Dakota Mortensen, star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, has gone Instagram official with influencer Shinia Powell, nine months after their affair triggered a public feud. Mortensen, 33, and Powell, 29, shared a PDA-filled Instagram slideshow that Powell captioned "Soaking up our last bit of summer."
The pair, who allegedly began dating in April, were photographed smiling during a trip into the woods after attending a minor-league baseball game in South Jordan, Utah, on July 23. Powell, the ex-friend of Miranda Hope, included several photos of her daughter Sophia, 6, and son Beckham, 5, suggesting she is comfortable having them around Mortensen, who owns Basin Tiling. Powell welcomed the two children during her previous marriage to real estate agent McKoy Allred.
A source told People on July 22 that Shinia has been a steady source of support for Dakota through some incredibly difficult times, especially when he did not have immediate family nearby. The source said their close friendship had naturally grown into something more, and that they are enjoying their time together while thoughtfully navigating what that means for them and their children.
Taylor Frankie Paul's "snake" accusation
On October 14, Mortensen's ex Taylor Frankie Paul, with whom he shares a child, publicly called Powell a "snake" in an Instagram story, writing that she discovered Powell was "sleeping with my babydaddy" while "crying to me because she got dumped by a married man." Powell responded the next day: "If you have a problem with me, call me. If you don't have my number, then that means you don't know me well enough to have a problem."
The love triangle was confirmed during the fourth season finale of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, when Mortensen, a 6-foot-2 Idaho native, reunited with Powell at a Halloween party. Speaking to Paul, 32, by FaceTime on the Hulu show, Mortensen apologized: "I do just want to say sorry for everything that I did. I know that caused a lot of problems." He added: "I'm sorry for hooking up with Shinia. Was it dumb of me? Yes. Could I have picked someone else? Yes. I picked somebody that was obviously going to come with problems, and that was very s****y of me to do."
Paul's custody battle and probation
Paul said in a July 23 TikTok video that she is celibate, posting with her two-year-old son Ever after a judge granted her visitation rights with the toddler.
Paul, who has appeared as a guest on Vanderpump Villa, was awarded primary custody of Ever after 2023 cell phone footage leaked showing her throwing a barstool that struck her eight-year-old daughter, Indy, during a drunken rage.
Paul completed three years of probation last Tuesday, following a plea deal she accepted in 2023 for aggravated assault that let her narrowly avoid five years in state prison.
Bachelorette pulled, DCFS petition filed
Despite knowing her criminal history, ABC pulled the entire 22nd season of The Bachelorette, which starred Paul and carried a $30 million budget, from the air in March after Mortensen's disturbing footage leaked.
Utah's Division of Child and Family Services filed a petition on July 13 asking a juvenile court to find that Paul's three children are "abused, neglected, or dependent" and to order protective supervision, according to People.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has been renewed by Hulu for a 20-episode sixth season, ahead of the previously postponed fifth season airing.
