ABC Cancels Bachelorette Season Starring Taylor Frankie Paul

ABC canceled the upcoming season of The Bachelorette starring Taylor Frankie Paul on March 19, three days before its scheduled premiere on March 22. The decision followed the leak of a 2023 video showing Paul throwing metal barstools at her then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen during a confrontation at a Draper, Utah, residence, with their 2-year-old daughter present and crying in the background.

Paul, a 31-year-old mother of three and star of the Hulu reality series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, had been cast as the lead for season 22 after gaining fame through her online presence and the show, which documents the lives of a group of Mormon influencers known as MomTok. The video, obtained by media outlets, depicted the altercation that led to Paul's arrest in February 2023 on charges including aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child. She later pleaded guilty in abeyance to the assault charge, with other counts dismissed.

The cancellation came amid multiple ongoing investigations into alleged domestic incidents involving Paul and Mortensen, with whom she shares a young son. Draper City Police reported an open probe into a February 22-23 assault at...