Somebody at ABC is definitely having the worst week ever. Imagine counting down to your big premiere. Trailers are out, fans are ready, ads are running like crazy. Then boom, three days before launch, everything gets scrapped. Not delayed, not “we’ll circle back.” Fully canceled. Just like that. That’s exactly what happened with The Bachelorette show after a wild video surfaced involving Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen.
And when we say wild, we don’t mean reality-TV “someone stole my man” drama. We’re talking serious, uncomfortable, “why is this even on my timeline?” type of situation. Reports claim the video shows an altercation happening in front of their daughter. Yes, not exactly the kind of promo ABC had in mind.
The network said it “made the decision to not move forward with the new season” after footage of Taylor Frankie Paul emerged on Thursday appearing to show her in an altercation with her ex-partner Dakota Mortensen in 2023.
Paul, a TikTok influencer who also stars in Hulu’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, was arrested in relation to the incident in 2023. She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, US media report.
Paul’s spokesperson said she is prioritising her family’s safety and “preparing to own and share her story”.
The network said it “made the decision to not move forward with the new season” after footage of Taylor Frankie Paul emerged on Thursday appearing to show her in an altercation with her ex-partner Dakota Mortensen in 2023.
Paul, a TikTok influencer who also stars in Hulu’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, was arrested in relation to the incident in 2023. She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, US media report.
Paul’s spokesperson said she is prioritising her family’s safety and “preparing to own and share her story”.
In a statement, Mortensen, the father of Paul’s third child, said he is “focusing on our son and his safety”.
A spokesperson for Disney, which owns ABC, said it made the decision to pull the season “in light of the newly released video just surfaced today”, referring to the footage, which was published by TMZ.
The new season of The Bachelorette was set to premiere on Sunday.
ABC did not provide detail on what the network planned to air during the show’s allocated timeslot instead.
Prior to the cancelation, Paul appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America programme on Wednesday to promote the series:
“Honestly, it’s been a heavy time to see the headlines, especially during this time of ‘The Bachelorette’ being released,” she said.
“It was supposed to be a really exciting time.”
Paul also confirmed that production has been paused for the upcoming fifth season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which first premiered in 2024.
“It was a decision that all of us girls came up with,” Paul’s co-star, Mikayla Matthews, said on Wednesday on social media.
“We didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening.”
Of course, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. What happens next? Is the show gone forever? Will they recast, reboot, or pretend this season never existed? Honestly, your guess is as good as anyone’s.
