AceShowbiz - The recent media spotlight has centered heavily on Taylor Frankie Paul due to her prior domestic violence arrest and ongoing investigations surrounding new allegations. The incidents reportedly involve her on-again, off-again boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, with whom she shares her youngest child.

Despite this controversy, Dakota Mortensen is slated to appear soon on multiple reality TV projects, including an upcoming Hulu series and a new YouTube reality show produced by Alex Cooper's Unwell Network. This has stirred significant public criticism given the sensitive nature of the allegations.

One of the Hulu shows featuring Dakota Mortensen is The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, where he is part of the so-called "DadTok" group—men who are husbands or ex-husbands of the show's female cast members, who are collectively nicknamed "MomTok." The third season reunion of this Hulu hit revealed that the men of DadTok would star in a luxury getaway on the sister series Vanderpump Villa, following the female cast’s appearance on the show's second season.

The spotlight on DadTok deepened with the release of the fourth season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, where the male cast members dominated much of the narrative. Several of these men have been involved in recent controversies adding to the media scrutiny.

Among the DadTok members appearing on Vanderpump Villa is Jordan Ngatikaura, who was highlighted as the "guest of honor." Ngatikaura has recently attracted attention after filing for divorce from Jessi Draper. Draper publicly accused him on the podcast Call Her Daddy of attempting to hire escorts and attending sex parties during their marriage.

Further controversy arose when Chase McWhorter, ex-husband to Miranda Hope, was seen close to Draper, igniting a social media frenzy. Chase’s brother, Mason McWhorter, also recently ended his relationship with Layla Taylor. Other notable DadTok members joining Vanderpump Villa include Zac Affleck (husband to Jen Affleck) and Jacob Neeley (husband to Mayci Neeley).

However, public concern has grown following reports that ABC pulled The Bachelorette season 22 just days before its scheduled premiere. This decision came after a video leaked showing a prior 2023 domestic violence incident involving Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen. The footage depicted Paul throwing barstools at Mortensen while their daughter was present.

On March 16, it was reported that filming for season five of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was paused following an alleged domestic incident in February involving Paul and Mortensen. A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department confirmed an open domestic assault investigation, noting that allegations were made by both parties and that authorities had contacted those involved on February 24 and 25.

The following day, the leaked video sparked ABC’s decision to halt The Bachelorette season 22, as a Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson stated their focus was on supporting the family amid the newly surfaced evidence.

On March 20, NBC News obtained audio from a Zoom call held earlier that month between the Mormon Wives cast and Disney executives. During this call, concerns were expressed about continuing production on the series with Paul involved while the investigation was ongoing.

Separately, the production companies behind The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives—Jeff Jenkins Productions, 3BMG, and Walt Disney Television Alternative—launched their own internal investigation apart from the police inquiry. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that filming for season five remains on hold until this internal review concludes.

Given the ongoing investigations, some fans have called for Hulu to cancel the DadTok episodes of Vanderpump Villa that feature Dakota Mortensen. On Reddit, viewers expressed that both Mortensen and Paul should be removed from airing content due to the severity of the situation.

Despite these calls, Hulu has not publicly commented on whether the DadTok episodes will be pulled. Under promotional content posted to the show’s official Instagram account on March 19, some users urged Hulu to reconsider airing the episodes amidst the controversy. One comment read, "If Hulu isn't moving forward with airing the bachelorette, they really shouldn't be airing the dadtok episode of Vanderpump Villa then either."

Other fans argued about the distinction between charges filed against Paul and Mortensen, but many echoed concerns about consistency. One user noted, "Their statement said they're 'supporting the family,' yet as of now, they're still airing Dakota's Vanderpump Villa episode where he sleeps with a staff member. Airing more of their laundry for drama during an active investigation is in extremely poor taste."

The Hollywood Reporter reached out to ABC for comment on the situation but did not receive a response by publication time.

Adding to the controversy, it was revealed on Monday that Dakota Mortensen will compete on a new YouTube reality series produced by Alex Cooper's Unwell Network. The series features a cast of "polarizing" reality stars and social media influencers and is set to premiere on April 6, just ten days before the third season of Vanderpump Villa hits Hulu on April 16.

This casting announcement sparked further backlash online. Under the Unwell Network’s Instagram post revealing the cast, many comments criticized the decision to include Mortensen given the ongoing investigation. One commenter wrote, "Why the hell would @unwell give Dakota more exposure. This was my last straw," while another questioned, "Why would you have Dakota on this show? He is involved in a serious investigation. Do better and don't do everything for views. Smh."

Other comments expressed outrage over the disparity in screen time between Mortensen and Paul. One user stated, "The fact that Dakota is getting screen time for a small part in a show like this and Taylor is not getting her time to shine on bachelorette is actually DIABOLICAL." Cosmopolitan even called for the entire Unwell Network show to be canceled.

Filming for Alex Cooper's YouTube reality series was completed by early February, according to The Salt Lake Tribune, meaning production wrapped before the alleged February incident between Mortensen and Paul. Similarly, filming for Vanderpump Villa took place last year, prior to the public emergence of the new allegations.

As investigations continue and production companies conduct internal reviews, the fate of the episodes featuring Dakota Mortensen remains uncertain. The ongoing discussions highlight the challenges networks face when managing reality TV content amid serious real-life controversies involving their cast members.