'The Bachelorette' Canceled: ABC Shuts Down New Season After Taylor Frankie Paul Is Accused of Domestic Abuse and Disturbing Video of Attack on Dakota Mortensen Leaks
Taylor Frankie Paul's casting in 'The Bachelorette' was included in the most recent season of 'SLOMW.'
March 19 2026, Published 4:17 p.m. ET
ABC axed the upcoming season of The Bachelorette after a shocking video of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul throwing a chair at her ex, Dakota Mortensen, was leaked, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Paul, 31, was announced as the next lead in the popular reality dating series last September, and the days and drama leading up to filming were captured on the latest season of her Hulu show.
Shocking New Video
Dakota Mortensen and Taylor Frankie Paul's rollercoaster relationship has been documented in 'SLOMW'.
However, new footage of her past behavior stopped her Bachelorette dreams in their tracks. In the disturbing video, Paul was heard screaming and repeatedly physically lashing out at Mortensen, 33. At one point, she threw a metal chair at him.
Mortensen could be heard telling her, "Your daughter is sitting right there," but she appeared to throw another chair at him anyway.
It's been reported the girl, 5, had a "goose egg on her head" after the incident, per TMZ.
Paul was later arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault, criminal mischief, and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child at the time.
She pleaded guilty in abeyance to one count of aggravated assault as part of a plea deal.
ABC Speaks Out on Cancelation
Season 22 of 'The Bachelorette' will no longer air on March 22.
Following the release of the footage, ABC confirmed its decision to pull the previously filmed episodes of the show.
"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," a Disney spokesperson told TMZ. "Our focus is on supporting the family."
Season 22 had been scheduled to premiere on Sunday, March 22.
Details on New Domestic Abuse Investigation
Dakota Mortensen claimed he did not leak domestic abuse allegations to the public.
Earlier this week, it was also confirmed that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives had halted production on Season 5 after Draper City Police Department confirmed there was an open "domestic assault investigation" connected to an alleged late February incident between Paul and Mortensen.
Details of the alleged dispute are still unclear, as some sources accused Mortensen of being the aggressor, while others claim that Paul got physical with both her ex and their 2-year-old son, Ever, according to Perez Hilton.
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'SLOMW' paused production.
While it is unclear how details on the alleged altercation made it into the public eye, on Wednesday, March 18, a representative for Mortensen released a statement that claimed the reality star had nothing to do with it.
"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 told Entertainment Weekly. "It's been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well."
"He's never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side," the statement continued. "He kind of just lets it all happen to him, and I think he realizes with the severity of everything now that he just can't do that."
