Grab your popcorn — because The Bachelorette hasn’t even started filming yet, and there’s already drama offscreen. After ABC revealed Taylor Frankie Paul’s potential lineup of suitors for the upcoming season, all eyes turned not to one of her new men, but to her ex, Dakota Mortensen, who couldn’t resist dropping a few messy comments online.
It all started when TikToker Zachary Reality shared a video breaking down the new batch of contestants vying for Taylor’s heart. The twist? Lana Del Rey’s ex-fiancé is reportedly among them. But Dakota decided to make things about him, leaving a now-viral comment that read, “Making me wanna go win my baby momma back.”
Naturally, Zachary reposted the remark in another TikTok, alongside several photos of Dakota in a red-flag Halloween costume — a fitting choice, some might say.
Dakota’s comment wasn’t the first time he’s made waves since Taylor was announced as the new Bachelorette. When the 31-year-old mom of two sat down with “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper to talk about her love life, Dakota jumped into the conversation — literally, in the comments section.
@zacharyreality OMG TFP MEN 🌹 #thebachelorette #bachelornation #taylorfrankiepaul #zacharyreality #men
“It’s over and we’ll see that play out,” Taylor told Alex, adding that she “can’t remember off the top of my head” the last time she and Dakota hooked up, though she guessed it may have been “Stagecoach and one after.”
Dakota quickly fact-checked her memory, writing, “1 or 2 times….Got it lol.”
Afterward, he took to his Instagram Stories to post a cryptic message that read, “Had so many curve balls today and every time I am always reminded there is nothing more important than God and family ❤️ Life is too short.”
Taylor, who was officially announced as the new Bachelorette during her Call Her Daddy appearance, told Us Weekly that she hasn’t reached out to Dakota directly about her new role.
“I have not confirmed it with him. It’s just not something that’s been on, like, my priority list to confirm with him,” she admitted. “I don’t know exactly how he’ll react or feel, but he does know that we opened the gates of dating other people. [He’ll] probably [be] sad. I assume that it’s like, ‘Whoa, she’s gonna be dating people, a lot, and then also, in front of me,’ and that’s probably gonna be kind of hard to watch.”
She added, “I can’t speak for him, but I’d assume it wouldn’t be the best news he’s heard on that day.”
Taylor and Dakota’s relationship has been anything but simple. The influencer first rose to fame after her involvement in a “soft swinging” scandal within the Mormon mom community while she was still married to Tate Paul. After her divorce, she began dating Dakota, a relationship that unfolded publicly — and dramatically — on Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
The pair’s romance ended following Taylor’s 2023 domestic violence arrest, which led to multiple charges including aggravated assault. She ultimately pled guilty to the assault charge while the others were dropped.
