Fans will no longer get to see Taylor Frankie Paul handing out roses while looking for love on The Bachelorette.
Bachelor Nation stars have sounded off about the news after ABC pulled the plug on Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette on Thursday, March 19, and confirmed it will no longer premiere on Sunday, March 22.
The announcement came after a video showing a physical altercation between the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star and her ex Dakota Mortensen from 2023 made headlines.
A Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson told Us Weekly, “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.”
Taylor Frankie Paul Breaks Silence After ABC Cancels ‘The Bachelorette’
Taylor’s casting on the show has been under scrutiny for weeks amid reports surfacing about her alleged conduct prior to filming. During a scene of SLOMW, her costars found out that Mortensen claimed he had slept with Taylor the night before she left for Bachelor Mansion.
Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department told People on March 16 that there is currently an open “domestic assault investigation” regarding Taylor and Dakota.
A spokesperson for Taylor told TMZ on March 19, “It’s sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child.”
“Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior,” the rep added on her behalf. “Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is and sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show, and from their own experiences.”
Taylor Frankie Paul’s ‘Bachelorette’ Men Feel ‘Let Down’ After Dispute
Dakota, for his part, said his No. 1 priority is “protecting their [their 1-year-old son], Ever,” a rep for the reality star told Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday, March 18, while shutting down rumors that Mortensen was the reason the domestic investigation has been made public.
“He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor,” the rep shared. “It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to coparent well.”
Many stars have praised the network for canceling Taylor’s season due to the message it sends. Keep scrolling to see which Bachelor Nation alums addressed news of this season being axed.
Jillian Anderson
“As a former Bachelor contestant, I can tell you that ABC thoroughly vets every part of your personal history. Given that Frankie Taylor Paul already had a public profile, it’s hard to believe they didn’t know exactly who she was going in to this season,” the season 19 alum posted via X.
Carolina Quixano
“The most dramatic season yet indeed 😩 #thebachelorette,” the season 29 Bachelor contestant captioned an Instagram video that had the message “thoughts and prayers” paired with audio stating “God’s timing is always right.”
Sam McKinney
“What did you expect? What did anybody expect?” the season 21 Bachelorette contestant said in a video posted via his Instagram Stories. “Imagine getting the villain edit … America’s not buying that s***. If anybody watched my season, if there’s one thing that you can learn from is that you reap what you sow. The truth will always come out.”
Jill Chin
The season 26 Bachelor contestant said in an Instagram video that producers should have gone with rugby player Iloha Maher, who would “never” have done any of what Taylor was accused of, adding, “That’s who’s deserving of falling in love on a national stage.”
Thomas Jacobs
“So I just tried to watch a very disturbing video and I couldn’t get through it,” the season 17 Bachelorette contestant said in a clip via Instagram Stories. “What I just saw is something that honestly makes me sick and to continue to support this and to ask [an] audience to support this and encourage this behavior and celebrate it … it just is so dang wrong.”
He said it all just needs to “get scratched.”
Clare Crawley
“I truly don’t believe this season should air,” the season 18 Bachelor contestant, who was later cast as lead in season 16 of The Bachelorette, wrote in part in a statement shared via Instagram Stories, detailing the “pressure” that comes along with filming the show. “For her benefit and for everyone involved. The responsible decision is to pull it and prioritize accountability, support, and real healing — away from the spotlight. I also believe ABC and Hulu should stand firmly behind a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to abuse — regardless of who it is.”
Blake Horstmann
“Wow never thought this would happen,” the season 14 Bachelorette alum wrote via Instagram Stories. “I do think this is the right move. I feel terrible for the producers and all the people behind the scenes who worked 20 hr days through out her season. A lot of them really do care and put everything they have to make sure this show is successful.”
Taylor Frankie Paul’s ‘Bachelorette’ Contestants React to Cancellation
Grant Ellis
“It’s an unfortunate situation,” the Bachelor season 29 star told TMZ. “I think ABC needed to take a stance and they did that.”
“I think if they would have aired this season, it would have left room for interpretation, and you know, they did the right thing,” he continued. “They made the right choice. Although it’s going to take some time to recoup, it’s the right thing to do morally.”
DeAnna Pappas
“This is this girl’s life. It is messy and it is dirty right now,” DeAnna said during an episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast after news broke of the cancellation, noting that Taylor should “seek help.”
DeAnna continued, “They cared about numbers and hopefully reviving a television show at all costs. That’s what I think, and that’s sad because now we’ve watched somebody struggle with their mental health.”
She noted that fans are watching as Taylor’s “life is falling apart before America.”
Rachel Lindsay
The former lead was recording a Bachelor recap podcast when ABC announced the season 22cancellation.
“This morning we saw the video,” Rachel said on the “Bachelor Party” podcast, referring to the video of Taylor and Dakota’s 2023 altercation. “I said, ‘It’s over.’ That was my thing. … There’s no way, under any brand, but particularly Disney, that you can proceed when this video comes out.”
Lesley Murphy
Lesley Murphy agreed with ABC’s decision to cancel The Bachelorette.
“How can you move forward with this lead?!” she wrote via her Instagram Stories on Thursday. “What a colossal waste of time for everyone involved.”
Kelley Flanagan
Kelley Flanagan shared her thoughts on the show’s cancellation in a two-part Instagram video.
“I feel terrible for everyone involved,” the attorney, who briefly dated Peter Weber during and after his season, said. “It is the worst thing in the world. I feel bad for those kids, I feel bad for Dakota, I feel bad for Taylor [and] I feel bad for literally everyone. It should never ever ever come down to [violence].”
While Kelley noted that fans were aware of Taylor and Dakota’s history, “it hits a little bit harder” when there’s footage of an alleged incident.
“After that, I think it was tough for ABC to then be, like, ‘No, we’re gonna give this girl a platform even though this is what she did,’” Kelley theorized. “I think ABC is actually probably canceling because this incident happened again.”
Zac Clark
Zac Clark noted in an Instagram video on Thursday that the show’s cancellation felt “close to home.”
“Been doing this work [in] behavioral health care and here’s what I know, if ABC’s canceling the show, there are millions and millions and millions of dollars tied to that production,” Zac, who was previously engaged to former lead Tayshia Adams, said. “It’s serious. … None of that matters.”
He added, “At the end of the day, what matters are the human lives involved here. There’s Taylor Frankie Paul, there’s this guy she is in a relationship with, which is clearly very abusive and toxic, there are kids and there are families. It is apparent to me that there is a lot of help that is needed, and the only thing I care about is … that the people involved get the support they need.”
Olivia Lewis
“It’s about time,” Olivia Lewis, who appeared on Zach Shallcross’ The Bachelor season, wrote via her Instagram Stories. “I look good in red, so consider this my formal application.”
In a follow-up post, Olivia claimed that she was “available” if ABC needed a “last-minute substitute” for the show. (ABC has not announced the future of the Bachelor Nation series.
Dylan Barbour
After finding his wife through Bachelor in Paradise, Dylan Barbour had mixed reactions about the future of Bachelor Nation.
“I think the whole situation is, you know, it’s terrible to see,” he exclusively told Us at Aaron Rodgers and RX3 Foundation’s charity flag football event. “Obviously, I have nothing but love for Bachelorette, that sent me on the journey to meet my wife. I had a wonderful experience. A ton of people had wonderful experiences. I hope they continue the franchise, and probably will just need to start over and pick somebody wholesome. I don’t know what the right answer is.”
Hannah Godwin
Days after news broke of Taylor Frankie Paul’s canceled season of The Bachelor, Hannah Godwin weighed in on the franchise’s future.
“I’ve obviously had such a great experience from the franchise. I met my husband, Dylan [Barbour], on it,” Hannah exclusively told Us Weekly at Aaron Rodgers and RX3 Foundation’s charity flag football event. “I just hope the show in the future can keep that integrity and narrative because there really are so many beautiful relationships that have stemmed from it. … If the franchise has a love story, I’m locked in.”
Sean Lowe
Season 17 Bachelor Sean Lowe admitted that he didn’t care to address the drama revolving around the reality show.
“My take on Bachelorette … JK, Don’t Care. Here’s a cute video of Mia and me making pancakes this morning,” Sean wrote via Instagram. “Pancakes over drama.”
Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar
“I think Bachelor Nation needs to go back to what their roots were, which is finding people that truly want to fall in love and not prioritizing chaos and drama for views,” Kaity Biggar told E! News at Clarins’ Night of Extra in Los Angeles. “They just need to go back to what they know best and finding couples that truly want to fall in love and find their person.”
Former Bachelor Zach Shallcross added that ABC “made the right move” to cancel Taylor Frankie Paul’s season.
Mel Owens
“I think it’s unfortunate she was put in that position where she had to defend herself the entire time, but she’s the one that had the allegations and the domestic violence against her,” The Golden Bachelor’s Mel Owens said in a TikTok. “To put her as the lead, what did you think was going to happen with all these allegations?”
Joe Amabile
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to the franchise. I don’t know if this is it,” Bachelor in Paradise alum Joe Amabile shared on an episode of the “Not Married to This” podcast with wife Serena Pitt. “If they come back, are they going to come back with The Bachelorette or are they going to come back with The Bachelor? What do I think is going to happen next? I think, since I went on the show — the first time I went on the show was 2018 — people were saying, ‘This is it. This is going to be the last season.’ People say that all the time. I think this is really bad, but I also think it’s still publicity. If anything, more people are talking about the Bachelor franchise now than maybe ever.”
Amabile continued, “I, personally — if you’re still a fan of the franchise and you want to watch, I would bet a lot of money that they come back. Like, I don’t think it’s over. I think they come back and I think they go to their bread and butter, which is The Bachelor.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
