Whitney Leavitt Says Safety of Children 'Comes First' as She Breaks Silence amid Taylor Frankie Paul's Domestic Assault Investigation

Whitney Leavitt Says Safety of Children 'Comes First' as She Breaks Silence amid Taylor Frankie Paul's Domestic Assault Investigation https://ift.tt/J6QYreL

"I have a lot of emotions about it and I’m still processing everything that’s happening," Leavitt said in an interview with Interview Magazine

Whitney Leavitt.
Credit: TheStewartofNY/FilmMagic)

NEED TO KNOW

• Whitney Leavitt is speaking out amid ongoing developments in the controversies surrounding her Secret Lives of Mormon Wives costar Taylor Frankie Paul
• On March 16, Draper City Police confirmed that there was an open domestic assault investigation into Paul and her ex-Dakota Mortensen
• Since then, some of Paul's fellow castmates have opened up about their take on the situation — as other developments have unfolded

Whitney Leavitt is breaking her silence amid the ongoing domestic assault investigation into her Secret Lives of Mormon Wives costar, Taylor Frankie Paul.

Speaking to Interview Magazine, Leavitt was asked how she was feeling amid all the headlines circulating about the future of the show and related controversies.

"I have a lot of emotions about it and I’m still processing everything that’s happening, but the safety of human beings, especially children, comes first," she said.

"Always, period, the end. And I don’t want that to be tolerated. I don’t want that to be overlooked. It’s just so fresh. That’s all I have to say about that."

Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen.
Credit: Taylor Frankie Paul/Instagram; Dakota Mortensen/Instagram

Leavitt's remarks come after sources told PEOPLE on Monday, March 16, that Mormon Wives had halted filming amid news of an open domestic assault investigation regarding Paul and her ex, Dakota Mortensen, which a spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department confirmed news of to PEOPLE at the time.

Sources close to the cast also confirmed to PEOPLE on March 16 that other members of MomTok were distancing themselves from Paul as the situation continued to unfold.

Later that week, on March 19, TMZ shared a 2023 video that showed Paul attacking Mortensen and throwing chairs at him. That same day, ABC canceled Paul's season of The Bachelorette just three days before it was set to premiere on March 22.

Mortensen filed for a protective order against Paul that same day, per court docs obtained by PEOPLE. On March 20, Mortensen was granted the order as well as temporary custody of the pair's 2-year-old son, Ever. A hearing is set for April 7.

The 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' season 4 cast.
Credit: Disney

Leavitt is not the first of Paul's Mormon Wives costars to have spoken out in the wake of developments unfolding in the saga.

On Friday, March 20, Layla Taylor took to her Instagram Stories to share her statement, writing, "My personal history as a survivor makes it impossible for me to stay silent. I stand firmly against domestic violence in any form." Within a minute of her post, fellow MomTok star Miranda McWhorter also shared a message on her Instagram Stories responding to the situation. Jessi Draper also spoke out in defense of Paul on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast on March 25.

Paul was previously arrested for alleged domestic violence in 2023 following an argument with Mortensen.

The 2023 indictment obtained by PEOPLE alleged that Paul threw “heavy, metal chairs” at Mortensen. It also alleged that Paul's daughter was struck in the head by one of the chairs, which matches what occurs in the video shared by TMZ. She pled guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault, which means that if she complies with the conditions of the plea, that charge will be dismissed. Meanwhile, the other charges have already been dismissed.

After the release of the video, a spokesperson for Paul told PEOPLE, “It’s sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child. Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son's birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior. Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is and sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show, and from their own experiences."

In his own statement to PEOPLE, Mortensen said, "As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation. I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same."

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.