ABC has decided to cancel the upcoming season of “The Bachelorette” featuring Taylor Frankie Paul due to a recently surfaced video from 2023. The unexpected move to scrap the already recorded season of the popular reality TV show occurred just days before its scheduled premiere on Sunday.
Disney Entertainment Television released a statement stating, “In light of the newly released video that emerged today, we have opted not to proceed with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our priority is to support the family.” The reference in the statement alluded to a 2023 video showing an altercation between Paul and Dakota Mortensen, which was made public by TMZ on Thursday. In 2023, Paul was arrested and faced charges of aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child, to which she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of aggravated assault in August; the other charges were dropped.
Authorities in Draper City, Utah, mentioned an ongoing domestic violence investigation involving Paul and Mortensen, her former partner, with allegations being made by both parties. Mortensen is the father of one of Paul’s three children. Representatives for Paul and Mortensen have not responded to requests for comments. ABC did not disclose its plans regarding the show’s timeslot in its statement.
Paul, who had been promoting Season 22 on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and at the Oscars event before the cancellation, was an unconventional choice to lead “The Bachelorette” as she had not previously appeared on any “Bachelor” franchise. Her selection did create synergy as she also stars in “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” a reality show on Hulu, which along with ABC, is owned by Disney.
Paul gained recognition as an influencer in the #MomTok community, a group of women from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sharing their lives on TikTok. In 2022, she made headlines by announcing her divorce and departure from an agreement with her husband regarding relationships with other couples. Paul confirmed the completion of filming for “The Bachelorette” on Instagram in December, with the show being hosted by Jesse Palmer.
