ABC Pulls 'Bachelorette' After Taylor Frankie Paul Video Surfaces
ABC shelved Season 22 after a leaked 2023 video appeared to show Taylor Frankie Paul attacking Dakota Mortensen; production on Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is paused and investigations are underway.
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Overview
ABC pulled Season 22 of The Bachelorette days before its premiere after TMZ released a video appearing to show Taylor Frankie Paul attacking Dakota Mortensen and a child crying in the footage.
The video appears to depict a 2023 incident for which Paul was arrested and later pleaded guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault, and police said contact was made with involved parties on Feb. 24 and 25.
Cast members of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives raised concerns on a March 7 Zoom meeting with Disney executives, and the show's producer hired an external law firm to oversee a workplace safety investigation.
Season 22 was pulled, Season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is paused, and Season 6 had been greenlit.
ABC replaced the scheduled premiere with a rerun of American Idol, and it is unclear if Paul's Bachelorette season will ever air or when filming of Mormon Wives will resume as investigations continue.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a trauma-informed cautionary piece, using loaded descriptors ('brutal,' 'horrific') and prioritizing mental-health experts who urge viewers not to watch. Editorial emphasis, repeated therapist guidance, and placement of warnings over legal or accountability perspectives creates a collective narrative that discourages voyeuristic viewing.
FAQ
The 2023 video, published by TMZ, shows Taylor Frankie Paul throwing a chair and a bar stool at Dakota Mortensen while her daughter is nearby and crying.
Paul was charged with felony aggravated assault, two felony counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, and misdemeanor child abuse and criminal mischief. She entered a plea of abeyance to aggravated assault, which can be downgraded to a misdemeanor if terms are met for three years; other charges were dismissed.
ABC pulled Season 22 of The Bachelorette before its premiere and replaced it with an American Idol rerun. Production on Season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was paused, an external law firm was hired for a workplace safety investigation after cast concerns, and Season 6 had been greenlit prior.
Paul's rep called it a 'desperate, attention-seeking' act by Mortensen on their son's birthday, omitting context, and stated Paul is exploring options and preparing to share her story. Mortensen denied baseless claims, called it deeply upsetting, and focused on their son's safety.
Paul gained fame after admitting to 'soft swinging' with friends on TikTok in May 2022, leading to her divorce and starring in Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
