Their airtime journey has come to an end.
The men who tried to find love with Taylor Frankie Paul on “The Bachelorette” could face legal action after the season ends.
Five contestants from the competition series are considering filing a lawsuit against ABC and Warner Bros. Discovery, sources told TMZ on Saturday.
A disturbing 2023 video of Paul throwing a chair at ex-girlfriend Dakota Mortensen during a domestic violence incident was leaked on Thursday, prompting the network to cancel the upcoming season, which was scheduled to air on Sunday.
Sources also told the magazine that the five contestants felt that Warner Bros. Discovery, which produced the season, created an unsafe working environment by allowing them to be in such close quarters with Paul given his past history.
On Harvey Levin and Mark Geragos’ podcast, “Two Angry Men,” the co-hosts explained that some men have put their lives on hold, quit their jobs, and lost financial opportunities in exchange for TV exposure while vying for Paul’s heart.
But ABC is already in trouble, with sources telling Page Six that canceling the season is expected to cost the network tens of millions of dollars.
“It could be $50 million (or more). Someone has to be fired for this. That’s ridiculous,” the source said.
“They had to know. Didn’t they do a background check on her? This is a disaster. It’s going to cost millions of dollars! It’s going to cost between $10 million and $15 million, maybe more, including production costs,” a second source elaborated.
On the program, he also negotiated prizes for clients such as hotels that were scheduled to be featured on the program.
On Thursday, a Disney spokesperson confirmed to Page Six that Disney is canceling the season of “The Secret of Mrs. Mormon.”
“In light of today’s newly released video, we have made the decision not to move forward with a new season of The Bachelorette at this time and are focused on supporting our family,” they said.
Instead, the series will be replaced with reruns of “American Idol,” another source revealed to Page Six.
An industry source said that after the video was released, “they had no choice but to cancel[the show].” “This is a show for women. What woman, what mother would watch a woman throw a chair with her child nearby?”
The 2023 incident occurred while the TikToker’s daughter Indi, who was 5 years old at the time, was in the room.
Paul was arrested at the time and charged with misdemeanor assault, criminal mischief, and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
All charges were dropped and the two settled the same year. Paul and Mortensen then announced that they were ending their marriage for good in 2024, after welcoming their son Ever, one year old.
Paul’s representatives said in a statement Thursday that the video was “conveniently taken out of context” and that it was Mortensen’s “endless, desperate, attention-seeking and destructive campaign to harm Taylor with no regard for the impact on the child.”
Mortensen, for his part, denied her claims, saying, “I am focused on my son and his safety, and I hope that Mr. Taylor will do the same.”
Representatives for ABC and “The Bachelorette” did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
