The Real Reason ABC Canceled Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette Season After a Leaked Video Seemingly Showed Her Kid Getting Hit with a Chair
The Bachelorette is no more. Again. ABC has announced that they’re cancelling the upcoming season of the reality TV dating show, which was set to star Taylor Frankie Paul. Season 22 of the show was set to premiere Sunday, March 22. There has been no announcement from the network as to whether the season will ever see the light of day.
But what exactly happened? Why did ABC reach this monumental decision? And what does this mean for the future of the franchise?
Why Was Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette Season Canceled?
Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette was cancelled after a video showcasing an instance of domestic assault involving Paul was released. Earlier this week, it was reported that filming had paused on Season 5 of Hulu‘s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives due to this very same domestic assault investigation involving Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortenson.
In the video, published by TMZ, Paul is seen pushing and kicking Mortensen as he asks her to stop and to “let me go.” The recording does not capture what led to the altercation, but it does show her throwing several metal barstools at Mortenson, with her daughter very close. According to TMZ, the incident led to Paul’s arrest in 2023. At the time, Paul was charged with assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
Paul pleaded guilty in abeyance to an aggravated assault charge in August 2025, and the other four charges were dismissed with prejudice. The Draper City Police Department confirmed that there is an open “domestic assault investigation” involving the pair, with allegations “made in both directions.” Taylor Frankie Paul also alleged abuse on Mortenson’s part.
“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.
The news comes after a complicated few months for The Bachelor, which was once one of TV’s most popular reality TV dating shows. Last season, ABC did not air a season of The Bachelorette, and it fired the franchise’s two showrunners for fostering a toxic workplace.
Paul’s season was meant to be a triumphant return, particularly because Paul was already famous because of her role in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. She was asked about the news during a press event just a few days ago, and only said, “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… It’s extremely hard, and it took everything to get me here today.”
“I’m a person that will always speak my truth … that’s what I’m known for,” Paul said on GMA on March 18. “And so when the time is right, I will be, but right now, just trying to be in the present moment and focus on this,” she added, referring to the premiere of The Bachelorette. Now, that won’t be happening. Does that mean we can expect a statement?
