Shock hit without warning. Just days after losing ground in a brutal custody ruling, Taylor Frankie Paul broke her silence in the most vulnerable way yet. Through tear-streaked photos and quiet confessions, she revealed a fragile side few expected to see. Gifts from loved ones became lifelines. Small comforts turned into survival. But behind the gratitude lies a deeper wound — a mother now limited to just hours with her own child. As the court sides with Dakota Mortensen, questions explode: Is this protection… or punishment?
“Just want to say THANK YOU to those that have all helped carry,” the “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star wrote via Instagram late Thursday.
“Nothing but gratitude for these gifts given by different people at different times that have been essential for me through this specific time,” the MomTok creator, 31, continued. “Thank you to every message, meal, gift, call, prayer and support of any kind sent.”
She concluded, “There is the human side of this and then it gets to a point of it being miraculous when you start to see it from a bigger lens
.”
The reality star kicked off the social media slideshow with a tearful selfie reflecting on how “miraculous” it is “that every essential or reminder I’ve needed was GIVEN through people.”
The “Bachelorette” alum went on to share photos of items she received from loved ones, beginning with a book meant to grant “peace and comfort.”
Other gifts included pain-relief patches, Starbucks drinks, a bouquet and more.
The upload came two days after Paul was granted only supervised visitation with her and ex Dakota Mortensen’s 2-year-old son, Ever, in their latest temporary custody arrangement.
A judge ruled Tuesday that Paul, who formerly had custody of the toddler 70 percent of the time, is allowed to see the little one for up to six hours per week until the next court hearing on April 30.
The judge expressed “concern” over Paul’s “volatility,” agreeing with Mortensen’s lawyers that she is “completely out of control” and “reckless.”
Paul’s lawyer, meanwhile, claimed she posed “no risk” to Ever as long as the on-again, off-again couple “stay[s] apart” where Mortensen can’t “push her buttons.”
An attorney on behalf of Ever, however, agreed that Paul’s “lack of total self-control” is of concern.
Mortensen, 33, has had temporary custody of Ever since March, when he filed a protective order against Paul.
Paul, who also shares two children with ex-husband Tate Paul, filed a protective order of her own Tuesday, claiming Mortensen “kick[ed] her while she was on the floor,” “slamm[ed] her head against the dashboard of his truck” and more in various alleged incidents.
Taylor and Mortensen’s tumultuous romance has been on and off since 2022 and documented on “SLOMW” — which halted filming as the duo is being investigated for alleged domestic violence incidents in February.
