In the wake of her Bachelorette appearance being canceled due to allegations of domestic violence, Taylor Frankie Paul has finally spoken out.
Through a statement to People, Paul’s representative expressed her gratitude towards ABC for their support as she focuses on the well-being and safety of her family. After enduring years of both mental and physical abuse along with threats of retaliation, Paul is now finding the courage to confront her alleged abuser and is actively working to safeguard herself and her children from future harm.
Her rep highlighted the plight of numerous women who endure in silence while dealing with aggressive, possessive ex-partners unwilling to let them move forward with their lives.
Fear of further mistreatment, retaliation, and public humiliation kept Paul from speaking out, but she is now exploring her legal options, seeking support, and readying herself to own and tell her story.
The cancellation came shortly after TMZ released footage depicting an altercation between the reality TV star and her former partner, Dakota Mortensen, in 2023.
The video, which shows Paul repeatedly assaulting Mortensen, played a significant role in the 2023 legal proceedings where she eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
Paul and Mortensen are now facing another investigation over allegations of domestic assault.
Taylor Frankie Paul has broken her silence after her Bachelorette cancellation amid allegations of domestic assault
The 31-year-old’s season of The Bachelorette was scheduled to begin on Sunday.
A Disney Entertainment spokesman told TMZ: ‘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.’
In the footage, she is seen having an outburst, throwing a stool at Mortensen, while a child, her daughter Indy, now eight, was present.
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 pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the third degree.
In response to the resurfaced footage, Paul’s representative told the Daily Mail, ‘It’s sad to see the latest installment of his [Mortensen’s] never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child.
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
‘Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior.’
But just two days before the video was made public, Mortensen filed for a protective order in Utah, citing a new alleged incident that took place in February, according to the outlet.
Mortensen claimed that a verbal argument turned into a physical confrontation, where Paul allegedly choked him.
He alleged that he had to physically remove her hands from his neck, after which she shoved him into a window and struck him.
Describing the situation as ‘chaotic’ and ‘frightening,’ Mortensen said their son woke up from the commotion, which included Paul screaming and yelling, according to TMZ.
In the petition, Mortensen also referenced Paul’s previous 2023 arrest for assault.
As part of his filing, he has requested temporary custody of Ever and asked for Paul to be prohibited from drinking or using drugs during her parenting time.
On Tuesday, it was reported that filming had paused on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
A cast member has since confirmed they decided to pause production in light of the latest domestic assault investigation.
Mikayla Matthews broke her silence over the controversy when asked about the production pause during a Q&A with fans on her Instagram account on Wednesday.
She said the cast came to the decision together in light of ‘everything that was happening’ – alluding to the legal troubles surrounding Paul.
‘It was a decision that all of us girls came up with and agreed on. We didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening,’ she wrote.
