Taylor Frankie Paul is speaking out as her custody disputes continue, using a recent vlog to respond to criticism and rumors surrounding her parenting. The reality star, 32, said she has been dealing with a wave of false headlines and insisted that much of what has been circulating does not reflect the truth of her situation.
In the video, Paul discussed her separate legal battles with exes Dakota Mortensen and Tate Paul while getting ready on camera. She shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 6, with Tate, and son Ever, 2, with Mortensen. Paul said she has no interest in arguing the case publicly and that any issues involving court filings should be handled in court rather than online. According to her, she has been reviewing the DCFS petition with her attorneys to determine whether anything in it is inaccurate or misunderstood.
Paul says she wants to keep the focus on her children
Paul also addressed the report that Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services filed a petition asking a juvenile court to find her children “abused, neglected or dependent” and to place them under protective supervision. She said she is not reading court documents as though they are new information because, in her words, she has lived through the events being discussed. While acknowledging that some details may be true and others may be exaggerated or twisted, she said she knows what happened and is focused on protecting her kids.
One allegation she firmly denied was that she made her daughter Indy change Ever’s diapers. Paul said she never forced the child to do that, adding that Indy only helped when she wanted to. She said she was not trying to persuade anyone to change their opinion of her, and admitted she is not claiming to be “mother of the year.” Even so, Paul said she has the right to defend herself and provide context. She described the experience as the hardest thing she has ever faced, said she has made mistakes, and added that she is choosing to stay public about the process rather than step away from social media.
The custody disputes have been unfolding for months. After a 2023 domestic violence case in which Paul took a plea deal, a separate incident involving Mortensen was investigated in February by Draper City Police Department in Utah. Both Paul and Mortensen denied the allegations made by the other. In April, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office declined to file criminal charges against Paul, and Mortensen was later granted temporary custody of Ever with Paul limited to supervised weekly visitation.
Source: usmagazine.com
