Mikayla Matthews Quits Mormon Wives Over Paul Ethics — SkimNews
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- Mikayla Matthews announced on Instagram she's leaving The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, with the cast currently filming Season 6 in Italy
- Matthews said she decided "over a week ago, after hearing some news" and cited her own experience growing up in a home with "multiple forms of abuse" as motivating her exit
- The controversy centers on Taylor Frankie Paul, whose Season 5 production was paused after domestic violence allegations from ex Dakota Mortensen, with whom she shares a child
- A resurfaced video showing Paul physically assaulting Mortensen was released ahead of The Bachelorette premiere, prompting ABC to cancel that premiere
- Hulu will continue working with Paul, a decision Matthews said is harmful to her mental health and to the children of the cast
- Matthews said she was "in that enabling cycle for years" and won't participate in it again, framing her departure as a moral stance rather than a financial calculation
Why it matters: Matthews' departure marks the first cast member to publicly walk away from Secret Lives of Mormon Wives over Paul, and signals internal pressure on Hulu to address the Paul situation before Season 6 airs. The split also fractures the MomTok ensemble mid-production in Italy, forcing the network to either recast or write around her absence.
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