Taylor, 30, had only recently found out that her boyfriend and father of her third child, Dakota Mortensen, had had sex with another woman while they were together when her mom and stepdad, Liann and Jeremy, invited everyone over for a family barbecue. The invite list included Dakota, 32, despite the fact that he and Taylor were on the outs.
Liann and Jeremy didn’t hide their feelings about their daughter’s relationship and made it clear that they believed Taylor and Dakota should work things out, even though Taylor was devastated by his cheating. Jeremy and Liann both seemed to brush off Taylor’s tears, but it was Jeremy whose words shocked fans.
“It’s obvious. You guys started your relationship on a foundation of s–t. Yeah, I mean, to be honest, you (Taylor) didn’t heal from your divorce. You (Dakota) had a ton of baggage. It’s hard because you guys have a damn kid now,” Jeremy stated. “I’m just going to be blunt frickin’ honest. S–t. [Dakota] just told me that you guys had seen each other three times before all this. And then you’re sitting there telling me that he came over and had sex with you? What does that say about you?”
Taylor later opened up about how her stepdad’s words made her feel.
“I guess what I’m hearing is you deserve what you got, because you, like, gave it up so easily. That’s what I hear, and when you hear your parents say that, like, why were you expecting to be respected? It, like, hurts. It just confirms my insecurities and my beliefs about myself,” the mom of three said through tears during a confessional.
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THE SECRET LIVES OF MORMON WIVES - Season 2 - The scandalous world of Mormon #MomTok is back and bigger than ever! When an original swinger from their infamous sex scandal makes a surprise return, friendships threaten to unravel as secrets, lies and allegations explode. In a battle for the soul of #MomTok, will betrayal shatter the sisterhood, or will the truth set them free? (Disney)
DAKOTA, CHASETaylor Frankie Paul, Dakota Mortensen and Chase McWhorter
Taylor’s family’s comments sparked backlash from fans and other reality stars alike, and Summer House star Paige DeSorbo even described them as “some of the worst people [she had] ever listened to on reality TV” during a recent episode of her “Giggly Squad” podcast.
Other Secret Lives of Mormon Wives viewers sounded off about the dinner scene on social media.
“Episode 2 had me so triggered,” wrote one Reddit user. “The way her dad and brother came at her was so disgusting. Her mom obviously encourages the behavior too. I HATE how people like them place all the responsibility and blame on the woman in the situation, it made me so sad for Taylor.”
Another person added, “Her family is awful! They literally belittled and shamed her, Dakota got praised and defended. They hate women on this show, even the women are taught to hate women and I feel for Taylor bc she needed support not whatever that was! Once again, her mom is a disappointment of a mother and they f–ked with her mind so much, I’m sure, as a child that she can’t leave this behind her.”
However, Taylor hasn’t closed the door with her family. She responded to a comment on TikTok that called her family “toxic,” and wrote, “I appreciate this, I love my family so much and they personally have been through a lot since young ages and just need to find their healing too.”