Newly surfaced audio recordings from 2023 are shedding more light on the aftermath of Taylor Frankie Paul’s domestic violence arrest, including claims made by her ex-husband, Tate Paul, about her mother’s involvement.
In the recordings obtained by People on Thursday, March 26, Tate alleged to police that Taylor’s mom, Liann May, had been influencing their young daughter’s account of the incident following the altercation.
“The grandmother, is, you know, obviously there’s a conflict of interest with her because it’s her daughter that did this,” Tate said during a February 24, 2023 call with police.
“I’ve noticed she’s already tried gatekeeping — not gatekeeping — but, like, she’s coaching my daughter and saying specific things,” he added.
Taylor, 31, was arrested on February 17, 2023, after she was accused of throwing metal chairs at then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen while her daughter, Indy, was present. (She and Tate share Indy, 8, and son, Ocean, 5.)
She was later charged with assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star ultimately entered a plea in abeyance to aggravated assault and was given probation. The remaining charges were dropped.
Liann_May/Instagram
During the same call, Tate told police that their daughter sustained a minor head injury, which he described as a “goose egg,” though he said he was unable to photograph it due to its size and her hair. However, that description matched the language in the 2023 indictment of Taylor obtained by People.
Following Taylor’s arrest, her parents reportedly helped care for the children. Tate also asked police to contact him directly regarding the investigation instead of Taylor’s mother.
The 2023 incident recently found its way back into the spotlight after TMZ shared previously unseen footage from Taylor and Mortensen’s violent altercation. In the clip, she could be seen throwing multiple metal bar stools toward her ex, and one of the stools accidentally came in contact with Indy.
The video ultimately led to ABC’s cancellation of Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security. After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm,” a rep for Paul said in a statement to People.
Taylor Frankie Paul/Instagram
Mortensen then denied her “baseless claims” in a statement to the outlet.
On March 16, People reported that season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives had halted filming after the Draper City Police confirmed to the outlet that there was an open “domestic assault” investigation involving both Taylor and Mortensen, 33, that occurred on February 24 and 25.
As Star previously reported, on Tuesday, March 24, NBC News reported that in February, Mortensen called the West Jordan, Utah, Police Department and accused Taylor of domestic violence in a third incident that occurred in February 2024.
Authorities are said to be reviewing several videos connected to the alleged incident as they attempt to piece together a timeline, though the exact date of the 2024 event remains unclear.
A spokesperson noted that investigators currently only have Mortensen’s version of events and are waiting to hear Taylor’s side.
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