The court of public opinion has wasted no time in finding Taylor Franke Paul – star of Hulu’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and leader of “Mom Tok” — “guilty” of physically attacking her ex-husband.
Paul rose to fame on social media by posting positive dancing videos with her kids and relatable content targeted to moms.
Users soon found out she was a part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which shaped her platform into satire, stereotypical Mormon content like the obsession over soda and not coffee.
Each “Mom Tok” member soon amassed a following and landed themselves a show on Hulu, captivating audiences with the on-screen fights and drama over divorces, all led by Paul.
The TV program highlights the controversial husband relationships between the moms and online scandals like that of Whitney Levitt’s NICU video.
Violence is not cut from this show, and throwing things for the perfect drama shot is a common occurrence, just like any reality show; however, the audience perceived this drama as for the screen and not a part of the real relationships that thrived off-camera.
Following the video leak, Paul’s starring season on The Bachelorette was abruptly canceled three days before it aired. The media was quick to dismantle her platform, and fans spammed her comment sections with criticism and paragraphs from domestic violence survivors condemning her actions.
Paul is currently under investigation by the Utah police and has lost custody of her children in the meantime, according to published reports.
This has had the media and the audience of the popular show thinking: why don’t we condemn men with platforms the same way?
The best example any critic can think of is the case of Chris Brown and Rihanna. Brown abused the famous female singer while they were in a romantic relationship in 2009. According to an exclusive interview with People magazine, Brown recalled the night he violently hit her “but then I really hit her, with a closed fist, I punched her. I busted her lip,” he recalled. While photos shared by TMZ were extremely graphic and showed Rihanna’s trauma, Brown was only sentenced to community service and violence counseling. Loads of criticism followed the court’s decision. Brown will go to trial again in October of this year on unrelated assault charges, this time involving a fan at a nightclub.
Similarly, in 2016, actors Ryan McCartan and Dove Cameron broke off their engagement, with Cameron claiming emotional abuse. She opened up to People magazine, saying, “I was under the impression that I had to make everything look perfect all the time, and my partner definitely put that in my ear. People thought I was sharing loads, but I hardly shared anything.”
McCarten continues to be a Broadway star, gracing the stage currently as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. After Cameron’s allegations, McCarten originated the role of JD in Heathers the Musical, launching his stage career while facing no consequences for his actions against his Liv and Maddie co-star.
While men like McCarten and Brown continue to have world stage tours, photoshoots, and paparazzi moments even after committing one of the most vile crimes out there, Paul will soon be in jail (rightfully so).
The blatant double standard in accountability is crystal clear. The craving to tear down women in the spotlight is ever-present, even when the cancellation is justifiable.
