ABC made a sudden decision to cancel Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette on Thursday as investigations into domestic violence allegations are underway.
The show’s cancellation was announced mere days before its scheduled premiere, following the release of a startling video from 2023. The footage reveals the 31-year-old attacking her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, 33, with her young daughter witnessing the incident.
Despite the decision to pull the 22nd season of this well-loved franchise, some viewers expressed surprise at seeing promotional content for the show still active on social media platforms.
As of Friday, the official Bachelorette social media account continued to display video posts highlighting Paul’s season, with the latest video having been uploaded just a day prior.
This has sparked a wave of criticism from viewers, who have taken to the comments to reprimand the network for maintaining these promotions.
“This aged poorly,” one user remarked, encapsulating the sentiment of many.
‘Forgot to delete this scheduled post,’ joked another.
‘Seeing this in my feed on March 19th…’ said another shocked fan, as someone else added: ‘It’s not too late to delete.’
Another declared: ‘Gross. Needs to be pulled.’
Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette was abruptly canceled by ABC on Thursday, amid domestic violence investigations
Others noted that billboards in Los Angeles that advertise the new season were still up – despite the cancellation.
It is understood that The Bachelor benefits from the biggest advertising revenue at the network – ‘about $90-$100 million per season in product placement and ads,’ a source said.
The insider continued: ‘That’s not a total loss… they’ll get ad revenue for whatever they put in its place, but it won’t be as much as what they would have gotten for The Bachelor.’
It will likely still mean ABC ‘loses $40 to 50 million now that the show is canceled.’
Disney Entertainment Television, which owns ABC, released a statement confirming the company had made the decision not to move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette, just hours after the footage of the domestic violence incident was released.
Disney said its ‘focus is on supporting the family’ after canceling the 22nd season of the reality show, which was set to begin airing on Sunday, March 22.
The canceled season will reportedly cost the network a staggering $28 million.
In the now-viral video of the altercation between Paul and her ex, the reality star is seen having an outburst, throwing a stool at Mortensen, while a child, her daughter Indy, now eight, was present.
While the 22nd season of the popular franchise has been pulled, some appalled viewers were shocked to find promotions for the show were still being run on social media
Others noted that billboards in Los Angeles advertising the new season were still up as of March 19, despite the cancellation
The decision to cancel came hours after TMZ published a video of the reality TV star apparently fighting with her ex-partner, Dakota Mortensen, in 2023
Mortensen, who was filming the incident, said in the clip: ‘This is called physical abuse.’
The child can be heard crying as Mortensen and Paul continued fighting. Mortensen then said, ‘Your daughter just got hit in the head by a metal chair.’
Together, they have a son named Ever, who is two years old.
Paul, a mother of three, was arrested after an alleged domestic violence incident in 2023 and the video later became crucial evidence in the case, in which she ultimately pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the third degree.
The reality star, who made her name appearing on Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, alleged in the statement that she suffered ‘extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation’ in silence for years.
‘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.’
Paul’s rep said that ‘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.’
They further claimed Paul has been staying quiet ‘out of fear of further abuse, retaliation, and public shaming’ and is now ‘seeking support,’ going through her options and ‘preparing to own and share her story.’
The latest domestic assault allegations may have landed Paul in further legal hot water over her 2023 case.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill told TMZ that they are looking to determine if the new assault accusations may have violated her ongoing probation from that particular case.
‘We have received the police report for the new allegations, and it is our understanding the case is being screened by the Draper City prosecutor,’ Gill told the publication.
‘We requested the police report so our prosecutors could evaluate how those new allegations may affect the case for which the defendant is currently on probation.’
Mortensen has since denied ‘baseless claims’ made about himself and their relationship in a new statement for The Daily Mail.
In a statement, he said: ‘As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation. I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny.
‘I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same.’
Paul said she is ‘very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security’ through a representative on Thursday.
The Daily Mail has previously reached out to representatives for Paul and ABC for further comment.
