Season 22 of The Bachelorette really is the franchise’s “most dramatic” season yet. But the drama is happening off-screen. In fact, viewers will probably never get to see Taylor Frankie Paul’s season. ABC made the shocking decision to scrap the entire season from airing just days before it was supposed to premiere. The ensuing scandal has “tainted” the entire franchise, at least according to one Bachelorette star. Keep reading for the latest on the ongoing situation.
ABC Makes Tough Decision To Cancel Season After Shocking Video Leaked
Jenn Tran’s season of The Bachelorette ended so badly that ABC put the show on pause for a year. Her final rose winner, Devin Strader, dumped her within weeks of getting engaged. The network came under fire from viewers after forcing Jenn Tran to relive the engagement footage on national television.
The network attempted to revamp the show with a divorced single mother of three. Taylor Frankie Paul isn’t from Bachelor Nation. She stars on Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. She was ready to find love again after breaking up with her boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. The pair’s toxic relationship played out on the Hulu series.
SLOMW addressed Taylor Frankie Paul’s 2023 domestic violence arrest in Season 1. She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault after an altercation with Dakota Mortensen. Her arrest clearly wasn’t an issue for ABC. Nor were the allegations that came out earlier this week that she was involved in another violent episode involving her ex in February.
But the network didn’t take action until a video of the 2023 incident was leaked to TMZ on Thursday, March 19. The video clearly shows Taylor Frankie Paul physically assaulting her ex and throwing barstools at him. One of the stools hit her young daughter, who was sitting on the couch during the argument.
ABC canceled Season 22 a few hours after the video went viral.
Former Bachelorette Star Says Show ‘Tainted’ After Scandal
Several Bachelor Nation stars have spoken out about The Bachelorette season getting pulled. A few alums even defended Taylor Frankie Paul before the video came out. One former Bachelorette said that the show is “over” because it’s “tainted” forever by the scandal.
Rachel Lindsay was The Bachelorette in 2017. Her divorce from her final rose winner, Bryan Abasolo, was finalized last year. She was on the Bachelor Party podcast and shared her unfiltered reaction to the scandal involving Taylor Frankie Paul.
“I think it’s over,” Rachel Lindsay said about the spinoff. “The name Bachelorette, Bachelor is tainted at this point. How do you move forward past that? You can’t,” she added.
Can The Franchise Recover?
The Bachelor Nation franchise may be on its last legs after the latest scandal. The popular show took a major hit in 2021 when Chris Harrison left. His departure was due to his defense of Rachael Kirkconnell attending a racist sorority party, which was a scandal on its own.
The Bachelor hadn’t been faring much better. The flagship show usually airs in January but was put on pause after Grant Ellis’ disappointing season. ABC did renew The Bachelor for another season, but that’s in doubt now, too.
Can the reality show come back from the latest scandal? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger