The 22nd season of "The Bachelorette" was supposed to premiere March 22, but production was cancelled after horrific videos of star Taylor Frankie Paul leaked online.
On Thursday, ABC confirmed its cancellation of the season after a video circulated on the internet featuring Paul engaging in violent behavior toward her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.
The video captures Paul putting Mortensen into a headlock and kicking him. She is then shown throwing three stools at Mortensen while a child cries in the background. Mortensen tries to comfort the child, but Paul refuses to let him.
Paul has been on the internet since 2020, when she claims to have founded MomTok. Her original idea was to romanticize motherhood through the tight-knit group of Utah-based mothers. These women depict their strict following of Mormon culture online, including their zero-use belief toward alcohol and coffee.
The show “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” premiered in 2024 and starred Paul alongside fellow MomTok creators Whitney Leavitt, Mikayla Matthews and Mayci Neely.
In May 2022, Paul had a spark of fame following her divorce announcement, which was livestreamed on TikTok. She explained that she was in a swinging relationship, as were other women in her group. This meant that Paul was having relations with people other than her husband, and there is footage of her kissing another woman on MomTok.
In February 2023, Paul was arrested for assault after a drunken incident with her then-boyfriend, Mortensen. Body camera footage was later shown on the show. Paul spoke about this incident on Alex Cooper’s podcast “Call Her Daddy” in September 2025.
Paul has three children. She shares two with her ex-husband, Tate Paul, and one with her ex-boyfriend, Mortensen. The oldest was born in 2017, the youngest in 2024.
In 2023, Paul was charged with domestic violence, child abuse with injury and criminal mischief. She pleaded guilty to the assault charge in August, and the others were dismissed. She and Mortensen continued to date until 2024, finally breaking their on-again-off-again relationship.
Paul was slated to be the star of the next season of “The Bachelorette.” At the time the videos were leaked, the season had gone into production, post-production and was ready for the big screen.
There are plenty of other legal and monetary questions circling the internet as well. Contracts between ABC and Horizon Unscripted Television are not public, and it is unclear if ABC will get its money back for Horizon failing to background check Paul. The host of “The Bachelor,” Emmanuel Acho, commented on getting into the show. He claimed that he was given numerous background checks and assumed that Paul was given the same treatment.
“The franchise knew everything you needed to know about this woman, and they turned a blind eye. And that is what to me is disgusting,” Acho said.
Fans also wonder if Paul will get paid, or if she will return any money she has received. Some speculate that ABC will sue Paul, or that other contestants may sue the production company for their season not being aired.
Season five of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” has also been halted due to the ongoing investigation into Paul’s alleged abuse. Hulu has not publicly commented on her return or whether she will be part of this next season.
On March 18, Paul appeared on “Good Morning America” and said that she was unsure if she would appear on the show again. Since she left to film “The Bachelorette,” fans were already unsure how much screen time she would have on the show due to scheduling conflicts.
Taylor Frankie Paul’s future is uncertain, as is her time on the big screen. The cancellation of “The Bachelorette” and the pause on season five of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” have left reality TV fans questioning what will happen next.
