Taylor Frankie Paul Says ‘It’s a Heavy Time’ Amid Domestic-Violence Investigation

Taylor Frankie Paul is addressing the headlines amid the ongoing domestic-violence investigation launched by police in Utah involving Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. When appearing at a press event in New York City for her upcoming season of The Bachelorette on Tuesday, Paul told People , “My heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time.” She added, “Just the timing is hard, and it’s a big deal.

I feel like every premiere that I’ve experienced, I’ve never enjoyed fully, so this is another one… it’s extremely hard, and it took everything to get me here today.” On Monday, news broke that production on Season Five of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was paused as Utah police investigate the domestic-violence allegations. Details surrounding the alleged incident remain unclear, but the Draper City police department confirmed that there is an open “domestic-assault investigation” involving Paul and Mortensen.

A spokesperson for the police said that “allegations have been made in both directions,” and that both parties were contacted in late February. “It’s just heavy. It’s a...