On Thursday, March 19, 2026, ABC canceled the latest season of “The Bachelorette,” featuring Utahn Taylor Frankie Paul. The network pulled the season due to the surfacing of a 2023 video of an altercation between Paul and her ex-boyfriend, which led to charges. The season premiere of “The Bachelorette” was set to air on Sunday, March 22.
The Decision to Cancel ‘The Bachelorette’ Season
“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,” said a statement from Disney Entertainment Television.
The statement referenced a 2023 video published by TMZ on Thursday, March 19. In 2023, Paul was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and other offenses, including domestic violence in the presence of a child. Paul pleaded guilty in abeyance that August to a misdemeanor charge of aggravated assault. This means that if she complies with the conditions of the plea, the charge will be dropped. All other charges were dismissed.
The Video
The video shows Paul striking Mortensen while he records her actions. In the video, Mortensen can be heard saying, “This is called physical abuse.” Also, in the video, Paul is seen throwing chairs at Mortensen in the presence of her daughter, Indy, who can be heard crying while the fight continues. At one point, Mortensen can be heard exclaiming, “Your daughter just got hit in the head by a metal chair.”
A spokesperson for Paul told People, “It’s sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child. Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior. Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is and sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show, and from their own experiences.”
On March 16, multiple sources reported to PEOPLE that “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” has halted filming for Season 5. One source stated this was due to “some pretty serious stuff happening” regarding Paul’s past. The source continued saying, “They will see what happens. Until that resolves, they are off.”
Additionally, Paul is the founder MomTok. Sources report that members of the TikTok group are distancing themselves from Paul as the situation unfolds. “None of the women want to be associated with her.”
The Current Situation
The Draper City Police Department confirmed there is an open “domestic assault investigation” regarding Paul and Mortensen, saying, “allegations have been made in both directions and contact was made with involved parties on {Feb] 34th and 25th.”
Paul and Mortensen co-parent their one-year-old son, Ever. Paul has majority custody and shares two children, Indy and Ocean, with ex-husband Tate Paul.
“His number one priority here is protecting Ever,” a representative for Mortensen told Entertainment Weekly on March 18.
“He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor. It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well,” the representative added.
A source close to Paul, who has previously maintained the reality star was not “violent” during the February incident, broke her silence following the announcement of the investigation in a press review of her dating show stint on March 17.
“Honestly, just like, my heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time. Just the timing is hard, and it’s a big deal. I feel like every premiere that I’ve experienced, I’ve never enjoyed fully, so this is another one… it’s extremely hard, and it took everything to get me here today,” she told PEOPLE.
The source asserts Paul calls Mortensen “all the time” between 10 p.m and 3 a.m. She added, “We’re all worried for Taylor’s well-being. We want Taylor to get the help she needs.”
For anyone experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or go to thehotline.org. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. All calls are free and confidential.
Sources:
KSL.com: ABC cancels ‘Bachelorette’ season with Utahn Taylor Frankie Paul, citing 2023 video
People.com: Taylor Frankie Paul Throws Chairs at Dakota Mortensen with Child Nearby in Shocking Leaked Video from 2023
Entertainment Weekly: Taylor Frankie Paul’s ex Dakota Mortensen reacts to domestic violence investigation (Excl)
Featured Image Courtesy of loren chipman’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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