The only thing that moves faster than MomTok? Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen’s relationship status. Ever since Taylor was named as the new Bachelorette, Dakota has been messy AF online…and the events of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season four further complicate whatever relationship these two have these days.
But honestly? If digging into their relationship timeline has taught me anything, it’s that they split and reunite faster than you can say, “One 42-ounce cup of Dirty Soda, pls.”
With season four of SLOMW finally here (and season 22 of The Bachelorette about to drop…) it's time to put Taylor and Dakota’s love story in chronological order. Starting with the beginning: an uncertain time in American history where the words “Mormon Swinger Scandal” dominated headlines and Fruity Pebbles were still innocent.
May 2022
Taylor announces—via TikTok, where else?—that she and her husband, Tate Paul, have split up.
She then drops THE infamous video revealing she was involved in a “soft swinging” scandal. It was truly a time to be one of her loyal followers.
July 2022
Taylor implies she has maaaaaybe moved on and teases her new relationship.
August 2022
A chaotic month! As rumors about Taylor's relationship status fly around Utah and Reddit and Utah-Reddit, Taylor makes it clear she's actually single....
But then she posts this:
And Dakota comments THIS:
September 2022
Dakota makes his official debut on Taylor's TikTok.
And Taylor denies he's the guy she cheated on her ex with:
November 2022
Taylor reveals the sad news to her followers that she had an ectopic pregnancy (something she also opened up about on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives).
December 2022
Taylor announces she and Dakota broke up....
January 2023
ANNNNND a month later, they're officially back together.
February 2023
Taylor drops a video on how she and Dakota met, saying they followed each other for years before he eventually slid into her DMs post-swinging scandal.
Later that month (on February 17), Taylor is arrested and charged with three misdemeanors including assault, criminal mischief, and domestic violence in the presence of a child—which we also see play out on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
June 2023
After a quiet few months, inquiring minds want to know if Taylor and Dakota are still together. They are.
September 2023
Taylor reveals she and Dakota are expecting their rainbow baby.
December 2023
Taylor explains why she isn't in a rush to get married, something she talked a lot about on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
March 2024
Taylor and Dakota welcome their baby! And some time around this point (at least based on The Secret Lives or Mormon Wives), Mayci Neeley starts digging into whether or not Dakota cheated—which he has denied, FWIW!
September 2024
Things seem to be going well amid The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiering. Here are the vibes on September 9....
On September 11, Dakota denies speculation that he cheated:
And on September 12, Taylor responds to people claiming they dated Dakota:
But something changes, because on September 22, Taylor posts a video of herself cry-dancing, leading to speculation that she and Dakota are over:
One day later, Us Weeklyconfirms Taylor and Dakota are done. The outlet *also* runs an interview with Taylor (conducted prior to her TikTok cry-dance), where she says, “I would say we’re working on things, and I actually have no idea where it goes with us from here. We are not fully together but not fully done. I don’t know what the future holds with him and I.”
October 2024
Taylor hops onto Instagram Stories with a photo of herself and Dakota shooting targets, as well as a cryptic quote that reads, “Due to personal reasons, I’ll be back with the same man I said I’m done with.”
December 2024
Annnd it looks like things are once again over. At least based on Taylor dropping a TikTok of herself crying with the text “Chaos to pure silence. Wouldn’t wish this pain upon anyone, if you’re there take a drive, scream, cry, feel the pain, because I promise avoiding it will make it much worse.”
She also uses the hashtags "#coparenting #loss #relationships" AND tells a follower "Just happy he can have his day with him."
On December 31, Taylor posted an emotional EOY round-up, calling 2024 “one of the worst years of my life.” Though she didn't get into super specific details, Taylor mentioned her tough postpartum experience, "a year of a ton of change," and cited 2024 as the year she "let pain in" and focused on her mental health. Meanwhile, Dakota closed out the year by posting a "Move in with me" TikTok which shows him moving into a new apartment—solo.
January 2025
Determined to enter the new year on a positive note, Taylor posted a TikTok celebrating the positives of 2024, which included the birth of her baby boy and a shout-out to her therapist, but no mention of Dakota. She alluded to her ex in a subsequent video showing off a T-shirt of herself that was seemingly meant to be a Christmas gift. "Awkward, I ended up having to keep this gift, but I gave him the gift of half of me forever so that should do," she wrote in the clip.
The day after Taylor shared her video, Dakota seemingly responded with his own TikTok of him wearing the T-shirt, though it's unclear if he actually got it from her or bought it himself. "Actually afraid to post this," he captioned the TikTok. "Technically was supposed to be mine."
You might be thinking that this T-shirt drama means that Dakota and Taylor are on good terms, but I'm not convinced. That same day, Taylor shared another TikTok, this time showing herself taking a deep breath to the sound, "You know sometimes it's just best to just shut the fuck up."
Though she didn't directly call out Dakota's post, Taylor did provide a little bit of context, writing in her caption, "When they are waiting for the response they wanted, but I took the high road instead. #selfcare #improvement #therapy." Okay, so maybe it's not about Dakota, but it's certainly eyebrow-raising stuff!
On January 27, a few weeks after #ShirtGate, Taylor took to her IG Stories to wish her ex a happy birthday. Alongside a photo of Dakota holding their son, Ever True, as a newborn, she wrote, “Happy birthday baby daddy. Wishing nothing but the best for you.”
Oh, and the two also spent the night out with their Secret Lives of Mormon Wives costars, celebrating the series making its TV network premiere on ABC. All very cordial!
April 2025
Taylor and Dakota both attend Stagecoach, where they post some pics together that have fans like, “Huh??”
It’s later revealed that the two hooked up at Stagecoach, which Taylor admits on a September 2025 episode of Call Her Daddy.
September 2025
Taylor is named as the next Bachelorette, and Dakota makes it known that he is not pleased about it…as evidenced by posts such as this:
October 2025
Taylor hops on Insta to call out a former friend for “sleeping with my baby daddy” (though fans won’t learn all the details until season four drops months later).
The post has since been deleted, but Tay writes in part, “Just found out the snake in the middle IS sleeping with my baby daddy, meanwhile crying to me because she just got dumped by a married man. These desperate girls will do desperate things.”
She adds, “Anyone praying for my downfall please just stay the fuck away from me AND anyone associated with these people moving forward also stay tf away from me. Want to be friends with desperate snakes, you’ll be no friend of mine.”
December 2025
Dakota continues to shade Taylor’s upcoming Bachelorette gig on TikTok…
…and also soft-launches his new relationship with Emma Shippen.
February 2026
Dakota’s new GF Emma enters the chat on Taylor’s upcoming season of The Bachelorette with a pretty shady comment:
That brings us up to date, but stay tuned for the next chapter in Taylor and Dakota because something tells us this isn't the end of their story.
![whitney leavitt makes her broadway debut in "chicago"](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/whitney-leavitt-poses-backstage-with-her-the-secret-lives-news-photo-1773066585.pjpeg?crop=0.678xw:1.00xh;0.151xw,0&resize=360:* "Whitney Leavitt Makes Her Broadway Debut In "Chicago"")
