Who did Dakota really cheat on Taylor with? ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Season 3 exposes wild scandal
Season 3 of ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ is delivering its most dramatic storyline yet. Once again, Dakota Mortensen finds himself pulled into a whirlwind of allegations and relationship chaos. His on-and-off relationship with Taylor Frankie Paul has powered the show for three seasons straight. But this time, the drama cuts deeper. After spending months apart, Taylor and Dakota shocked their friends, and viewers, by giving their relationship another chance during a trip to California for the Stagecoach festival. The reunion felt hopeful, especially now that the pair share a 1-year-old son, Ever, born in March 2024. But the glow didn’t last long.
Shortly after returning home, Taylor is blindsided by a new allegation: Dakota had been exchanging explicit messages with one of her mother’s longtime friends. No physical affair is alleged, but the sexting itself is enough to send the entire cast, and the fandom, into a frenzy. The revelation comes during a candid car ride home from Stagecoach, when Jordan Ngatikaura decides to tell his wife Jessi everything he knows. According to Jordan, the woman, whose name is kept off-camera, reached out to Dakota during one of his and Taylor’s breakups. What began as a check-in reportedly drifted into flirtation, and then into a full-blown sexual exchange.
“During one of the time’s they were broken up, [Taylor’s mom] Liann’s friend reached out to him and was just checking in on him,” Jordan explains in the episode. “He felt it was a safe place, and she started hitting on him, and it turned kind of sexual.” The woman, described by Taylor as “basically a family member,” has been part of their lives for years. That’s where the real sting comes in. Taylor recalls moments from family gatherings, where all three of them were in the same room, unaware of the messages exchanged behind the scenes. “I’m thinking back to our family parties when I’m pregnant,” Taylor says tearfully. “There’s a picture of him holding my belly, and she’s right next to us.”
The timeline remains fuzzy, though Taylor believes the incident happened before she became pregnant with Ever. She and Dakota began dating in 2022, and the show makes clear their relationship has weathered multiple fractures. In fact, this isn’t even the first time Dakota’s alleged infidelity has surfaced on camera. As per SheKnows, ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Season 2 exposed Dakota’s earlier involvement with a woman named Jenna, who confirmed to Taylor and Mayci Neely that Dakota “spent the night more than once.” Taylor recalled confronting Dakota about the cheating at the time, insisting he “lied a ton” to keep the truth hidden. By ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Season 3, Taylor was exhausted and done pretending otherwise.
At one point, she refers to the pattern bluntly: “This sucks so bad, because it’s like, a fourth girl? A fourth one?” After confronting the unnamed woman alongside her mother, Taylor reaches the end of her emotional rope. “This is not mendable,” she tells Dakota. “I think what broke my heart is maybe I had a glimmer of hope this last week, but now there’s nothing. I will never, ever, ever consider you ever again.” But Taylor isn’t staying single for long, at least not on screen. With filming wrapped, she has officially signed on as the next 'Bachelorette' for Season 22, premiering in January 2026, according to Swooon. If season 3 of 'Mormon Wives' reveals anything, it’s that Taylor is more than ready to look for love somewhere far less complicated.
