Taylor Frankie Paul addressed claims that her “Bachelorette” suitors were angry after ABC shelved her Season 22, sharing that many contestants have grown closer and stayed kind.
Taylor Frankie Paul spent Friday evening trying to clear up a quiet, uncomfortable rumor: that her “Bachelorette” men were “pissed” after her season was derailed.
Posting to Instagram, the embattled reality star shared a video of herself dancing with Shane Parton, one of the on-camera suitors who had been slated for Season 22. Above the footage, Paul wrote that, “Oddly we became closer.”
In the caption, she doubled down on the tone shift among the contestants. “Handful of them have shown consistent kindness this entire time,” she wrote. Then, addressing Parton directly, she added, “[Shane Parton] tell your parents they can come visit now that I got extra space.”
The update lands after ABC pulled Paul’s “Bachelorette” season just days before it was set to premiere in March. The network’s decision came after video surfaced online of a domestic violence incident involving Paul and her ex, Dakota Mortensen, for which she was arrested in 2023.
That incident had been documented during Season 1 of Paul’s Hulu series. “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” Footage from the 2023 episode showed Paul throwing several metal barstools at Mortensen. and also inadvertently hitting her daughter.. TMZ previously shared the video amid a recent production pause over new domestic violence allegations.
Mortensen and Paul have since traded accusations of abuse with one another.
Still, the legal outcome didn’t match the public uproar.. In April. the Salt Lake County district attorney declined to file charges against Paul. saying that “Several incidents that were submitted do not rise to the level of criminal offenses.” The office also noted that the remaining incidents “lack sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges where the State must be able to prove such allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. ” adding that the incidents “lack specificity as to when and what actually occurred or corroboration.”
A week after that decision, production picked back up: Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” resumed filming Season 5.
As for “The Bachelorette” Season 22. there’s still no clear word on what happens next—and it was absent from ABC’s summer slate despite rumors that a return was possible.. ABC did. however. renew “The Bachelor. ” “Bachelor in Paradise” and “Dancing with the Stars” for new seasons in the 2026-27 TV season.
Taylor Frankie Paul Bachelorette Season 22 Shane Parton ABC Instagram The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Dakota Mortensen domestic violence allegations Salt Lake County district attorney Season 5 filming