[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
This is disturbing and heartbreaking to see…
Three years before the current investigation into an alleged domestic assault between Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen last month, fans will recall the 31-year-old reality star was arrested after an altercation with her baby daddy. Police had video evidence of the attack, showing Taylor putting him in a chokehold, kicking him, and hitting him. The footage wasn’t released back in 2023, but it has been now amid the latest scandal. We’re warning you now that the video is really tough to watch, though.
Related: Dakota Breaks Silence On Alleged Domestic Dispute With Taylor Frankie Paul!
In a clip obtained by TMZ on Thursday, Dakota is seen recording Taylor and him as she grabs him and pulls his hair before putting him in a headlock. He says during the fight:
“This is called physical abuse. This is all you do. It’s the only thing you know how to do is hurt me. Huh? And you think this is OK? It’s not OK.”
Taylor eventually backs off, saying she doesn’t give a “f**k.” She then charges at him again and kicks him, all while he is yelling for her to “stop” and to leave him alone. However, the situation takes a very scary turn when the MomTok star grabs a metal barstool and chucks it at Dakota — in front of her then 5-year-old daughter, Indy Paul, who is on the couch. Dakota yells:
“Oh my God, your daughter is sitting right there.”
Taylor doesn’t stop, though. She continues to throw two more barstools at him, and the second one ends up hitting Indy. The child immediately bursts into tears, and you can hear it all. It’s one of the most upsetting things to listen to. According to the police report, Indy did sadly get hurt. She reportedly had a “goose egg on her head.” Just awful.
In the video, while Dakota is freaking out after Indy is injured, Taylor repeatedly yells at him:
“You did this.”
We can’t see what happens between them afterward, but you can still hear them fighting and screaming at each other as Indy cries and even calls for her mom at one point. The phone, it seems, was placed somewhere in the house face down. Eventually, Dakota tells Taylor to “go and help your daughter now,” and asks the kid if she is OK. But at that time, the content creator screeches at him to “get away” from Indy. He then accuses her of being “drunk” and that she is “not OK.”
OMG…
Police soon arrive to the home after a neighbor called to complain about the noise. In the video, the officer suggests that Taylor and Dakota separate when they continue to argue in front of him. Taylor mentions a few times in the clip that Dakota “threw” her, and she later claimed to the cops that he had thrown her to the ground before what we see in the video. She claimed he was also “hammered,” which he denied. You can watch the full clip HERE and see a part of it (below):
???? EXCLUSIVE: Taylor Frankie Paul repeatedly attacked Dakota Mortensen during the 2023 incident in which she pled guilty to aggravated assault; video shows that one of her children was struck during the fight.
Trigger Warning. https://t.co/77CKYpLxvn pic.twitter.com/avr49EacY3
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 19, 2026
Our hearts just break for Indy in this situation. How horrible.
As we mentioned, responding officers saw the video. Prosecutors then used it in their case against Taylor. She ultimately took a plea deal, pleading guilty to only aggravated assault. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the other charges — domestic violence in the presence of a child causing injury, misdemeanor child abuse, and misdemeanor criminal mischief. Taylor was placed on probation for three years, which is supposed to end in August. A counselor, who deemed her an “intermediate problem drinker,” also ordered her to attend parenting classes, which she completed, and attend a class on alcohol and its side effects.
If Taylor remained out of trouble until August, the conviction would not appear on her record. However, as you know, she found herself in hot water again due to an alleged domestic dispute with Dakota last month, which paused production of Mormon Wives. The police and DCFS are now involved following allegations made by both parties. It’s unknown how the incident will affect her probation at this time, but things are not looking good for Taylor.
And what does she have to say for herself following the jaw-dropping video? Her rep slammed Dakota in a statement to TMZ, accusing him of editing it and not showing the full picture of what happened that night! They said:
“It’s sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child. Releasing an old and selectively edited video on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior. Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is and sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show and from their own experiences.”
Hmm…
Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette begins on Sunday, and ABC plans to air it despite the controversy. But will the alarming video change their minds? The network reportedly didn’t want to lose money by not releasing the episodes (despite being “furious” with her), but they may have to take the L now if the backlash against Taylor intensifies.
What are your reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments (below).
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via Hulu/YouTube, Dakota Mortensen/Taylor Frankie Paul/Instagram]
