What We Know About Taylor Frankie Paul's Ex Dakota Amid Their 'Mormon Wives' Scandal

Taylor Frankie Paul's recent legal troubles have sent "The Bachelorette" franchise into crisis mode, as Disney decided to cancel her season just three days before its premiere. The decision came on the same day that TMZ leaked a 2023 video of the "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star assaulting her ex-partner, Dakota Mortensen, with a child in the room. Paul pleaded to aggravated assault in abeyance after the incident. But, Mortensen is also facing alleged domestic violence allegations from Paul in a 2026 open domestic violence investigation about another incident, the Draper City Police Department in Utah confirmed to People in March. Mortensen made counter-claims against Paul in the investigation, but no further details are available.

"Mormon Wives" fans know way too much about Mortensen because of his toxic relationship with Paul, and no one in that cast can outrun rumors. But he had a whole life before he met her in 2022, and he has one when the "Mormon Wives" cameras go down. So, who is Mortensen outside of his relationship with Paul and his desperate attempts to help make DadTok happen? He's what we know. 

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Dakota Mortensen had his first child, a son named Ever True, with Taylor Frankie Paul in March 2024. But, as seen on "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," Mortensen is Mormon, and he followed the religion's tradition of marrying young. 

He married Kenna Hopkins, a registered nurse and his high school sweetheart, on August 15, 2015. They were separated by December 26, 2016, and Hopkins filed for divorce on January 27, 2017, citing "irreconcilable differences which constitute substantial reasons for not continuing the marriage of the parties," according to court documents viewed by The Sun. On a June 2025 episode of "The Viall Files," Mortensen admitted that he hid the full extent of his drug addiction from Hopkins, which eventually contributed to the end of their marriage. 

They had no children together and the documents stated that Hopkins owned their home, so they reportedly split an IRS bill and went their separate ways. 

Dakota Mortensen became a public figure off the back of Taylor Frankie Paul's "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" success, but he's been chasing reality TV fame for many years. Originally from Idaho, he appeared on NBC's failed experiment "The Island" in 2015. The show — which featured 14 men trying to survive a month on a remote island — introduced Mortensen as a young bird farmer who was living with his parents.

"I don't want to be a bird farmer for the rest of my life, you know, work for my dad," he said in a clip from the show on Instagram, explaining why he took the opportunity. Other clips showed him refusing to expend energy to help his co-stars build shelter. Per Rotten Tomatoes, there was no winner declared or prize given out for surviving on the show, which was hosted by Bear Grylls.

Dakota Mortensen has spoken about his history with substance abuse on "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" and subsequent interviews. In November 2025, he told "Recoverycast," an addiction recovery and mental health podcast, that his addiction started after he was prescribed pain medication for a knee injury he got while playing basketball in high school. He explained that the pain pills led him to use M30 pills and eventually, heroin. 

On the podcast, Mortensen said that his journey has included rehab stints and relapses. He said his son and his faith keep him sober. At the time of the interview, he had been sober for just over three years. "This time around, I've really tried to focus more on just living my life. Not being dumb about it," he said. "Just not putting everything into it either." He explained that he doesn't ignore the fact that he's an addict, but said hyper-fixating on remaining sober and not relapsing has actually been counterproductive for him in the past. He said the platform that comes with "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" has been difficult to balance with recovery, but it forced him to cancel out background noise and focus on self-love.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

It's been over a decade since Dakota Mortensen made his reality TV debut as a bird farmer from Idaho willing to do a survival challenge for no prize. Since then, he has begun a career in construction as the owner of Basin Tiling, per his Instagram bio. The company provides construction, remodeling, and tiling services. Per the Los Angeles Times, he also got his real estate license in 2025, joining Utah's Presidio Real Estate firm, but he's no longer with the company.

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" has given Mortensen a platform to become an influencer and led to more opportunities on reality TV. He has nearly 300K followers on Instagram and about 840K followers on TikTok. Mortensen was scheduled to appear on Season 3 of "Vanderpump Villa," premiering on April 16, 2026, but his scenes were edited out in the aftermath of his alleged 2026 domestic violence incident with Taylor Frankie Paul. His reputation has been damaged by another "Mormon Wives" scandal, but does appear on Alex Cooper's "Unwell Winter Games," a reality TV show on YouTube featuring "villains" from other shows competing in winter sports.

Dakota Mortensen had a lot of time with his son, Ever, while Taylor Frankie Paul was away filming her doomed season of "The Bachelorette" from October to December 2025, as seen on his Instagram. In late October, around the time filming began, he shared a video playing with Ever during bath time. "Have had lots of titles some good, some not so good. Lol but being a dad is by far my favorite one 🥹 my saving grace," he wrote in the caption. But Mortensen also moved on from Paul quickly, although they were still entangled as recently as the night before Paul went to Los Angeles to film "The Bachelorette," as seen on "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives." 

While he doesn't have many photos with Paul at public events, in January 2026, Mortensen posed with Emma Shippen at an Arby's event in Park City, Utah. The relationship didn't last long. Mortensen and the former NFL cheerleader were over by February, she confirmed via social media comments. He's currently keeping a low profile amid his legal troubles, but he has temporary custody of Ever, according to People. Mortensen and Paul have protective orders against each other.