The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Dakota Mortensen responds to sobriety questions sparked by the reunion

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Dakota Mortensen finally addressed rumors surrounding his claim on sobriety, setting the record straight on where he stood on his recovery journey since the reunion. 

In an Instagram video posted on December 9, 2025, Dakota spoke about the speculations about his sobriety, clarifying that, irrespective of what others thought of him or his behavior at the reunion, he was “proud” of how far he had come while being sober. 

He dismissed all claims and rumors circulating on the internet accusing him of being “high” or having relapsed, saying his sobriety was something he took pride in. 

With that, he explained that his tense behavior at the reunion was a result of his having to face and go through such a challenging situation sober for the first time. 

Despite being sober, when he saw fans of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives accuse him of repeating his old habits, he admitted that he felt “hurt.”

Dakota’s journey on the Hulu show followed his relationship with co-star Taylor Frankie Paul as they tackled co-parenting their son, Ever, after their split in 2024. 

At the reunion, which aired on December 4, Dakota found himself in a vulnerable spot when Taylor and her parents interrogated him about his alleged inappropriate exchange with their family friend. 

Dakota reveals his body was in fight-or-flight mode at The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reunion

Dakota started the video by admitting the reunion was a “s***show,” especially because after the reunion aired, he continued to see videos of himself, where fans accused him of being intoxicated. 

However, he dismissed all such claims as baseless rumors right away, explaining:

“I am proud of myself because I have stayed sober through some of the hardest s**t I’ve ever been through in my entire life, and even in that situation or in that setting, like, that is why it’s so hard on me.”

He continued, explaining that it was his first time enduring such a challenging experience sober in his life. 

Consequently, he revealed that the pressure of the reunion and being in the hot seat compelled his body to go into “full fight-or-flight mode” throughout it all. 

He added that it was disheartening to see fans of the show and netizens in general dismiss his recovery journey by refusing to believe he was actually sober. 

Dakota then clarified that he did not possess any sort of “power” or privilege that allowed him to “kick the girls off the stage.”

He also addressed the situation with Taylor’s parents, stating that he had no idea that they would appear on stage, much less question him about what allegedly happened between him and their family friend. 

“Did I know any of that was going to happen? No. So, that’s called blindside, blindside, blindside, blindside. I didn’t even want that. I didn’t even want to go,” he shared. 

In a shocking turn of events, the Mormon Wives star revealed he had a “cease and desist,” citing that and its impact on his mental well-being as the reason why he stuttered and appeared tense. 

While details about the cease and desist remain unknown, Dakota shared that it was the first time he received one of those, and he was “petrified” to speak because of it. It was the reason he said he was scared to say anything at the reunion. 

That said, he concluded the video by thanking everyone who checked in on him, saying he would “never s**t on you” the way some treated him during his rough patch. 

Stay tuned for more updates.