LOS ANGELES — Reality TV personalities Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen are at the center of domestic violence investigations making national headlines.

Soon after video footage of a 2023 violent altercation between the pair circulated online, ABC canceled Season 22 of "The Bachelorette," which Paul was set to lead. Mortensen has denied leaking the clip, which shows Paul kicking and throwing metal barstools at him while her daughter cried nearby.

The former couple shares a toddler, Ever. Paul has two additional children from her previous marriage with Tate Paul.

Mortensen and Paul's tumultuous relationship is a central plot point of Hulu's hit series "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives." Production of the fifth season of the reality show, which follows a group of Utah influencers — dubbed MomTok — as they navigate marriage, friendship and religion, has been put on pause amid the investigation. Here are five things to know about Mortensen.

Before 'Mormon Wives,' there was 'The Island'

Mortensen was born in 1993 in Caldwell, Idaho, and has four siblings. He appeared on NBC's short-lived show "The Island," which followed 14 men as they tried to survive on a remote island for a month. The series, hosted by Bear Grylls, introduced the then-21-year-old as a bird farmer — his family owned a bird farm — who had never visited a beach or left the country, according to US Weekly.

He has worked in tiling and real estate

Mortensen is the owner of Basin Tiling, according to his Instagram account. The company, which incorporated in 2020 and is based in Caldwell, appears to provide contractor services for tiling work. The company has since been dissolved, according to the Idaho Secretary of State business database.

"Diving into the real estate world finally," Mortensen wrote on Instagram in December 2024 alongside a picture of his professional headshot. "I've had my license for a long time, and have never pursued it."

In early 2025, Mortensen joined the Utah real estate firm Presidio Real Estate, with a focus on new construction, according to the company's Instagram. The brokerage was previously featured in the Bravo reality series "Sold on SLC," which was canceled after its first season.

Lifestyle influencer and DadToker

Mortensen has become a social media influencer, with about 830,000 followers on TikTok and 290,000 followers on Instagram. He posts a mix of lifestyle, wellness and family content. He has recently touted creatine supplements and an AI calorie-tracking app. He has been granted temporary custody of his son, Ever, who frequently appears in vlogs. Mortensen is among the men on "Mormon Wives" who's part of the influencer group DadTok — a counterpart to MomTok.

History of substance abuse

Mortensen has spoken candidly about his recovery from drug addiction. As a high school basketball player, he suffered from knee pain and began taking painkillers given to him by a friend, Mortensen said in a November 2025 interview with "Recoverycast," a podcast about addiction recovery and mental health.

The painkillers were his gateway to other substances, including M30 pills and heroin, he said on the show. He spoke at length about his recovery journey, including relapses that got him kicked out of rehab, as well as his struggles with withdrawal and suicidal thoughts.

Being on "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" — and dealing with the intense scrutiny that followed — was "probably the toughest situations I've ever been put in to really test my sobriety," he said on the podcast.

"I'm very paranoid about things now," he added, noting he keeps eye drops in his pockets so people won't mistake his red, sensitive eyes for signs of being high on drugs.

People reported in June 2025 that Mortensen had been sober for more than three years. In a December Instagram Reel, Mortensen said he was proud to have remained sober "through some of the hardest s— I've ever been through in my entire life."

He was previously married to his high school sweetheart

He was married to registered nurse Kenna Rae Hopkins from 2015 to 2017, according to the Sun. Mortensen and Hopkins, his high school sweetheart, separated because he hid his drug use from her, he said on the podcast.

Mortensen and Paul, who initially met through social media, officially revealed on TikTok that they were in a relationship in September 2022. Their on-again, off-again relationship has been mired in cheating rumors, which are a central plot point in the TV show.

Paul was arrested in 2023 and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the domestic dispute involving Mortensen. The arrest had been documented in the first season of "Mormon Wives."

The former couple is also involved in two other police investigations. A Draper Police spokesperson recently told People that there is an "open domestic assault investigation" regarding Paul and Mortensen, and said "allegations have been made in both directions."

According to Utah's West Jordan Police Department, Mortensen in February also filed a report against Paul alleging that a domestic violence incident took place two years prior, in "early-mid 2024."

Mortensen is reportedly now dating former 49ers cheerleader Emma Shippen.

His next project

Mortensen is set to appear in an upcoming YouTube series from "Call Her Daddy" podcaster Alex Cooper's Unwell Network featuring controversial influencers and reality TV stars. "Unwell Winter Games" will debut April 6, Variety reports.

According to an Instagram post by Unwell, the show will feature 19 cast members, including Mortensen's former "Mormon Wives" castmate Demi Engemann, convicted con artist Anna Delvey and "Love Island USA" Season 7 contestant Huda Mustafa, who drew backlash for laughing when a castmate was called a racial slur and is named in a temporary restraining order filed by her boyfriend's former partner, according to People.

The games will be set in "a luxury chalet in Park City, Utah, with contestants asked to complete a series of "mental and physical challenges over four days," according to Variety.

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