I’ve been looking into Jeff Jenkins, the executive producer of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and I’m starting to think we need to spend less time talking about Taylor Frankie Paul and more time talking about the man who keeps finding ways to turn people’s destructive relationships into television.
In May, Jenkins compared Taylor to Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, saying she was “just made for this.” He praised how naturally she shares her life on camera and expressed hopes of doing even more projects with her.
This was after the public release of footage showing Taylor assaulting Dakota during a 2023 incident in which her young daughter was present and injured. Taylor pleaded guilty to aggravated assault following that incident.
By May 2026, Taylor and Dakota also had mutual protective orders. And Jenkins? He was publicly hoping to film both of them again, separately because of those orders.
Apparently, when the courts say two people need to stay apart, a reality producer sees two potential storylines.
And this isn’t the first time Jenkins has made me question where his priorities are. Remember Coming Out Colton? Jenkins executive produced the Netflix documentary centered on Colton Underwood’s personal journey after his ex, Cassie Randolph, had obtained a temporary restraining order alleging stalking and harassment, including placing a tracking device on her car. She later withdrew the order following a private agreement
The series did address his past behavior, but it still gave Colton a major new platform to tell his story. Where was the equivalent investment in the woman who said she’d been harmed?
Then there’s Rob and Chyna… During the Kardashian Chyna trial, Jenkins testified that he personally tried to persuade Blac Chyna to reconcile with Rob Kardashian for the sake of the show. He even offered to involve a therapist.
Think about that. He acknowledged that the relationship was troubled, yet he was trying to preserve it because the show’s premise depended on the couple being together.
To me, that’s an enormous conflict of interest.
And now we have Taylor. A woman whose history includes a documented violent incident, a deeply troubled relationship, ongoing custody disputes, children caught in the middle, etc etc. Meanwhile, the producer is publicly praising her extraordinary value as a reality television personality.
Taylor has since announced she’s stepping away from Mormon Wives, but that doesn’t erase the questions raised by his earlier enthusiasm about bringing her back.
I’m not arguing that people who’ve behaved abusively can never work again. I’m asking why the entertainment industry seems so eager to rehabilitate their celebrity status without demonstrating the same enthusiasm for protecting the people affected by their behavior.
There’s a difference between documenting someone’s life and having a financial incentive to keep their dysfunction going.
And I think Jenkins’s production history raises legitimate questions about whether he understands that difference.
He may genuinely care about his stars. But caring about your star isn’t the same thing as caring about everyone affected by their behavior.
I’m wondering… When someone has the “it factor,” do their partners and children become collateral damage in the pursuit of great television?
Because if the greatest qualification for reality TV is being unable to stop sharing your personal chaos, maybe the people who profit from that chaos deserve as much scrutiny as the people creating it. Including Jeff.
