The team behind The Bachelorette is having a terrible week. Just days before Season 22 was set to premiere, their leading lady, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul, was accused of domestic violence and child abuse by her ex, Dakota Mortensen. It’s a perfectly timed PR nightmare, and now, insiders say her season could end up getting shelved.
ABC are reportedly holding discussions about The Bachelorette Season 22
Although Taylor already had one domestic violence arrest under her belt when she started her reality TV career, this latest round of accusations has resulted in some major consequences. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has stopped filming for Season 5 while police investigate what happened between the exes, and supposedly, The Bachelorette could be next.
Insiders spoke to Naughty But Nice about the conversations going on at ABC right now, and essentially, everyone is freaking out.
“This has turned into a full-blown crisis,” a source said. “There are serious conversations happening about whether the show can move forward as planned.”
Previous reports suggested that the season would go on as planned, despite the seriousness of the accusations against Taylor. However, the situation quickly changed when Cinnabon announced it would be pulling out of its promotional partnership with both of Taylor’s shows.
“When sponsors start running, networks panic,” one source added. “And that’s exactly what’s happening here.”
With advertising dollars on the line, the team behind The Bachelorette is reportedly weighing all of their options about how to move forward with Taylor’s season. It’s not a good look to have an alleged abuser leading a show about finding fairytale romance, and the clock is ticking on how they can figure this out.
“Everything is being reevaluated,” the source said.. “Nothing feels locked anymore.”
For now, things are still going as planned with Season 22. ABC hasn’t made any announcements, but that could change in the coming days.
The Bachelorette premieres on ABC on Sunday, March 22 at 8/7c. You can stream it the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
TELL US – SHOULD ABC CANCEL TAYLOR’S SEASON OF THE BACHELORETTE? DID THEY MAKE A MISTAKE BY CASTING HER IN THE FIRST PLACE?
