The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Draper has defended co-star Taylor Frankie Paul amid the influencer's .
Draper is currently the only cast member from the hit Hulu series to publicly support Paul, who just had her season of axed after video footage emerged of her assaulting baby daddy Dakota Mortensen in front of her young daughter.
Appearing on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Draper called Paul 'a good person' who had 'made some mistakes'.
She also confirmed that she and the cast were fully aware of Paul's 2023 domestic dispute since the beginning of the series, but that they had never seen video footage of the incident until recently.
'Back in 2023, we knew what had happened and we knew there was a video, but we never saw it. The police had it and they talked about it and we all just were like, okay,' she said.
'I don't like to judge someone in their darkest moment. I don't like to judge the person, I'll judge the mistake,' she continued.
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Draper defended co-star Taylor Frankie Paul, calling her a 'good person' during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast this week
'And Taylor really has made a lot of changes and that's what's so hard for me is like, this is my real friend and she does have a really good heart and I love her so much.'
Draper continued to defend Paul from there, insisting that the mom-of-three had been caught in a 'bad cycle'.
'Seeing that video is like so hard because it's just, there's so much pain underneath the surface for Taylor,' Draper said as she fought back tears.
'And I tell her this all the time that it's not who Taylor is. She got caught in a really bad cycle and just seeing that video and yes... the child being involved is awful and everyone involved, it's really hard. But Taylor's such a good person and she's made some mistakes and so has Dakota.
'And I'm not saying any of it's right ... And I want this to be maybe a wakeup call for them and let's get them healthy and happy and move forward.'
Draper also said that she believes Paul can still make a comeback, despite the 31-year-old losing brand deals and her Bachelorette gig in the wake of the scandal.
'I believe people can come back from things like this. And I just want the kids to be safe and happy and healthy. That's all I really want for them right now,' she said.
While Draper has stood by Paul, many of her fellow cast members have condemned her in public statements.
Paul's season of The Bachelorette was pulled from air after video footage emerged of her abusing ex Dakota Mortensen in a shocking 2023 incident
'My personal history as a survivor makes it impossible for me to stay silent. I stand firmly against domestic violence in any form,' Layla Taylor said.
'I am keeping her children in my thoughts, hoping for their safety above all else.'
Miranda Hope also weighed in, writing on Instagram, 'I've honestly been a little at a loss for words trying to process this all. Everything has been really heavy to see. Domestic violence and abuse of any kind is something I take very seriously.
'As a human, and especially a mother, I cannot support that kind of behavior. My heart is with the children in this and I hope they're safe, supported, and surrounded by love.'
Paul is now under investigation over a third allegation of domestic violence made by Mortensen
No other details are available over what allegedly transpired, however the spokesperson told NBC News the police were contacted by Mortensen last month over the matter.
