Barstool Incident Returns to Haunt Taylor Frankie Paul in Custody War

In a twist that proves old controversies rarely stay buried in the age of social media, Taylor Frankie Paul’s 2023 barstool-throwing incident has resurfaced at the worst possible moment—smack in the middle of a custody battle with her ex-husband, Tate Paul.

The incident in question happened in 2023, when Taylor was captured on video attacking then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen and hurling a metal barstool that struck her daughter, Indy. What makes this resurface so consequential now is that Tate filed court documents this week seeking sole legal and physical custody of the two children they share—and he’s leaning heavily on that old video as evidence of unsafe behavior. The kicker? Tate says he never even saw the footage until days before it was published, after Taylor had repeatedly told him and publicly stated on multiple podcasts that the barstool never hit Indy.

Taylor was arrested following the 2023 incident but didn’t serve jail time. She’s since filed a response opposing Tate’s custody bid, and her declaration denies the barstool struck Indy, claiming instead that the child was out of view. The overall theme of her defense? She’s blaming Dakota, alleging he’s been spreading misinformation and leaking details to the press.

From Taylor’s camp, the narrative is crystal clear: this is orchestrated harassment. Sources close to her say Dakota is trying to inflict maximum damage through recycled events because he’s worried about his own reality TV prospects—specifically, that Taylor’s season of“The Bachelorette”never makes it to air. That’s a pretty specific allegation about motivation, and it puts the whole custody fight in a different light. While one person worries about television, Taylor is fighting for her kids.

There’s a darker layer here too: the gap between what Tate was told privately and what he eventually saw. He didn’t pursue sole custody in 2023 because, by his account, he was kept in the dark about what the video actually showed. That’s a significant detail in a custody case. Courts care about both the incident itself and the credibility of a parent’s account of what happened.

On Wednesday, the court denied Tate’s request for a temporary restraining order—a small but meaningful win for Taylor in what’s clearly shaping up to be a lengthy legal fight. The sealed court filings mean the public won’t see all the details, but one thing’s certain: a three-year-old moment of chaos is now the centerpiece of a battle that will determine who raises these kids going forward.