speaker 1: All Right, we continue here on Aby and DJ May first sort today of the month. Here Robes a significant hearing yesterday. That's not just a matter of their family situation with Tayley Taylor, Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen. Not just a matter of their future earnings, or it's not just a matter of whether or not Frankie Tilly Paul can be a reality TV star.
00:13:42
Speaker 3: Again.
00:13:43
Speaker 1: We understand she's probably gonna go back to Mormon Wives or make appearances at least at some point. But Robes, it was key when they canceled this season of The Bachelorette. There's very specific few words in there that jumped out at.
00:13:58
Speaker 4: Us at this time.
00:14:00
Speaker 1: There it is, there, it is. Is it possible that thing, well, not possible. That thing is sitting on the shelf, not quite collecting dust yet still brand new. How soon before they could roll that thing back out?
00:14:14
Speaker 2: You know that Disney executives, ABC, Hulu executives have been watching this case very closely. And when the two different jurisdictions in Utah decided not to pursue domestic violence charges against Taylor Frankie Paul, that was the first moment. I believe that those executives thought, hmm, we might be able to air this, we might be able to salvage this. She's not being pursued criminally, that's.
00:14:39
Speaker 4: A big deal.
00:14:41
Speaker 2: And the video that we all saw, we already knew about the incident. So now the next question is, look, if this woman loses, if Taylor Frankie Paul loses custody or is forced to continue to have supervise visits with her own son because she can't be trusted to not have a violent outburst, I don't think that's still a good look enough for them to be able to put it on the air. However, if she shows that she can be a responsible well mother, if the judge sees improvement, if the judge says, way to go, here's joint custody back, it's possible.
00:15:12
Speaker 4: There's there's a way forward for the show.
00:15:16
Speaker 1: It's amazing we're even talking about this. It's amazing that this is on the table. It's amazing that they're still considering this thing. Because yes, we've seen the video. We knew about that incident, but Rhoades, I didn't know about the incident in May of twenty twenty five. I didn't know all these details about February.
00:15:32
Speaker 4: Or the eleven other incidents that were detailed.
00:15:34
Speaker 1: So now what's happened in the hearing? Yes, she's not being charged criminally, I ask you, babe, does this make things look worse? Does this actually make her look worse? We are getting now details more into not just an isolated incident, but a pattern of behavior and a domestic abuser that for some reason. She's short, and she's sweet and she's cute, and we are giving her. But the other part is Dakota is starting to look a little more terrible. Quite frank, not to say he was some saint, but Robes, how how forgiving are people going to be to what is? Can we say out loud that she is a domestic abuser, a convicted one. I want to say she is recovering or whatever. And you I tried with you yesterday, Robes on this. I'm trying to understand how the conversation is so different And you said it's simply a matter of size.
00:16:31
Speaker 4: I do think that's a huge part of it.
00:16:33
Speaker 2: She's a tiny thing and Dakota is a big guy, and it's to the point where you're like, Okay, so.
00:16:38
Speaker 4: You punched him. How hard did that hurt?
00:16:40
Speaker 3: Like?
00:16:40
Speaker 2: That's literally what people think, and that's not fair, but that is what people So the.
00:16:44
Speaker 1: Next question was is that fair? Is that okay? Should we look at it that way? Yes, she's hitting him, but he's bigger. Is she really a threat? Is she bet that big of a threat if she's swung out blah blah blah.
00:16:56
Speaker 3: The answer is.
00:16:57
Speaker 1: On video, she could have connect with a stool or whatever else was in her hand. I am just so fascinated Robes that it is a consideration that someone with a documented history of years of domestic violence is being considered to be the star of a show that's meant to find love.
00:17:21
Speaker 4: Well, she wasn't considered. She was chosen.
00:17:24
Speaker 2: Millions and millions of dollars were put into the production of that show, knowing I don't know how many new revelations we actually maybe a longer pattern of violence, but certainly, I don't know. You would think that they did their due diligence. You would think that they that they dug a little to see what they were getting, and they hedged their bets, and they hoped that it wouldn't come out, and they certainly didn't. Well, they didn't anticipate a video being leaked the tattoo. Wanted to talk about that because that was interesting, the lift tattoo.
00:17:59
Speaker 3: That's crazy.
00:18:00
Speaker 2: One of the allegations or one of the reasons why Taylor Frankie Paul said that Dakota Mortensen was possessive.
00:18:08
Speaker 4: Was exhibit A.
00:18:09
Speaker 2: He had her name correct tattooed on the inside of her lip, which we were all just that was pretty significant.
00:18:17
Speaker 4: And you're thinking, wow, that does sound slightly obsessive and bizarre and strange.
00:18:21
Speaker 1: Can you tell me the timing right he would have gotten it, like, didn't they say was around the time when they were broken up or after the Bachelorette.
00:18:28
Speaker 4: That was while she was shooting the Bachelorette.
00:18:30
Speaker 2: Now, according to Dakota's side, this is a yet to be aired scene from Mormon Wives where all the guys went and got crazy stuff. And here's the big headline. He says, this was not a permanent tattoo. It's a temporary tattoo, so it's not quite that obsessive.
00:18:47
Speaker 1: He even pointed over to him he could show you right now. You can barely even see it, and on the inner lip bro, that's a pretty big distinction. And that's the point I was making earlier about their embellished They make things sound so terrible, like, oh my god, this guy went she's over dating other guys and he goes and gets a tattoo. How creepy is that? Well, it was for a TV show.
00:19:08
Speaker 2: And all the apparently all the other husbands did something similar. Context was important, and then yes, And then they went on to say that at the time, she said it was hot, and I believe they had sex that night.
00:19:19
Speaker 3: That night.
00:19:21
Speaker 1: They are using this as an argument for why she needs a protective order and she's so creeped out by it.
00:19:27
Speaker 4: That she sets with them.
00:19:28
Speaker 1: Then it was hot that he did it and they had sex that night. This is they need to stay away from.
00:19:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, So the judge talked a lot about their sexual chemistry and how they couldn't stay away from each other, and to the point where you and I were like, this is getting a little creepy on the judge part, But he wanted to He wanted to make the point. Yes, I get it, you guys have this, you know, strange attraction to each other, but it has to stop because it doesn't take long and it ends and turns violent almost every time you're in the room together.
00:19:57
Speaker 3: He almost.
00:19:57
Speaker 1: He also suggested Robe that some of that attract has to do with the drug of celebrity and what they mean for each other in that whole world. He did, but it was we were laughing, like this was he saying, here, I know you guys are hot for each other.
00:20:12
Speaker 4: Yeah, really, that's what he's like. The sex must be great.
00:20:14
Speaker 2: He didn't say that, but he just, wow, y'all must have an amazing physical connection.
00:20:21
Speaker 3: I get it. Look at you too.
00:20:22
Speaker 2: I mean, he didn't say any of those things, but he kind of was saying those things.
00:20:27
Speaker 4: Yes. But so the next court date, by the way, so this is a.
00:20:30
Speaker 2: Big one for Taylor Frankie Paul because obviously she wants to be able to spend unsupervised time with her son in certainly more than eight hours a week. The judge is taking this time to consider the custody arrangement he thinks is going to.
00:20:43
Speaker 4: Be best forever.
00:20:45
Speaker 2: But he's going to make those recommendations, he said by May eleventh. So stay tuned on what happens next for Taylor Frankie Paul and custody of her son. Ever, but this drama will likely continue. But three years, these two not supposed to be within a hundred feet of one another.
00:21:03
Speaker 3: They won't be able to do that. I know they won't be able to stay away each other.
00:21:07
Speaker 4: How soon will they violate.
00:21:08
Speaker 3: That they were texting after the hearing pro.
00:21:10
Speaker 2: Probably all right with that, everyone, We always appreciate you listening to us.
00:21:14
Speaker 4: I made me Roebuck alongside t. J. Holmes. We will talk to you soon.