ABC has canceled season 22 of The Bachelorette, three days before it was scheduled to premiere, after a disturbing video surfaced showing star Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex-boyfriend involved in a domestic violence incident.
The new season of the reality dating show had been slated to debut on Sunday, March 22. Instead, all of the episodes have been shelved.
In a statement released on March 19, Disney Entertainment Television said: “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.”
TMZ published the footage earlier today. It shows Taylor attacking then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen during a violent altercation in 2023. It’s unclear what led to the fight.
Dakota recorded the video with his cell phone. He says in the video, “This is called physical abuse.”
The footage shows Taylor repeatedly hitting him. She throws multiple chairs at him in front of her daughter Indy, who was 5 years old at the time.
Taylor repeatedly yells, “You did this!” It’s unclear what she’s referring to.
Dakota shouts back, “Your daughter is sitting right there.”
You can then hear a child start to cry and scream “mommy.”
“Your daughter just got hit in the head with a metal chair!” Dakota says.
The camera goes dark but you can still hear the child and the adults all screaming.
Taylor tells Dakota, “Get away from my daughter! Get away!”
According to published reports, police responded to the home after a neighbor complained about the noise. A police report was filed, saying the child was struck and had a “goose egg on her head.”
Taylor, a single mother-of-three, was charged with aggravated assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury, and criminal mischief, according to ABC4 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, and was placed on 3 years of probation, which ends in August.
Taylor gained fame on social media with “MomTok” videos, leading to the launch of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives about a group of Utah-based TikTok influencers. The reality show premiered in 2024, and led to the mom influencer getting cast as the lead on The Bachelorette.
Earlier this week, NBC News reported there’s an “ongoing investigation” by the Utah Division of Children and Family Services of both Taylor and Dakota.
Police in Utah told People “allegations have been made on both directions.”
Hulu paused production on the show this week amid the drama surrounding Taylor.
Meanwhile, questions have been swirling for days as to why ABC would cast someone to star on The Bachelorette with a previous arrest.
In press materials, the network described Taylor as a “TikTok powerhouse,” who produces “heartwarming and bitingly honest content.”
Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, a division of Warner Bros., produces the show for ABC. Scott Teti serves as executive producer.
Taylor appeared on Good Morning America Wednesday and said it’s been “heavy” to read the headlines about her as the story exploded.
“I’m a person that will always speak my truth. That’s what I’m known for. So when the time is right, I will be,” she said.
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