ABC has abruptly canceled the upcoming season of The Bachelorette featuring Taylor Frankie Paul, just three days before its scheduled premiere. The decision comes after the surfacing of graphic video footage depicting a 2023 domestic violence incident involving the reality star.
A spokesperson for Disney Entertainment Television confirmed the move in a statement on Thursday, March 19. “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,” the statement read. “Our focus is on supporting the family.”
The season was slated to debut Sunday, March 22.
Evidence of Violence Surfaces
The cancellation follows a report by TMZ earlier Thursday, which published video footage from 2023. The video shows Paul, 30, throwing metal chairs at her then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
The footage provides a visual record of an incident that led to Paul’s 2023 arrest. In the clip, Paul’s eldest daughter, Indy, is seen in the room crying as the altercation unfolds. Mortensen, who was filming the encounter, can be heard saying, “Your daughter just got hit in the head by a metal chair.”
According to the 2023 indictment, the child was struck after Paul threw “heavy, metal chairs” at Mortensen. While Paul previously told the Call Her Daddy podcast in September 2025 that the charges were “all dropped” and denied intentionally hurting her children, the release of the visual evidence proved a bridge too far for network executives.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(992x290:994x292):format(webp)/taylor-frankie-paul-dakota-mortensen-031226-ca747a39a42849c0a14549013385e816.jpg)
Mounting Legal and Production Troubles
The Bachelorette cancellation follows a week of spiraling controversy for the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star:
- Production Halted: Earlier this week, sources confirmed that filming for Season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was suspended due to “serious” issues regarding Paul’s past.
- Active Investigation: The Draper City Police Department confirmed an open “domestic assault investigation” involving both Paul and Mortensen, with allegations made by both parties as recently as late February.
- Co-Parenting Conflict: A representative for Mortensen stated his priority is protecting their 2-year-old son, Ever, while denying responsibility for the video’s leak.
Conflicting Narratives
Paul’s legal team has fired back, characterizing the video’s release as a “destructive campaign” by Mortensen.
“Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior,” a spokesperson for Paul said in a statement.
Just 24 hours prior to the cancellation, Paul appeared on Good Morning America, describing the week as a “heavy time” but expressing excitement for her journey as the Bachelorette. She told viewers she would “speak her truth” when the time was right. For now, that time has been indefinitely postponed by the network.
