Before Taylor Frankie Paul was announced as the newest “Bachelorette,” she was reportedly still in an on-and-off relationship with her ex, Dakota Mortensen.
The two started dating in 2022 and, in late 2024, reportedly broke up for good after trust issues and alleged infidelity. With that said, however, in the newest fourth season of “The Secret Wives of Mormon Wives,” which premiered on March 12, 2026, it seems Paul and Mortensen aren’t as broken up as fans might’ve thought.
Despite that, Paul is standing tall and is confident in her decision to join the ABC reality dating show.
Taylor Frankie Paul Speaks Out on Split With Dakota Mortensen
GettyIn new interview with Us Weekly, Paul, who is leading season 22 of “The Bachelorette” starting on March 22, talked about the difficult dynamic she’s had with Mortensen over the years.
“Honestly, I think it was just still in the same cycle that I’ve been in for a while now, and it’s been really hard to get out,” she admitted. “It’s been so hard to remove myself from that.”
As a reminder, the two of them also share a son, Ever, who was born on March 2024.
Paul then defended her decision to join “The Bachelorette” even is her and Mortensen are in a gray area in their relationship.
“It was a choice,” she said of joining the show. “Ready, at the end of the day, is a decision. So I made the decision to leave for two months and try. I reassured them that was why I was here.”
Taylor Frankie Paul Admitted To Having a Toxic Relationship With Dakota Mortensen
GettyAlso in the interview, Paul responded to the claims her relationship with Mortensen was toxic, but didn’t let the blame be entirely on him.
“It was hard because I’m, obviously, a part of that — it’s not like I am pointing the finger like, “He is [the toxic one.]” It takes two to tango,” she said.
“We were just not progressing,” she reflected. “We like each other sometimes, and then we fight. It’s really hard to explain to people and unless you’ve been in that situation, it is hard to understand. If I could just snap out of it, trust me, I would. It’s just a lot harder said than done.”
Going on “The Bachelorette,” in a way, is the perfect outlet to do that. She’ll meet 22 eligible bachelors, get to know them one by one, and hopefully her history with Mortensen can finally become a thing of past.
“The goal was to find my person, and I didn’t really have any vision of how it had to go — an engagement, we leave together or we’re trying dating,” she said. “I didn’t set any other expectations.”
Paul’s season 22 of “The Bachelorette” premieres on ABC Sunday, March 22, at 8 p.m. ET and streams next day on Hulu.
