Despite being highly anticipated, ABC pulled season 22 of “The Bachelorette” just days before its premiere after a domestic violence video had resurfaced featuring the season’s lead, Taylor Frankie Paul.
Paul, who is best known for her role on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, was set to headline as this season’s bachelorette. The 31-year-old rose to fame after starring in the hit Hulu series, where viewers followed her personal life, including co-parenting, single motherhood and highly publicized relationships.
In earlier seasons, Paul was in a public relationship with her then-boyfriend, Dakota Mortenson. The couple had a child together before their official breakup in early 2025.
The relationship had always been messy from the start. In season one episode one, which aired in 2023, an argument between Mortenson and Paul was featured in the show and resulted in getting the police called to their home. The incident resulted in Paul facing several charges including felony aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child. In August 2023, she pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony count of aggravated assault.
Despite the charges, Paul’s fanbase grew as the show’s ratings increased. Between the successful reality show and her large social media following, she has solidified herself as a recognizable, attention-grabbing public figure.
On Sep. 10, 2025, Paul appeared on a podcast hosted by Alex Cooper to officially announce that she is going to be The Bachelorette for season 22.
Although the entirety of the season was already filmed and ready to premiere in late March, ABC ultimately decided to pull the season due to unsettling, never-before-seen video footage of Paul and Mortenson’s argument from 2023.
The video, released by TMZ, shows Paul attacking Mortenson, along with throwing metal chairs towards him, which happened to strike one of her children.
Just three days before the release date, ABC announced that they will not be going forward with this season due to Paul’s controversy.
“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,” a Disney Entertainment spokesperson said.
As of now, it is unclear whether the season will ever be released or if ABC plans to recast and reshoot the season entirely. The abrupt cancellation had halted what had been one of the franchises most heavily anticipated seasons, leaving fans questioning what the future of The Bachelorette will look like.
