The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Dakota confronts fallout from messaging scandal during Taylor’s pregnancy

Dakota Mortensen faced the consequences of a messaging scandal during the season 3 reunion of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

The incident involved Dakota exchanging messages and photos with a family friend of his ex, Taylor Frankie Paul, while Taylor was pregnant with their son, Ever.

Dakota initially refused to attend the reunion, but later appeared on stage after MomTok, including Taylor, was escorted backstage to accommodate his participation.

The reunion featured Dakota’s appearance, focused on explaining his side of the situation and addressing concerns from Taylor and her family, while the cast and crew maintained structured interventions throughout the discussion.

Dakota’s reunion appearance and stage conditions

Dakota’s participation in the reunion required MomTok to leave the stage temporarily.

Host Stassi Schroeder explained that Dakota would only participate if the ladies of MomTok exited the stage during his interview, emphasizing the word "participate" as the key condition for his appearance.

Dakota confirmed that he intended to "have a good conversation" with the cast without conflict, noting,

"It wasn’t supposed to be like that. All I wanted was just to be able to have a good conversation."

The staged separation allowed Dakota to present his account without immediate confrontation from Taylor and the other women, including Jen Affleck, Demi Engemann, Whitney Leavitt, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley, Jessi Ngatikaura, Layla Taylor, and Miranda Hope.

Dakota’s account of the messaging incident

During the reunion, Dakota described the timeline and context of the messages sent to Taylor’s family friend.

Dakota stated that when the messages began, he and Taylor were on a break and in a cycle of repeated breakups. He explained,

"This lady that I had met through Taylor’s family, she was just checking in on me. She was just being super nice."

Dakota said the situation escalated when the family friend "came onto" him over text messages, leading to the exchange of photos.

He added that the photo was a "silhouette," taken at night while he and the family friend were discussing the gym and working out, and that he had sent a shirtless picture, describing the action as "stupid."

Dakota stated that he did not initially recognize the significance of the exchange until the family friend requested that he delete the messages.

Interaction with Taylor and her family

Taylor later joined Dakota on stage. The discussion involved mutual accusations, including Dakota’s comments regarding Taylor’s personal relationships during their off periods.

Dakota brought up that when they were broken up, Taylor could pursue other relationships and later return to him, highlighting the word "broke up" as the key point.

He also referenced messages sent by Taylor prior to the reunion, noting that she had communicated with him the night before.

The conversation continued with Dakota apologizing to Taylor’s mother and stepfather. He said,

"I am truly sorry. I know that I’ve caused a lot of pain for all of you guys and that’s all I can do right now is say I’m sorry."

Taylor’s mother and stepfather responded critically to Dakota’s statements, emphasizing the impact on their child, Ever.

The reunion ended with Dakota leaving the stage following the confrontation. He stated that he was "done" and requested the microphone be removed.

Taylor remained on stage, discussing her experiences co-parenting and the ongoing effects of the situation on her child.

Stay tuned for more updates.