Bachelorette Season Canceled After Domestic Violence Video Leaked

Taylor Frankie Paul's unaired season of The Bachelorette was canceled after a graphic domestic violence video involving her ex, Dakota Mortensen, was leaked to the press. The decision by ABC to scrap the season is detailed in the fifth season of the Hulu reality series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which reveals the events that transpired after Paul returned from filming. According to the show, Paul accepted a proposal from Doug Mason during the finale of her Bachelorette season. However, upon returning to Utah, she reconnected with Mortensen, the father of her child, and they slept together while she was still engaged to Mason. Paul disclosed this to her friends on the show, stating, "I don't like the word cheating," though her friends disagreed. The leaked footage, which surfaced on TMZ, showed a 2023 altercation between Paul and Mortensen that had previously led to Paul's arrest and guilty plea for aggravated assault. The leak prompted ABC to cancel the Bachelorette season just before its scheduled premiere. Production on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was also paused in March 2026 amid the resulting public relations crisis.