ABC Cancels Bachelorette Season 22 After Video Shows Star Assaulting Ex-Partner

ABC has pulled the upcoming season of The Bachelorette just days before its scheduled premiere after footage emerged showing the show's star, Taylor Frankie Paul, physically attacking her former partner — including throwing what appeared to be a metal barstool at him while her young daughter was in the room.

The 22nd season had been due to air on Sunday, with Paul — a TikTok influencer best known for Hulu's Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — in the lead role as the Bachelorette. Disney, which owns ABC, said in a statement: "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." A rerun of American Idol will air in its place.

The video, which was published by TMZ on Thursday, shows Paul kicking her ex-partner Dakota Mortensen and throwing chairs at him during an altercation in 2023. Mortensen is heard shouting: "Your daughter is sitting right there!" and, according to an indictment obtained by People magazine, her daughter was also struck by one of the chairs thrown. Crying can be heard in the footage.

Paul was arrested in February 2023 in connection with the incident and later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. She entered what is known as a plea in abeyance, meaning that the charge would be reduced to a misdemeanor if she abided by her plea agreement for three years. She is currently still serving three years' probation. 

A separate domestic violence investigation related to an incident in February this year is also underway, with Draper City police telling People magazine that "allegations have been made in both directions" between Paul and Mortensen.

Taylor Frankie Paul had appeared on Good Morning America on Wednesday to promote the show, saying: "Honestly, it's been a heavy time to see the headlines, especially during this time of 'The Bachelorette' being released. It was supposed to be a really exciting time." 

A statement from Paul's team subsequently accused Mortensen of "a never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor" and called it "a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behaviour." 

In a separate statement, Paul's representative said she "is very grateful for ABC's support as she prioritizes her family's safety and security," adding that she was "finally gaining the strength to face her accuser."

Mortensen, the father of Taylor's third child, told E! News he was "unfortunately used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny," adding that the situation was "deeply upsetting." His statement to People magazine said he was "focusing on our son and his safety."

Taylor rose to prominence through #MomTok, a TikTok community of young Utah mothers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She made headlines in 2022 when she announced her divorce from her husband Tate Paul and revealed on a TikTok live stream that the two of them had engaged in "soft swinging" with other couples, which then became the premise of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

Paul's legal troubles were hardly a secret. Her 2023 arrest had already featured in the first season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which premiered in September 2024, making her casting as The Bachelorette a controversial decision from the start. ABC has not confirmed if the season, which was reportedly filmed in full at the end of last year, will ever air.

Production on the next season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which also airs under the Disney umbrella via Hulu, has also been paused. Taylor's co-star Mikayla Matthews said the decision was made collectively by the rest of the Secret Lives cast: "We didn't feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening."

The decision is unprecedented for the long-running franchise, which has navigated controversy before but never scrapped a full season. Last year, ABC faced criticism after it emerged that the previous season's winner, Devin Strader, had faced allegations of physical assault and requests for a restraining order from a former girlfriend in 2017. Strader denied the accusations and said the restraining order sought was never granted.