This article contains discussions of domestic violence and abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
The 22nd season of The Bachelorette, starring Taylor Frankie Paul, is replacing its red roses with criminal allegations just three days before the show was supposed to air.
The decision to pull the already filmed series was made by Hulu’s parent company, Disney, after TMZ leaked unseen footage on March 19 from Taylor Frankie Paul’s domestic violence case in 2023. The leaked clip shows the reality television star extremely intoxicated and verbally as well as physically abusing her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. At the same time, her then five-year-old child was present and was reportedly struck in the midst of her violent outburst.
The TMZ clip shows Paul throwing metal chairs at Mortensen, as a child is heard crying in the background. “Your daughter is right here. Your daughter just got hit in the head with a metal chair!” Mortensen can be heard saying.
In a police report from Feb. 2023, Detective Matthew Clark of the Herriman Police Department said he talked to the father about the child’s injuries: “He told me there were no noticeable injuries that you could see,” Clark said. “However, when he felt [redacted name of child ]’s head, he could feel a bump that was painful. He said he tried getting a photo of it, but it was not able to due to her hair and its small size.”
This history has caused second thoughts about Paul’s future in the entertainment industry.
The cancellation
In response to the video, a Disney Entertainment spokesperson stated on March 19 that the company no longer planned to release Paul’s season of The Bachelorette.
“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”.
Paul’s appearance on The Bachelorette was highly anticipated, after the reality television show in which she stars, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, was Hulu’s most-streamed unscripted series. Taylor Frankie Paul’s season also came at a time when the network was already seeing declining viewership. When the franchise first started, they averaged eight to ten million views per season, and now the show is barely able to break three million views. This has led many to speculate what this could mean for the future of the franchise.
Taylor Frankie Paul’s domestic violence case was first spotlighted in the premiere of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives in 2024. Episode one featured the 911 call and police bodycam footage of the night Paul was arrested. In watching the episode, viewers are immediately confronted with Paul at one of her lowest points, starkly contrasting with the values and ideals associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the series.
Paul’s response
In her interview on Alex Cooper‘s podcast “Call Her Daddy,” Paul called the event her rock bottom and described how it felt dealing with a traumatic event so publicly.
“[It was] one of my lowest nights on freaking TV, and it’s embarrassing. But with that has come a lot of learning lessons, and I’ve become a better mom because of it.”
Paul has since spent time in therapy, working on being with her kids and accepting the situation. In later seasons of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Paul voluntarily attends an intense 11-day therapy and wellness retreat to work on healing her past trauma and improving her mental health.
With the release of the new video, it has reopened wounds for Paul, not just publicly, but internally too. When responding to the question of how she planned to deal with new domestic violence allegations, Paul stated she plans to navigate this time the same way she did before: sharing her story even if it isn’t pretty.
“I will say I’ve been here before and I’ve gotten through it and shared my story,” Paul said. “I am hoping that I can do that again.”
Balancing empathy with Accountability
Although the new Bachelorette season never aired, the 22nd season of The Bachelorette was not without its own set of emotional fallout. The controversy surrounding Paul and her past actions leaves a complex intersection of scrutiny and accountability. For The Bachelorette, this incident serves as an important lesson on casting choices and crisis management. For Paul, this represents another lesson in her continued journey of personal growth, healing, and navigating the challenges of living life in the public eye.