Taylor Frankie Paul says she is quitting Hulu's 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,' just weeks after learning she would be allowed to return to the show. Paul explained her decision in a lengthy Instagram post shared Monday, thanking 'all the networks that supported me throughout this and gave me the chance to return' but adding, 'I don't desire to move forward like this.'
In the post, Paul said she had originally offered to step away to spare the rest of the cast added stress, and that she has returned to that position. She accused some castmates of turning on her despite knowing what she describes as ongoing abuse she has endured over the past eight months, writing that 'almost the entire cast plus some' went after her, including 'laughing about my kids,' which she called 'disgusting.' She also said the situation has amounted to 'bullying for months now.'
Paul additionally claimed that fellow cast members had pushed her to demand higher pay, suggesting they told her 'voice was the only one that can make it happen and then they would work' based on her demands. She said she is 'grateful' she never followed through, kept the same pay 'out of fairness and integrity,' and said she always treated production and crew with respect, adding that crew members were the ones who checked on her during the ordeal.
The show's sixth season is currently in active production, and it is not clear whether Paul had already filmed any episodes before her exit.
Paul's announcement comes a week after castmate Mikayla Matthews revealed she, too, was leaving the show. 'There's no amount of money worth going against my morals or changing the stance I've had since I first saw and heard the things that made me feel this strongly,' Matthews said in her own statement, adding that 'continuing to directly profit from this behavior feels wrong and unethical' and calling it 'a disservice to the children, everyone's healing and the millions of people watching.' Matthews has already filmed for season six, so it remains unclear whether her exit will take effect mid-season or ahead of the already-ordered season seven.
The controversy follows a production pause on the show tied to an alleged domestic incident involving Paul and her ex, Dakota Mortensen. That incident later factored into ABC's decision to pull Paul's season of 'The Bachelorette' — season 22 — just days before it was set to air, after a video surfaced showing Paul throwing barstools at Mortensen during a 2023 domestic violence incident that led to her arrest. Paul and Matthews have since been locked in a public social media feud that began after ABC's decision.
Other cast members have signaled they may also depart. 'I just love her so much. It's such an impossible situation for everyone involved but I'm finishing out season 6 and then tbd,' castmate Layla Taylor said in response to Matthews' exit. Mayci Neeley expressed a similar stance in a TikTok comment, saying she plans to finish the season before deciding on her future with the show.
The Hollywood Reporter said it reached out to representatives for Hulu and for Paul but had not received a response by the time of publication.
