ABC cancels – Taylor Frankie Paul’s season 22 of “The Bachelorette” was set to air after ABC selected her, but a newly released video tied to a domestic violence investigation surfaced days before the premiere. ABC says it has decided not to move forward with the season for
Taylor Frankie Paul’s “Bachelorette” journey hit a hard stop before the first rose ever landed on TV.
ABC had selected the reality star for season 22 of “The Bachelorette,” splitting social media in the process. Some people were excited to see “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” personality get another shot at finding love. Others pushed back on ABC’s choice, criticizing the network for selecting someone outside of “Bachelor Nation.”.
But the bigger complication wasn’t about ratings or fandom. The domestic violence case involving Paul surfaced just days before her season was scheduled to air, and it quickly turned into a public breaking point for the show.
ABC initially faced a question many viewers couldn’t ignore: would the network cancel the season, or push it out anyway?
ABC says it has made the call to pause the future of season 22. The network told Page Six in a statement that. “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.”.
Other reporting suggested the production math was complicated. The U.S. Sun reported that cancelling the season wouldn’t be feasible because of production costs. A source close to the show had also claimed earlier in the month that “as of right now. ” the series was still moving forward—insisting that it would cost Disney “millions upon millions of dollars to shelve it.”.
The same insider argued there was no clean alternative: “Even if it will still cost them to air it. it will be a lot pricier to not air it at all.” The source added that there was “no plan B. ” describing the situation as “unprecedented” and saying. “They don’t have a plan B. this is unprecedented to have the lead screw up this royally. so there’s no backup plan.”.
Even so, the story didn’t end with costs. The source claimed “Bachelorette executives are furious with Taylor,” pointing to “the bad look” and adding that they believed her personal situation—tied to issues with Dakota—was still ongoing.
A separate timeline kept fans guessing. TMZ reported in June 2026 that Paul’s season would air sometime in mid-July, citing sources close to production.
That speculation was fueled by the domestic violence investigation involving her ex. Dakota Mortensen. with whom she shares a child. Ever. TMZ also published a video on March 19 showing Paul striking Mortensen with a chair while her child was in the room during the 2023 incident. That incident is described in the reporting as one Paul pleaded guilty to—aggravated assault.
The latest developments forced ABC’s hand. The network’s statement made the newly released video the turning point, with an emphasis on supporting the family—and a decision not to move forward with the season at this time.
For now, the question for viewers isn’t whether season 22 exists—it’s what happens next, and whether the show can separate a scheduled romance from an ongoing and public personal crisis.
Taylor Frankie Paul The Bachelorette season 22 ABC Dakota Mortensen Ever domestic violence investigation aggravated assault plea Page Six TMZ Disney
Wait so they cancelled it cuz of a video? That’s wild.
I didn’t even watch this season but it feels like ABC does this every time something trends. Also isn’t this kind of the same show that already exploits drama for views? Seems like they’re just covering themselves.
So they “won’t move forward” but they picked her in the first place?? Like how did they miss the domestic violence stuff until a video “surfaced days before premiere”?? Either they knew and edited around it, or they only care when it hits TikTok.
This is what I keep saying, it’s always about money with these networks. Like if Disney has to pay millions to shelve it, they suddenly act like it’s morals. And the article says production costs made it complicated, so yeah I’m not buying the whole “supporting the family” angle like… they didn’t cancel the other shows for less.