Up until recently, TikTok user taylorfrankiepaul‘s claim to fame was the content she generated on a regular basis for her account: a mix of fitness videos, social awareness commentary, and humor that had garnered the married mother of two over 3 million followers on the platform. But lately she’s become more notorious than famous.
Paul’s videos have always had a low-key tongue-in-cheek vibe that made light of her of Church of Latter Day Saints background and often joked that she had “sister-wives” and even alluded to having an open marriage in a way that made many users question whether she was joking. But five days ago she posted a video stating she was getting divorced and would be moving out of her home and raising her children as a single mother. And then Reddit stepped in.
Soon after Paul’s announcement, a Reddit board titled “Taylorpauldrama” sprung to life and in the days since, users have been dissecting Paul’s upcoming divorce and searching for answers, often in an invasive manner. The major allegation that has arisen is that Paul has been having an affair with a fellow Utahn named Brayden Rowley, a member of her LDS community. Some users have shared photos of a woman they claim is Rowley’s wife.
Taylor has been married to Tate Paul since 2016. The couple are parents to son Ocean and a daughter Indy. Taylor started her TikTok account in 2020 shortly before use of the app exploded in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic. Tate and Indy have often appeared alongside Taylor in her videos as have the couple’s fellow LDS TikTokker friends.
Paul has often joked in her own videos that her friends were also her sister wives, that she and Tate have an open marriage, and that she is dubious when it comes to monogamy. This has led to a great deal of speculation of Reddit that the pair have become embroiled in drama and affairs with the other people that have appeared in Paul’s videos.
Yesterday, on a TikTok Live video, Paul addressed many of the rumors that have swirled about her marriage since she announced her divorce. Among other things, she again admitted that she was getting divorced and stated that it was no prank. She also admitted that she and Tate had indeed “opened the doors” on open marriage, that they engaged in “soft swinging” — meaning anything but actual sex — and that both spouses needed to be present for any swinging activities.
Paul says she cheated by the terms of their agreement when she “hooked up” alone with another person, who she did not identify. The man in question had a wife who Paul claims was intimate with Tate. She also alleged that the swingers group she took part in was made up of felow LDS members and that they would imbibe alcohol on occasion (alcohol is forbidden by scripture in the LDS faith).
So far, Paul has not confirmed that Brayden Rowley had anything to do with her divorce.
