Mom Defends Taylor Frankie Paul as Exes Launch Dual Custody Battles

When family steps in, you know things have gotten real. That’s exactly what happened when Liann May, mother of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul, took to Instagram to defend her daughter against mounting legal pressure from not one, but two exes.

On Tuesday, June 30, just hours after news broke that Taylor’s ex-husband Tate Paul had filed for a restraining order and requested sole custody of their two children, Liann made her position crystal clear. Both fathers, she wrote, know full well that Taylor is a great mother. More than that—she argued that attempting to keep the kids away from her would only hurt the children themselves, who, according to Liann, love their mom above all else.

The timing couldn’t be more turbulent. Taylor shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 6, with Tate, whom she was married to from 2016 to 2022. Their split came in the aftermath of a“soft swinging”scandal that became a controversial talking point on the show. But just this past March, Taylor had told Us Weekly that she and Tate maintained a healthy coparenting relationship and respected each other’s privacy. Four months later, that cordiality appears to have completely dissolved.

Meanwhile, Liann’s jab wasn’t just aimed at Tate. It also seemed to address Taylor’s other custody battle, this one with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, 33. Taylor and Dakota have been locked in their own legal dispute over their son Ever, 2, following a domestic violence incident in late February. According to court documents, Dakota alleged that Taylor choked him and shoved him into a window, claims she has denied. Taylor countered with her own allegations of assault. By March, Dakota had been granted temporary custody of Ever along with a temporary restraining order against Taylor, while she received her own protective order against him. A June ruling allowed Taylor unsupervised visitation and alternate weekend time with her son—progress, but clearly not enough to de-escalate tensions.

Adding another layer to this mess: Dakota called the Bluffdale Police Department on June 26 with questions about their protective order and visitation arrangements. The case was forwarded to the District Attorney’s office to determine if any violations had occurred. Then, just days later, Tate filed his motion.

Through it all, Taylor recently took a step toward managing the chaos. On July 1, a source confirmed that she voluntarily checked into a rehab facility for mental health treatment on her doctor’s recommendation. She has since been cleared and departed, with her focus remaining on her mental health work and her role as a mother. It’s a reminder that behind the headlines and court filings are real people navigating genuinely difficult circumstances—and a mother fighting for her daughter’s corner.