Taylor Frankie Paul’s ex, Dakota Mortensen, seems to have some thoughts about her being named the next Bachelorette.
“Had so many curve balls today and every time I am always reminded there is nothing more important than God and family 
,” Dakota, 32, wrote via his Instagram Stories on Wednesday, September 10, alongside a selfie. “Life is too short.”
The announcement came earlier that day during Taylor’s appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. Taylor, 31, was revealed as the new lead for season 22 of The Bachelorette, which is expected to air sometime in 2026. ABC has paused The Bachelor to give Taylor the spotlight, following her search for love. Hulu fans are already familiar with her dramatic love life, thanks to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Dakota didn’t stop at Instagram. He also reacted to a TikTok clip from Taylor’s “Call Her Daddy” appearance, where she confirmed that her relationship with him is officially “over.” When host Alex Cooper asked about their last time hooking up, Taylor sheepishly admitted it might have happened at Stagecoach.
“Maybe one after,” she said, laughing. Mortensen replied in the comments, writing, “1 or 2 times….Got it lol.”
Taylor told Us Weekly she hadn’t personally informed Dakota about her new role.
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“I have not confirmed it with him. It’s just not something that’s been on, like, my priority list to confirm with him,” she said. “I don’t know exactly how he’ll react or feel, but he does know that we opened the gates of dating other people. [He’ll] probably [be] sad. I assume that it’s like, ‘Whoa, she’s gonna be dating people, a lot, and then also, in front of me,’ and that’s probably gonna be kind of hard to watch.”
She added, “I can’t speak for him, but I’d assume it wouldn’t be the best news he’s heard on that day.”
The couple’s relationship has been anything but simple. Taylor, who previously made headlines for a “soft swinging” scandal while married to Tate Paul, later dated Dakota, her first partner since the divorce. The drama-filled relationship — including a domestic violence arrest in February 2023 — was captured on season 1 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Taylor was ultimately charged with aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury, and criminal mischief, pleading guilty to aggravated assault while the other charges were dismissed.
