Mikayla Matthews isn’t backing down from Taylor Frankie Paul ahead of season 5 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” In a new social media post, Matthews, 26, replied to Paul’s earlier post, in which she seemed to hint that she was the sole reason her co-stars had been rewarded with additional opportunities, such as “Dancing with the Stars” and Broadway shows. Matthews claimed that Paul’s need to remind people she’s the star of the popular Hulu series stems more from her insecurities than anything else.
Matthews rushed to Instagram on Thursday, July 9, to share her thoughts on Paul’s recent post, which seemed to call out her co-stars.
“It’s honestly crazy that we’re even arguing about who created what or who’s more relevant. This show was pitched to us, by the way (me, Mayci, Whitney, and Taylor, about stay-at-home moms providing for their families and, of course, ‘MomTok,’ which we all know was started by Miranda, Camille, AND Taylor,” Matthews wrote.
According to the mother of four, “SLOMW” was pitched to them because of Paul’s swinging scandal, and she said that they’ve all been offered amazing opportunities as a result. However, she said that each cast member has worked hard to secure their own since the show’s start.
Matthews Hints That Taylor Frankie Paul May Be Obsessed With Being In Control More Than Anything Else
Over the last several months, Paul has been in explosive back-and-forth feuds with her co-stars. It all began when Hulu shut down production on season 5 of “SLOMW” due to Paul’s domestic violence cases with her ex, Dakota Mortensen.
During those fights, Paul has also shared her feelings about her castmates, implying that they were jealous of her success. She’s also claimed to air out their dirty laundry—something Matthews doesn’t appreciate.
“Constantly reposting things and repeatedly pushing the narrative of, ‘I’m the reason you have this, you only got it cause I turned it down, I’m a star and you’re not as interesting. Don’t forget it,’ seems like weaponizing and manipulating your following to keep yourself in that power position to intimidate the people around you over and over,” she wrote.
Matthews’ post was a direct response to Paul’s recent post calling out her co-stars. On Wednesday, July 8, Whitney Leavitt shared a video of the current “SLOMW” cast members, Miranda Hope, Jessi Draper, Jen Affleck, Mayci Neely, Layla Taylor, and Matthews, celebrating the end of filming season 5.
“We’re surviving,” the video said, which many believe to be a play on the show’s tagline, “Will MomTok survive this?”
Paul clapped back, “Looks like thriving to me, I’ll show you surviving.” She then shared an Instagram reel of herself dancing to Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now” and included screenshots of messages she’s received about taking part in major opportunities, such as “DWTS” and writing a book.
Matthews And Paul Clashed Earlier This Year
Matthew’s latest post comes months after the pair clashed over social media comments earlier this year. According to a previous report from The Blast, Paul took issue with Matthews saying she wanted to be “as removed as possible” from her and Mortensen during the height of their legal woes.
“I STILL have ‘friends’ kicking me while I’m already down and calling it ‘setting a boundary’ and then BLAMES ME for being upset and responding. That’s called shaming and attack while I had a moment to breathe and she knew that,” Paul replied. “What a snake friend just did to me in the public eye after everything she just witnessed…the lack of empathy and silence was loud enough.”
In June 2026, Matthews spoke with reporters about where she stood with Paul, revealing they were in a “good” place. While Matthews revealed there was still more she wanted to say, she said she felt she shared the most important messages at the time.
“This is what I need to do to protect myself and my relationships and my mental health,” she said.
Paul Will Be Featured In Season 5 Of ‘SLOMW,’ But Not How People May Expect
Season 5 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” will return to Hulu later this year; however, a source told PEOPLE that it’s likely Paul won’t be featured as much as the other women. During the height of her legal woes, a majority of the cast refused to film with her, causing a major production roadblock.
Paul will reportedly appear in the first half of the season’s episodes, but she will not film confessionals for the upcoming season. She will also be included in the season’s opener, but it’s very likely that she’ll shoot her segment separately from the other women.
