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ABC has pulled the plug on the newest season of The Bachelorette just days before its premiere following the open domestic-assault investigation and newly released video of a previous 2023 domestic-assault incident involving its star, Taylor Frankie Paul. Her other reality show, Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Lives, has also halted production amid the reports. Here’s everything you need to know about the saga.
Paul first went viral on TikTok in 2022 after revealing that she and her ex-husband had been “soft-swinging” with other Mormon couples in their Utah community. That revelation led to the Hulu reality show The Secret Life of Mormon Wives, which premiered in 2024 and documented the resulting fallout in her “MomTok” community. The show’s pilot also covered Paul’s 2023 arrest for assault and committing domestic violence in the presence of a child against her new boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, after which production was paused for 11 months before resuming. Paul ultimately reached a plea deal in her assault case and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. Mortensen and Paul would go on to have a child together in March 2024, and their on-again-off-again relationship would end that December.
Seems kind of like stupid, irresponsible casting, right? But after successfully recruiting other Mormon Wives stars Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck for the 34th season of Dancing With the Stars, ABC decided to keep the synergy going for its other big reality show. During an appearance on Call Her Daddy in September 2025, Paul announced that she would be The Bachelorette’s very first celebrity star. Her season was set to premiere on March 22, just days after the March 12 release of the fourth season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
On March 16, People reported that an investigation had been opened into a new domestic-violence dispute involving both Paul and Mortensen. A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department confirmed to People that there is an open domestic-assault investigation into both Paul and her ex-boyfriend Mortensen, in which “allegations have been made in both directions.” The spokesperson added that “contact was made with involved parties on February 24 and 25.”
Filming for the fifth season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was halted amid the reports, with NBC News reporting that Hulu mandated “a weeklong break in filming after executives witnessed discussions of domestic violence during filming.”
Despite the news, she’s been TikTok-ing as usual and her press tour for the new season of The Bachelorette awkwardly forged ahead, dancing around the subject on ABC shows like Live With Kelly and Mark and Good Morning America throughout the week. “It’s been a heavy time to see the headlines, especially during this time of The Bachelorette being released,’” Paul told GMA’s Lara Spencer on Wednesday, March 18. “It’s supposed to be a really exciting time. I’m a person that will always speak my truth. That’s what I’m known for. So when the time is right, I will be.”
Cinnabon was the first company to cut ties on March 17 after the news, saying in a statement, “Cinnabon has made the decision to terminate its collaboration with The Bachelorette and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Recent developments and allegations surrounding the lead cast member led us to reassess this collaboration as it no longer aligns with our brand values.”
On Thursday, March 19, TMZ released a video of a previous domestic assault against Mortensen, which resulted in Paul’s 2023 arrest featured in the Mormon Wives pilot. In the video, which is separate from the current ongoing investigation, Paul can be seen attacking and throwing three stools at Mortensen in the presence of her daughter, who can be heard crying after one of the chairs is thrown.
It was following the release of that video that ABC announced it would no longer be moving forward with this season of The Bachelorette. “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.
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