It started with a few moving boxes and a cryptic caption. Then, the internet basically imploded. If you were on TikTok in 2022, you remember the "Soft Swinging" heard 'round the world. Taylor Frankie Paul, the queen bee of a wholesome-looking group of Utah influencers known as MomTok, hopped on a livestream and admitted her marriage was ending. But it wasn't just a standard divorce. It was a messy, multi-layered saga involving secret parties, strict rules, and a religious community left in absolute shock.
Honestly, the details are still wild to look back on. People outside of Utah were fascinated by how a group of devout-adjacent Mormon moms ended up in what Taylor described as a "swinging circle." But if you look closer, it wasn't exactly the free-for-all some headlines made it out to be. There were rules. There were boundaries. And, as we eventually found out, there was a lot of heartbreak.
What Taylor Frankie Paul swinging actually meant
When Taylor first used the term "soft swinging," half the internet had to go look it up. It sounds like a low-impact sport, but in the context of the MomTok scandal, it was a very specific arrangement. Taylor and her then-husband, Tate Paul, had entered into a pact with a small group of friends.
The deal? They could be intimate with other couples, but with one massive catch: no "going all the way" (meaning penetrative sex) and everything had to happen with everyone in the room. It was meant to be a group experience, a way to explore without—theoretically—destroying their marriages.
The "Rules" of the game
In various interviews, including a deep dive on The Viall Files, Taylor laid out how these nights actually functioned. It wasn't just random hookups. They would have "cabin parties" or hang out at someone’s house. According to Taylor, the nights often involved:
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- Drinking and flirting: Despite the traditional LDS stance on alcohol, many in this specific circle were "New Mormons" who drank.
- The "Same Room" Rule: Everything happened in the same space. Same bed, same shower. The idea was that as long as you could see your spouse, it wasn't "cheating."
- The Games: They played things like "spin the bottle" or blindfolded kissing games to decide who would hook up with whom.
Taylor has since admitted that they were "inexperienced swingers." They didn't have a therapist or a manual; they just had a group of friends and a lot of blurred lines.
The moment it all fell apart
If everyone was on board, why did it end in multiple divorces? Basically, the human heart doesn't care about "soft" rules. Taylor eventually confessed that she broke the group's one big rule. She developed deep feelings for another husband in the group—later identified as Brayden Rowley—and they eventually "stepped out" of the agreement by having sex privately without their spouses present.
That was the "affair" that acted as the catalyst for the entire MomTok collapse.
It wasn't just Taylor and Tate who felt the impact. The fallout was like a row of dominoes. Brayden and his wife, Makenna Gibbons, ended up in divorce court. Another couple frequently linked to the group, Miranda and Chase McWhorter, also eventually split, though Miranda spent years denying any involvement in the actual swinging, claiming she only participated in the "flirty" games like kissing.
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Why the "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" changed the narrative
For a while, Taylor was the villain. She was the one who "exposed" the group. She was the one who admitted to the affair. But when the Hulu series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives dropped, we got a much more nuanced look at the aftermath.
The show made one thing very clear: Taylor felt like she was being made the scapegoat. In her mind, she wasn't some "husband stealer" operating in the shadows. She was part of a group where everyone was doing things, but when it hit the fan, the other women allegedly "liked" comments calling her a cheater to distance themselves.
"I got online... and was like, 'Hey yes, I did do this, but we were also all hooking up just the other night,'" Taylor explained. It was a classic "if I'm going down, I'm taking the secrets with me" move.
The Makenna Gibbons perspective
In late 2024 and throughout 2025, the drama resurfaced when Makenna Gibbons started sharing her side of the story on TikTok. She alleged that Taylor and Brayden had been meeting up at a Home Depot parking lot to hide their relationship. Taylor fired back with "receipts," claiming Makenna was one of the original instigators of the swinging parties. It’s a classic "he said, she said," but with significantly higher stakes because of the religious background involved.
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Where things stand in 2026
It’s been a few years since the original TikTok live, and the landscape has shifted. Taylor is now in a long-term, often tumultuous relationship with Dakota Mortensen. They’ve welcomed a baby together and have been incredibly open about their struggles with sobriety and mental health.
Tate Paul has moved on too. He stayed mostly quiet during the height of the scandal—a smart move, honestly—and is now remarried to a woman named Bailey. Surprisingly, Taylor and Tate seem to have mastered the art of co-parenting. Taylor has even mentioned that she and Dakota are "buddies" with Tate and his new wife.
The lasting impact on the LDS community
You can't talk about Taylor Frankie Paul without talking about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For many Mormons, the scandal was deeply embarrassing. It leaned into every "secret life" stereotype people have about Utah. However, for a younger generation of members, Taylor’s journey has sparked a conversation about the pressure to be perfect and the reality of modern relationships within a conservative faith.
Moving past the scandal: Actionable insights
If there’s anything to learn from the Taylor Frankie Paul saga, it’s that "rules" in non-monogamy are only as strong as the communication behind them. Most experts in the lifestyle will tell you that "soft swinging" to save a marriage or to add "spice" without doing the emotional work is a recipe for disaster.
If you’re following this story or find yourself in a similar situation of navigating complex relationship boundaries, here is what actually matters:
- Honesty over optics: Taylor’s biggest mistake wasn't the swinging; it was the secrecy that happened outside of the agreed-upon rules. Transparency is the only thing that prevents "swinging" from turning into "cheating."
- Understand the cost of "the lifestyle": In a tight-knit community like suburban Utah, there is no such thing as a secret. If you are entering into a social arrangement like this, you have to be prepared for the social fallout if it ever goes public.
- Prioritize the kids: Despite the chaos, the one thing Taylor and Tate did right was eventually putting their children first. 50/50 custody and maintaining a civil relationship with new partners is the "gold standard" for moving on after a public scandal.
- Watch the show with a grain of salt: Remember that reality TV is edited for maximum drama. While The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives gives us a window into their lives, the real healing happens off-camera, usually in therapy, which Taylor has been vocal about attending.
The "Mormon Swinger" era of TikTok might be over, but the lessons about boundaries, religious pressure, and the volatility of internet fame are still very much alive. Taylor Frankie Paul didn't just break the internet; she broke the mold of what people expected a "Mormon Mom" to be, for better or worse.