Jimmy Kimmel joked about Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette being “canceled” on Disney’s Upfront on Tuesday.
“I never thought I’d see you again!” the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host joked on stage, referring to his suspension last year.
The 58-year-old comedian said of the annual presentation event, “I’ve been through so many difficult things this year, but it’s made me grateful for all the difficult things.”
“Well,” he continued, “you’re going to have to throw a chair at your Mormon boyfriend to get ABC to take you off the air!”
The rift was a thinly veiled joke that Paul’s Search for Love was canceled in March, just days before it was scheduled to premiere.
Following the jab, Reddit users said they “can’t wait” to see the 31-year-old respond to Kimmel’s comments on social media, with one writing that the Emmy winner was “in danger, young lady.”
Paul’s representatives did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
When ABC canceled Season 22 of The Bachelorette, the Mormon Wives star was under investigation for an alleged incident with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, but the network was triggered by footage of her being arrested for domestic violence in 2023.
Leaked video recorded in Mortensen’s cell shows him throwing furniture at his then-partner while his 8-year-old daughter Indi cries in the background.
After Paul’s arrest, she took a plea deal to a third-degree felony charge of aggravated assault, and the aftermath of the scandal was chronicled on a Hulu reality show.
When the throwback footage went viral earlier this year, ABC released a statement saying, “We have decided not to move forward with a new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time and are focused on supporting our family.”
I’ve heard that ABC simply “paused” the season, so it’s possible the season will be released at some point.
Meanwhile, members of Bachelor Nation have expressed mixed feelings about the unprecedented cancellation.
“Let’s see,” Demi Burnett urged ABC during last week’s episode of “Bachelor Happy Hour: Golden Hour.” “So many people worked so hard. It wasn’t just her, it was all of the (staff) working hard.”
However, Ashley Iaconetti agreed in a March interview with Page Six that it was “not appropriate” to air the season.
Singer Doug Mason is rumored to be the winner of Paul’s season, and the pair are reportedly “trying to make their relationship work” amid a custody battle between her and Mortensen over their two-year-old son, Ever.
At the latest hearing, Paul and Mortensen were both given three-year restraining orders against each other.
Kimmel, who interviewed Paul and co-star Whitney Leavitt in 2025, had yet to comment on Paul’s scandal before Tuesday’s joke.
As for his own scandals, Kimmel was benched for a week in September 2025 at the request of the Trump administration over his comments about Charlie Kirk’s death.
Last month, when President Donald Trump and Melania Trump again called for Kimmel’s firing, officials said the network would “continue to hold out” for the host.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
