Canceled 'Bachelorette' Star Taylor Frankie Paul Slammed for Pocketing Full 'Six-Figure' Salary From ABC After Season Is Pulled Amid Domestic Abuse Scandal
Taylor Frankie Paul is still getting her huge 'Bachelorette' paycheck.
March 25 2026, Published 6:40 p.m. ET
Taylor Frankie Paul is still receiving her full paycheck for starring in The Bachelorette Season 19, even though ABC pulled the series after she was shown attacking former partner Dakota Mortenson in a chilling leaked video, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The network pinned its hopes on popular Hulu star Paul, 31, reviving the ratings-challenged franchise. Instead, it was forced to shelve the season three days before its premiere date after the 2023 video was made public.
Taylor Frankie Paul's Contract Insures She Gets Paid
Taylor Frankie Paul is still getting her full 'Bachelorette' paycheck even though her season was axed.
Paul's contract was for "services rendered," according to TMZ.
She had already completed filming her season and was in the middle of a promotional blitz when the damning video revealing Paul violently throwing metal chairs at Mortenson while her young daughter cried hysterically nearby was released.
Thus, she fulfilled the duties involved, even if viewers will never get to see her season.
While the exact dollar amount wasn't revealed, insiders believed Paul was pocketing a paycheck in the low to mid-six-figure range.
ABC Had High Hopes for Taylor Frankie Paul's 'Bachelorette' Season
The network went heavy on making The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star's season a smashing success before it was scrapped.
Paul was even given a plum spot following the 2026 Academy Awards telecast so ABC could introduce her to a wider fan base. The Oscars ceremony started an hour earlier than usual to make way for the 30-minute The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose, which brought together the previous 18 leads and let the mom-of-three discuss her past heartbreak and hopes of finding love.
Taylor Frankie Paul's Arrest Happened Before She Was Cast
Taylor Frankie Paul's mugshot following her 2023 arrest.
Disney and ABC likely knew Paul was a risk following her 2023 domestic violence arrest involving Mortenson. The arrest was even featured in a recent season of Mormon Wives, which debuted on Disney-owned Hulu on March 12.
However, the visceral scenes of what happened inside the home had not been released in full, and came across as gut-wrenchingly horrifying.
In the video, Mortenson could be heard pleading, "Yeah. See, Taylor, this is all you do. It's the only thing you know how to do, is hurt me."
She continued to throw metal chairs at her then-partner while he begged her to stop for the safety of her young daughter, who was near the path of the flying objects.
The TikTok star eventually pled guilty to aggravated assault in August 2023 and was put on 36 months of probation.
Paul is also currently under investigation for a different assault on Mortenson in 2024, which he reported to the West Jordan Police Department in February.
'Red Flags' About Taylor Frankie Paul's Behavior During Filming
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Host Jesse Palmer is seen with Taylor Frankie Paul just before her Season 19 contestants arrived.
ABC directly connected the assault video to Paul's Bachelorette season getting axed.
A network spokesperson said, "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."
However, there were reportedly plenty of red flags that Paul was problematic during filming.
"This wasn’t something they discovered later. It was happening while they were filming," a source told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who wrote about it on Substack.
"There were complaints during filming,” the spy shared. "People spoke up – but nothing changed."
"Several of the men knew she had a temper while they were there. They saw it firsthand," the insider revealed.
However, producers tried to sell her stormy temperament in a positive light, as the source noted, "They called her 'spicy' and 'fun.' But that wasn’t the reality."
