Taylor Frankie Paul is 'The Bachelorette.' Disney/Sami Drasin Once the video came out, ABC had no choice.
On Thursday, just three days ahead of the scheduled premiere of Taylor Frankie Paul‘s (The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) Bachelorette season, TMZ posted leaked video of a February 2023 domestic violence incident involving Paul and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen. The two share a son who, like Mortensen, is featured on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives; Paul’s children from a previous relationship are not on the Hulu reality show.
In the very disturbing video, Paul is seen hitting Mortensen and throwing kitchen bar stools at him. One stool appears to hit her daughter, who can be heard crying and screaming “Mommy!” Mortensen says in the cell phone video that the daughter was hit in the head with the stool. Paul was arrested.
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Six months after the incident, Paul pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault, which is a third-degree felony, according to the local Salt Lake City Fox affiliate. As part of the plea agreement, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child — another third-degree felony — as well as a class-A misdemeanor charge of child abuse and a class-B misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief were dismissed.
The fallout from Paul’s arrest was a major storyline on season one of Mormon Wives.
Hours after the video first hit the web, ABC/Disney scrapped the completed season of The Bachelorette. Executives knew of the arrest and charges, but had not seen the video until today’s leak, The Hollywood Reporter is told.
“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 Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson said in a statement.
ABC quickly wiped The Bachelorette promotional materials from its press website.
Paul spoke out via a statement shortly after ABC abandoned the season.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” a spokesperson for Paul told People. “After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.”
The statement continued, “There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives. Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.”
Taylor Frankie Paul Fred Hayes/Disney/Getty Images Following her 2023 plea, Paul was ordered to attend counseling and undergo substance abuse and domestic violence evaluations. Pending all of that (and avoiding further legal trouble), Paul’s guilty plea was to be suspended for three years, and the aggravated assault charge downgraded to a class-A misdemeanor.
But here we are three years later, and there is currently an open “domestic assault investigation” stemming from a new incident between Paul and Mortensen just last month. “Allegations have been made in both directions,” the Draper City Police Department told People.
In light of the new investigation, production was paused on season five of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Disney also owns Hulu.
Paul had been making the media rounds this week in promotion of the upcoming season. Stops included Good Morning America and a Tuesday premiere event in New York City, which THR attended.
There, Paul admitted she’s “struggling,” but also “trying to show up” amid the domestic assault investigation.
“I think it’s been really difficult and heavy given, you know, all the headlines and what’s going on,” she told THR. “But I would say I am handling it like any normal human would, like struggling, but trying to show up at the same time.”
Disney/ABC has been aware of the open investigation, a source tells THR; Paul’s Bachelorette season wrapped production in December, two months before the latest domestic incident.
Taylor Frankie Paul Disney/Nik Roberts Paul first rose to fame on social media and was subsequently cast on Secret Lives. She campaigned on her socials to be the next Bachelorette. It worked — until it didn’t.
ABC will fill The Bachelorette‘s time slot, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., this Sunday with an encore of American Idol. It is not currently clear if that will be continue throughout the season. ABC is taking a hit here, and not just on sunk production costs. The TV ratings downgrade from original Bachelorette episodes to repeats of Idol — or anything, really — will sting. The show is heavily promoted on the network, with promos airing an estimated 870 times on national linear TV, a media value of about $8.2 million, ad measurement firm iSpot estimates.
The Bachelorette is a spinoff of The Bachelor — a franchise with a problematic history.
Longtime original host Chris Harrison stepped away from the franchise following comments he made in 2021 during Matt James’ season, who was the first Black Bachelor. Rachael Kirkconnell, the subsequent winner of James’ installment, drew backlash when photos of her attending an “Old South” plantation-themed college party in 2018 went viral online. Harrison’s comments addressing said backlash surrounding Kirkconnell, said to Rachel Lindsay, the first Black Bachelorette, drew in even more heat for the former host.
“Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021? Because there’s a big difference,” he said to Lindsay of the “Old South” party photos. “Where is this lens we’re holding up and was this lens available, and were we all looking through it in 2018?”
Earlier in 2017, during filming for Bachelor in Paradise season four, production was halted after an internal investigation by Warner Bros. Television was conducted following allegations of misconduct. A producer filed a complaint about an alleged sexual encounter between Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson. At the time, sources told THR that because alcohol was involved, it was questioned if one or both parties were too intoxicated to give consent.
It is too early to know if the popular franchise can weather yet another storm. Disney/ABC really had no choice but to do what it did, and swiftly. What a week for Dana Walden, the ultimate decision-maker here.
Thursday marked Walden’s second day as president of Disney. CEO Bob Iger stepped down on Wednesday, handing the keys to Cinderella’s Castle to Josh D’Amaro. Walden, formerly Disney Entertainment co-chair with Alan Bergman, did not get the throne but she did get a promotion. Walden comes from television — she moved over from Fox when Disney bought its studios.
McKinley Franklin contributed to this story.
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