Taylor Frankie Paul has claimed that some of her fellow cast members on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives asked her to take the lead in salary negotiations, while she ultimately chose to keep her own pay the same as theirs.
Paul made the claim in an Instagram statement on 21 September, announcing that she was stepping away from the Hulu reality series. Her departure came after months of public disputes involving cast members, as well as ongoing legal and custody issues concerning the fathers of her three children.
The Influence To Make It Happen
According to Paul, some of the women had held meetings with her about pay and believed she had the influence to push for higher compensation.
'My voice was the only one that can make it happen,' she wrote, adding that the others would then work from whatever demands she made.
Paul said she was 'grateful' she did not follow through with those requests. Instead, she claimed she maintained the same pay 'out of fairness and integrity.'
Her comments appear to refer to negotiations involving the cast collectively, although the specific salaries and contracts have not been publicly disclosed.
The pay revelation was included in a much broader statement in which Paul criticised what she described as a 'pile on' from her co-stars. She alleged that almost the entire cast had been targeting her and said comments involving her children had crossed a line.
'Laughing about my kids is disgusting,' Paul wrote, while acknowledging that she had previously remained silent about the issue.
Protecting Her Children
The reality star also said she had considered leaving the show earlier so production could continue without added tension. She thanked the network and production crew for supporting her, saying members of the crew had checked on her during the difficult period.
Paul's exit comes as Season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives airs on Hulu. Production on Season 6 has been taking place without her since July, although she had been expected to return after the network supported her comeback.
The dispute has unfolded against the backdrop of Paul's legal troubles. Her season of The Bachelorette was cancelled earlier this year after renewed attention surrounding a past domestic incident involving her former partner, Dakota Mortensen. Production on Mormon Wives was also previously paused while authorities investigated allegations involving the former couple.
Variety reported that neither Paul nor Mortensen was criminally charged over that incident.
Legal Proceedings
Paul has also been involved in custody proceedings concerning her children. Recent reports have focused on court-ordered drug testing, with details of the proceedings becoming part of the wider public dispute. Paul's latest statement did not directly address every allegation surrounding the custody case.
Her decision to leave follows Mikayla Matthews' announcement that she was departing the series, with Matthews publicly expressing concerns about Paul's return. Other cast members have also discussed the fallout publicly, adding to the ongoing social-media dispute surrounding the show.
For now, Paul's claim about the cast's pay negotiations remains her account of events. No detailed salary records or statements from the other cast members have been made public to independently establish the negotiations exactly as she described them.
What is confirmed is that Paul has announced her departure and says she no longer wants to continue amid the conflict.
