ABC has cancelled the upcoming season of The Bachelorette featuring Taylor Frankie Paul, announcing the move Thursday just days before the scheduled Sunday premiere. A Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson told CBS News the decision came “in light of the newly released video just surfaced today,” and added the network’s focus is “on supporting the family.”
The statement appears to refer to a TMZ-published 2023 video connected to an altercation between Paul and her former partner, Dakota Mortensen. Paul was arrested in 2023 and initially faced multiple charges, including aggravated assault and an allegation of domestic violence in the presence of a child. In August 2023 she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of aggravated assault; remaining charges were dismissed.
Draper City, Utah, police confirmed to People magazine — and later to CBS News — that there is an open domestic-assault investigation involving Paul and Mortensen, saying allegations have been made by both parties. Mortensen is the father of one of Paul’s three children. Representatives for Mortensen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement late Thursday, Paul’s spokesperson said she is “very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security.” The statement alleges Paul “spent years silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation” and says she is “finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected.” It added that Paul had remained quiet out of fear of further abuse, retaliation and public shaming, and that she is exploring her options and preparing to tell her story.
ABC has not announced programming plans to fill the show’s vacated time slot.
Paul had been publicly promoting the new season as recently as Wednesday, including an appearance on Good Morning America and attendance at the Oscars red carpet. Her casting was notable because she is not a former contestant from the Bachelor franchise; she is a 31-year-old who rose to prominence as a #MomTok influencer. She also appears on Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives; both Hulu and ABC are owned by Disney. When ABC unveiled her as the lead in October, the network credited her with “igniting ‘MomTok’ and going viral for pulling back the curtain on Salt Lake’s soft-swinging scene.”
Paul first drew widespread attention in 2022 after saying she had “stepped out” of an agreement with her then-husband regarding relationships with other couples; the couple later divorced. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered in 2024; while Season 4 was released last week, production on Season 5 was paused amid the investigation. Co-star Mikayla Matthews said on Instagram that the cast collectively decided to halt filming because they “didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening.”
Paul had posted in December that filming on The Bachelorette had wrapped. The series is hosted by Jesse Palmer.