ABC pulled the plug Thursday on Season 22 of “The Bachelorette” just three days before its scheduled premiere, after a video surfaced showing lead Taylor Frankie Paul attacking her ex-boyfriend in front of their child, a development that triggered swift fallout from sponsors, co-stars and the network’s parent company, Disney.
Disney announced it would not move forward with the season hours after TMZ published footage from a 2023 incident showing Ms. Paul pushing and kicking Dakota Mortensen while her daughter was present in the room.
“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,” a Disney spokesperson said.
The season had been set to premiere Sunday on ABC. A source connected to the show told TMZ that no one at ABC had seen the video before TMZ posted it Thursday morning.
The 2023 incident had already resulted in Ms. Paul’s arrest. Court records show she pleaded guilty in abeyance to an aggravated assault charge in August 2025, with four other charges dismissed with prejudice. The arrest, which included charges of assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a minor, was documented in the first episode of Season 1 of Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
Ms. Paul, a mother of three and one of the creators of the #MomTok social media movement, was announced as “The Bachelorette” lead last September. The casting was seen as a potential shot in the arm for a franchise that had struggled in recent years, given her 6.1 million TikTok followers and 2.3 million Instagram followers.
The week leading up to the cancellation had been a cascade of bad news. Three sources familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News that Ms. Paul and Mr. Mortensen are part of an “ongoing investigation,” and that “Mormon Wives” had stopped filming during the probe. The Draper City Police Department told People that domestic assault “allegations have been made in both directions” and that “contact was made with involved parties” on Feb. 24 and 25.
Ms. Paul addressed the allegations during a press preview for the show on Tuesday. “Honestly, just like, my heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time,” she said. “Just the timing is hard, and it’s a big deal.”
After the video was published Thursday, Ms. Paul said in a phone interview with NBC News: “I will have my truth.” Her representative issued a statement characterizing the release of the footage as “the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child,” and called its timing, on the couple’s son’s birthday, “reprehensible.”
Mr. Mortensen’s representative said his “number one priority” is protecting their 2-year-old son, Ever.
Ms. Paul’s scheduled appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” planned for Wednesday to promote the season, was canceled by NBC. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter a rescheduled appearance is unlikely.
The fallout extended to the show’s corporate partners as well. Cinnabon announced it was terminating its collaboration with both “The Bachelorette” and “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” saying recent developments “no longer align with our brand values.”
Ms. Paul’s co-stars on “Mormon Wives” also moved to distance themselves. A source told People that the cast does not want to be associated with her, adding, “None of the women want to be associated with her.” Cast member Mikayla Matthews confirmed the production pause was a collective decision. “It was a decision that all us girls came up with and agreed on,” Ms. Matthews wrote. “We didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that has happened.”
A source close to the production told NBC News that Hulu mandated a weeklong filming break after executives “witnessed” discussions of domestic violence during production, and that cast members said they would not continue unless Hulu took action.
ABC has not announced what programming will replace “The Bachelorette” in its Sunday night time slot.
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