Taylor Frankie Paul’s parenting time has been slashed to just eight hours a week after she failed multiple court-ordered drug tests in the last 60 days, according to a new report.
The 32-year-old “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star must now spend four hours with Indy, 8, and Ocean, 6, the children she shares with ex-husband Tate Paul, and four hours with son Ever, 2, whom she had with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, reports said. The specific substances that triggered the positive results remain unknown, though at least one is not commonly available as a prescription medication.
The reduced schedule marks a dramatic reversal from early July, when a judge had expanded her parenting time to one weekday and alternating weekends at a July 8 hearing. Later that month, Paul rejected separate custody proposals from both exes that would have granted her 40 percent of time with the children.
“So now I’m suddenly capable of parenting 40% of the time? Couldn’t be more obvious what this is really about—and it isn’t the safety or well-being of our children,” she responded, according to a source who spoke.
The custody battles have unfolded under a strict gag order, a source said, characterizing any leaked information as a “continuation of the harassment and intimidation” that Paul has faced throughout the legal proceedings.
Tate Paul, who was married to Taylor from 2016 to 2022, filed for a temporary restraining order against the TikToker and sole custody of their two children in June. The ongoing cases are being heard in Salt Lake City courts.
Mortensen, 33, received full custody of Ever in March and was granted a temporary order of protection against Taylor after a video leaked of a 2023 domestic dispute between the former couple, who began their on-again, off-again relationship in 2022.
The personal turmoil has already disrupted Paul’s television career. Production on Season 5 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” was halted, and her planned season of “The Bachelorette” was canceled in March.
Paul’s potential return for Season 6 of the Hulu series prompted co-star Mikayla Matthews, 26, to announce her departure. “The ONLY reason I’m leaving the show is because I was told a certain person was coming back,” Matthews wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. “I told [production] before agreeing to do [season] 6 that I wasn’t going to film if that certain someone came back. Because it’s UNETHICAL and kids are involved,” she added.
Paul herself has not publicly confirmed her return to the franchise. A source recently said that she is “focused on continuing to move forward.”
“Coming back will allow her to do that, she can’t control the choices other people make,” the insider shared.
The latest custody development comes as Paul continues to fight on two legal fronts against both men, with the court-ordered drug testing now playing a central role in determining her access to all three children.
Paul’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the outlet regarding the reported drug test failures and reduced parenting schedule.