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In a move that began to feel inevitable in recent days, ABC has canceled Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette.
The decision follows the release of shocking footage that shows Paul assaulting then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
At one point in the video, Paul threw several chairs at Mortensen, one of which allegedly struck her 5-year-old daughter.
Taylor Frankie Paul attends the Los Angeles Premiere and FYC Event of Hulu’s “The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives” Season 2 at Paramount Studios on May 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Images)“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” Disney said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon (per NBC News).
Many fans of The Bachelorette and its related series are breathing a sigh of relief today, as the consensus among fan groups was that Paul’s season would’ve permanently degraded one of the longest-running franchises in reality TV history.
Paul’s other series, the Hulu reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, has already suspended production in response to recent developments.
Taylor has not yet issued a statement on what may well be the end of her career as a reality star and influencer.
Taylor Frankie Paul attends Hulu’s Get Real House at Casa Lago on April 22, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)Asked about the scandal during an appearance on Wednesday’s Good Morning America, Paul declined to go into specifics but admitted that it had “been a heavy time to see the headlines.”
“But I will say, I’ve been here before, and I got through it, and, you know, shared my story, my light. So I’m hoping that I can do that again,” she added.
From the beginning, Mortensen has maintained that ABC was aware of the allegations against Paul, and they made the decision to cast her as Bachelorette in spite of the risks.
He also denied Taylor’s allegation that he was the one who made the allegations public.
“His number one priority here is protecting [their 2-year-old son], Ever,” a rep for Mortensen tells Entertainment Weekly, adding:
Taylor Frankie Paul attends SiriusXM’s Radio Andy Presentation: Town Hall with the cast of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” at SiriusXM Studios on May 08, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for SiriusXM)“He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor.
“It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well. He was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away. He’s never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side,” the spokesperson continued.