ABC Cancels 'Bachelorette' Season 22 After Taylor Frankie Paul Video
ABC canceled the 22nd season of The Bachelorette on March 19, just three days before its scheduled Sunday premiere, after a 2023 video surfaced showing lead Taylor Frankie Paul attacking her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, while her young daughter was present in the room.
A Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson confirmed the cancellation 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," the statement read.
What the Video Showed
The footage, published by TMZ on March 19, showed Paul throwing a chair at Mortensen during an incident that took place in 2023. Her daughter Indy, who was five years old at the time, was heard crying nearby. According to a 2023 indictment, the child was struck when Paul threw heavy metal chairs at Mortensen.
"This is called physical abuse," Mortensen said while filming the incident. "Your daughter just got hit in the head by a metal chair."
The incident resulted in Paul's arrest on misdemeanor charges of assault, criminal mischief, and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child. Paul later pled guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault, meaning the charge will be dismissed if she complies with the conditions of the plea. The remaining charges have already been dismissed.
Competing Statements
Paul's spokesperson pushed back on the video's release, calling it a "desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign" timed to coincide with the couple's son's birthday. The statement claimed the footage omitted context and characterized Mortensen's actions as a pattern of manipulation.
Paul's team also said she had "silently suffered extensive mental and physical abuse" during the relationship and that she was "finally gaining the strength to face her accuser."
Mortensen denied those claims in his own statement. "I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny," he said. "I am focusing on our son and his safety."
The Financial Fallout
The cancellation is expected to carry a steep financial cost for ABC. Each episode of The Bachelorette reportedly costs an estimated two million dollars to produce. With seasons typically running between nine and thirteen episodes, the total production investment on Paul's season could reach well into the tens of millions.
Beyond production costs, ABC also faces losses from marketing spend, ad sales, and trade-out deals with airlines, hotels, and other brands that had paid for exposure on the primetime show. During The Golden Bachelorette's first season in 2024, a 30-second advertising spot cost nearly $87,000. The full scope of ad revenue now at risk has not been disclosed.
Warner Bros. TV Group, which owns the franchise, now faces additional challenges around international distribution and revenue recovery. The official Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, produced with Warner Bros. Unscripted, may also be affected. ABC has since removed Paul and the season entirely from its network website.
A Season Already Under a Cloud
The cancellation did not come entirely without warning. On March 16, filming on season 5 of the Hulu series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives had already been halted due to what a source described as "some pretty serious stuff happening regarding Taylor's past."
The Draper City Police Department confirmed an open domestic assault investigation involving Paul and Mortensen, with a spokesperson noting that "allegations have been made in both directions."
Paul and Mortensen began dating in the summer of 2022, following Paul's split from her then-husband Tate Paul amid a widely covered "soft-swinging" scandal. Their relationship was documented across multiple seasons of Mormon Wives. Paul and Mortensen welcomed a son, Ever, in 2024, and Paul announced their split in January 2025. She was announced as the lead of Bachelorette season 22 in September of last year.
What Comes Next
ABC has not announced what will replace The Bachelorette in its Sunday premiere slot. Warner Bros. continues to weigh its options for distributing the completed or partially completed season internationally.
For the franchise, the more pressing question is what comes next creatively. Pulling a season three days before its debut is without precedent in the show's history, and the financial and reputational damage is still being assessed.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-799-7233. All calls are confidential and available in more than 170 languages.
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