And just like that, Season 22 of The Bachelorette has been cancelled amid Taylor Frankie Paul’s latest round of domestic violence accusations from her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. Of course, ABC knew that the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star had a history of domestic violence when they cast her on the show. However, it took a fresh set of allegations and a video of a 2023 domestic violence incident to get them to pull the plug.
Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette Season Cancelled By ABC
ABC cancelled Taylor’s upcoming season of The Bachelorette just days before its scheduled premiere date of March 22. Although network insiders originally said they planned to move forward with the season, newly released video of a 2023 altercation between Taylor and Dakota forced the network to hit pause, per Page Six.
“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,” the network said in a statement.
Taylor’s history of domestic violence resurfaced this week after we learned the exes were involved in another physical altercation. Some reports suggest that Taylor may have tried choking Dakota, whereas other sources claim it was Dakota who got physical with her. Either way, it caused Hulu to halt production of SLOMW Season 5.
Additionally, Dakota is said to have contacted the Department of Child and Family Services to report Taylor for abusing their son. Both exes have been ordered to complete psychological evaluations as the investigation continues.
Meanwhile, both of Taylor’s shows are now on pause, in what might be one of reality TV’s biggest casting fails of all time. However, before ABC pulled the plug, Taylor was in New York City doing press. She talked about how “heavy” it felt to navigate the “unfortunate” domestic violence headlines during another premiere week.
“Honestly, just like, my heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time. Just the timing is hard, and it’s a big deal. I feel like every premiere that I’ve experienced, I’ve never enjoyed fully, so this is another one,” she said.
The Bachelorette and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives are streaming on Hulu and Disney+
TELL US – DID ABC MAKE THE RIGHT CALL BY CANCELLING TAYLOR’S SEASON OF THE BACHELORETTE? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS SCANDAL?
