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Jessi Draper revealed that Dakota Mortensen and Jordan Ngatikaura would not return for Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season six on a podcast on Tuesday.
While also admitting that she didn’t condone Taylor Frankie Paul‘s actions, sharing which cast members were there for her amid her divorce from Jordan, 32, and explaining where she stands with her co-stars, Jessi, 34, confirmed that Dakota, 33, and Jordan were no longer needed on the show.
“Jordan and Dakota are both done filming, which is good, because once you’re an ex, like, there is no need, I don’t think,” Jessi shared on the September 15 episode of Just Trish.
Moving on to Taylor, 32, Jessi said that despite their friendship, she did not align with many of the things Taylor had done.
“I say this to Taylor herself: I don’t condone all her actions. Like, I don’t agree with everything she’s doing. She’ll post things sometimes, and I literally text her, like, ‘Delete that.’ I think a good friend does that,” Jessi reasoned. “But also, I do have to say that, like, going through my divorce, we’ve been through a lot of similar things with, like, our relationship dynamics and how we were treated. So I bonded with her a lot, and I understand certain things, and we’ve really confided in each other, and I will say Taylor really has been there for me through my divorce.”
As for who else had been there for her, Jessi named Mayci Neeley, 31.
“[They] are the ones that really checked in on me and been there. So I understand and have sympathy for, like, [Taylor’s] whole life is falling apart right now. Like, I get that. But at the same time, I can also recognize the behavior and be like, ‘Hey, that’s not cool,’” Jessi explained.
Looking back on one particular season five moment with Taylor, during which Taylor, who is in the midst of custody battles with both Dakota and her ex-husband, Tate Paul, 34, was dismissive toward her at her house, Jessi admitted she “should have stood up for [herself] a little more” before explaining why she didn’t.
“When Taylor sees red, she sees red, and I just feel like there’s no point in arguing with someone who’s that deep into their anger,” Jessi noted. “I know this is just a hurt little girl … [And] when the walls come down, you see that it all comes from pain. The anger comes from that place, and I knew that.”
Jessi then said that because she was focused on her personal life and her kids, she hadn’t been as involved in her castmates’ drama as usual.
“I need to focus on, like, my kids and my healing, and I’m just trying to support everyone cuz we’re all going through sh*t,” she shared. “As of right now, we’re all in a great place.”
Also on the podcast, Jessi teased season six after the sudden exit of Mikayla Matthews, 26.
“I will say, in season six, you will see a lot of friendship dynamics because this thing with Taylor blew up our whole friend group,” she revealed. “There were a lot of friendships that fell apart, and we’ve worked through a lot of it, and I feel really good about my relationship with everyone right now. So, I feel grateful for that.”
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Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season five is currently streaming on Hulu.