Taylor Frankie Paul‘s ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen has a new love in his life, People reported on July 22, 2026. The outlet says they exclusively learned from a source that the 33-year-old, who shares a 2-year-old son with Taylor, is dating Shinia Powell, a Utah-based real estate agent who was part of a drama-filled storyline on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” during season 4.
Marie Claire says Shinia, 29, is a single mom of two who was previously married to another real estate agent, McKoy Allred.
She is also a blooming social media influencer with an Instagram following of 13,000.
People says the source told them, “Shinia has been a steady source of support for Dakota through some incredibly difficult times, especially when he did not have immediate family nearby. Their close friendship has naturally grown into something more, and they are enjoying their time together while thoughtfully navigating what that means for them and their children.”
The mag also notes the pair is asking for mindfulness and privacy as they “work as a team to move forward in a healthy way within an already tumultuous environment.”
What Happened With Shinia Powell and Taylor Frankie Paul?
Shinia appeared for the first time on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” in season 3, where she appeared to share a friendly relationship with Taylor. The girls even shared a playful kiss during a trip to the 2025 Stagecoach Country Music Festival.
However, things took a turn in season 4 when Dakota seemed to be getting flirty with Shinia close to the same time of Taylor’s departure to film “The Bachelorette” from October through December.
At the same time, Dakota seemed to still be involved an off-on relationship with Taylor, asking her to “save a rose” for him before she left.
On October 14, 2025, Taylor publicly called out Shinia for her involvement with Dakota, posting a TikTok seemingly aimed at her former friend, claiming in the caption that Shinia was “sleeping with my baby daddy.”
The next day, Shinia appeared to respond by writing on Instagram, “If you have a problem with me, call me. If you don’t have my number, then that means you don’t know me well enough to have a problem.”
Later in season 4, Shinia told the other cast members she she didn’t think her involvement with Dakota would upset Taylor, since she was dating and preparing for “The Bachelorette.”
Taylor Frankie Paul Continues to Focus on Healing Amid Ongoing Media Firestorm Following ‘Bachelorette’ Cancellation
On July 21, Taylor posted an Instagram Story shedding light on her current mindset and how she’s moving forward amid the drama that never seems to let up. The post was a screenshot of a reply to a DM she received asking her, “How do you deal with so much hate?!”
Taylor reply read, “For starters allow yourself to cry it’s not a weakness to feel hurt by hate. That’s human of you and hate only comes from below. Their hate says more about THEM than it does you. With that being said hate is a sign of growth. If you don’t have haters you’re not doing [anything]. The more support and growth that builds unfortunately so does the noise.”
Her message finished, “I’ve learned over time their hate, opinions, projections, judgments, assumptions are none of my business. That’s for them to figure out. It can get heavy at times.”
