There’s no question that “The Bachelorette” needed a big change. Jen Tran’s season ended in 2024 after another failed engagement, and the show went on hiatus the following year, so whoever ABC chose to star in season 22 had to be someone who could regain America’s attention. Well, that’s exactly what the network and producer Warner Bros. TV did, as evidenced by ABC’s indefinite cancellation of the show (which was scheduled to premiere Sunday) after video leaked of a domestic violence incident between Taylor Frankie Paul and her on-again, off-again boyfriend Dakota Mortensen in 2023. But this is definitely a nightmare scenario for companies.
But they should have seen it coming. The clues were all shown in Hulu’s popular series, “The Secret Life of Mrs. Mormon.” In September, the announcement that the 31-year-old “Mormon Wife” star had been chosen as The Bachelorette sent shockwaves across Bachelor Nation. This was the first time in The Bachelorette history that a season’s star had never previously appeared on The Bachelor or been linked to the series in any way. But the splashy reveal on Alex Cooper’s podcast “Call Her Daddy” and the rabid fan base of Paul’s own Hulu reality show promised to deliver exactly what “The Bachelorette” needed: viewers.
But casting Paul on The Bachelorette was always a risk. Because her public persona was always the writing on the wall. Even though it helped “Mormon Wives” succeed, Paul’s brand is chaos, and as the de facto leader of #MomTok, chaos follows her everywhere she goes. And she’s not hiding it. In fact, the opposite is true. Hulu’s rush to release Season 4 of “Mormon Housewives” on March 12 seemed like a negative advertisement for “The Bachelorette,” which was scheduled to air 10 days later. Throughout the season, Paul is unable to stop his relationship with Mortensen, despite everything. No matter how much her friends and family warned her, and despite risking her own mental health and the well-being of their children and her children with her ex-husband, Paul never listened to reason. The success of “Mormon Wives,” #MomTok, and her future opportunities with starring on “The Bachelorette” — none of those things seem to matter to her. She’s clearly addicted to Mortensen and everything else is a no go.
The season 4 finale ends with Paul flying from Utah to Los Angeles to begin filming “The Bachelorette.” But there’s a problem. She again spent the night with Mortensen, so when her friends went to the airport to see her off with fanfare, all they saw was Paul’s mother and sister, who departed without her. When her friends go to Paul’s house and literally barge in to try and reason with her, Paul claims to be sick. That night, she finally makes her way to Los Angeles, but nothing could be more eerie than the beginning of a journey to find love — which is what The Bachelor series is supposed to be all about.
Paul certainly knows how to create a spectacle, that’s for sure. Paul, a single mom from Utah, first caused a stir when she revealed on TikTok that she and her (now ex) husband were dating another Mormon couple (also known as “soft swingers”). Paul’s honest and somewhat free confessions, broadcast on TikTok Live and sparking a war of words on the platform between those involved, became part of her appeal. Here was a young woman who wasn’t shy about speaking her mind no matter who she offended. Needless to say, the internet loved it. And Hulu came along to document how this affected Paul and her young Mormon influencer friends (aka #MomTok). “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” which premiered in September 2024 and already has its fourth season, was an instant hit, delivering the most-watched unscripted premiere on Hulu that year. The second season, which aired last spring, was nominated for a primetime Emmy Award. Why wouldn’t ABC and ‘The Bachelorette’ want any part of it?
However, a dark shadow loomed behind them. The pilot episode of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” ends with Paul being arrested in February 2023 after an argument with Mortensen, whom he had just begun dating. She allegedly hit, choked and threw metal chairs at him, one of which allegedly hit one of her former relationship’s children. Paul pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault, but charges of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse and criminal mischief were dismissed. Because she’s still on three years of probation, she can’t leave the country for the typical “Bachelorette” trip around the world, and producers had to coordinate the trip.
The events of 2023 were just the beginning of a vicious cycle. Episode 2 picks up a year later, when Paul is pregnant with Mortensen’s child. Over the course of the next three seasons, viewers will see Paul and Mortensen break up, make up, sleep together, and repeat. This is a classic case of an abusive relationship, where the bad behavior appears to be coming from both parties.
In the days leading up to the premiere of The Bachelorette, news surrounding Paul exploded. Earlier this week, production on Season 5 of Mormon Wives was postponed due to a new domestic violence incident between Paul and Mortensen, and both suspects are currently under investigation by the Draper, Utah Police Department.
However, Paul’s “Bachelorette” promotional schedule continued unabated. ABC continued to have Paul appear at events and press conferences, and she did not hesitate to speak to reporters. At a “Bachelorette” event in New York City on Tuesday, Paul told People that he’s “certainly having a hard time.” The next morning, during a live appearance on “Good Morning America,” she was asked about the production hiatus on “Mormon Housewives,” and said that she “doesn’t have any say in production,” even though “GMA” anchor Lara Spencer appropriately pointed out that she was an executive producer.
“I think it’s just that we’re sharing our lives and producing our lives…but we don’t necessarily know what that means,” Paul said of her role. Regarding the allegations against her, she said: “I’ve always been a truth-teller, you know, that’s what I’m known for. So when the time comes, I’ll do it.”
But on Thursday, TMZ obtained and published video of the 2023 incident. As Paul and Mortensen yelled at each other, she threw three metal bar stools at him, one of which landed near the child, who began crying. While it’s impossible to know the exact events leading up to that moment, Paul’s rep said it was “taken out of context” and “a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own actions” – and the video does not paint Paul in a positive light. All details of the arrest were in the public record, but some of the charges against Paul have been dropped, and Disney officials say they did not see the video of the 2023 incident until TMZ posted it.
In a statement released by ABC after the show was cancelled, a spokesperson for Paul claimed that Mortensen was abusive and said: “Too many women suffer in silence, surviving with aggressive and jealous ex-partners who won’t let them move on with their lives.”
Obviously, airing Paul’s season is not only irresponsible, but also completely dangerous to the credibility of “The Bachelorette,” for ABC and parent company Disney, producer Warner Bros., and most of all, Paul’s well-being.
The problem is, Paul shouldn’t have been on The Bachelorette in the first place. It’s obvious to casual viewers of “Secrets of the Mormon Wife” that she struggles with her mental health, and in the world of reality TV, the most vulnerable are too often exploited for entertainment and viewership. Of course Paul doesn’t deserve to be loved, but until she truly heals and breaks the cycle of abuse from Mortensen, what’s the point in her dating 30 men in front of the world? As this week’s events sadly prove, appearing on another reality show didn’t solve Paul’s problems.
