Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette, which was slated to premiere on Sunday, will not be moving forward.
ABC has decided to pull Season 22 after a video surfaced on Thursday, released by TMZ, allegedly showing a 2023 domestic violence incident involving Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.
“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 Television spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
After the video was released, a spokesperson for The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star said in a statement to People on Thursday that it’s “sad to see the latest installment” of Mortensen’s “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. 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,” her rep added.
Paul was previously arrested for domestic violence in 2023. Footage of the alleged 2023 incident between Paul and Mortensen was leaked to TMZ on Thursday, where she can be seen kicking and hitting her ex-boyfriend and throwing chairs at him.
“Your daughter is right here,” Mortensen says before a chair is launched in his direction.
Paul faced misdemeanour charges of assault, criminal mischief and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child after she was accused of throwing a chair at Mortensen that reportedly hit her daughter.
The 31-year-old reality star pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in August 2023, while the other charges were dismissed, according to ABC4 Utah.
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During an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Paul told host Alex Cooper that the charges stemming from her 2023 arrest “were all dropped.”
“I never had hurt my daughter. I never intentionally did anything with my children,” Paul added.
“After the arrest, I was under so much stress. I was filmed leaving the jail and then that was immediately on the internet,” she said. “It was a blessing in disguise. It helped me wake up.”
The network’s decision to pull Paul’s upcoming season comes after recent reports of another alleged domestic violence incident between Paul and Mortensen.
A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department confirmed to People and local affiliate ABC4 Utah that there is an open “domestic assault investigation” regarding Paul and Mortensen, 33.
In responses to other outlets, the police department has not revealed any details about the case, citing “privacy” and its “active investigation.”
Global News has reached out to the Draper City Police Department for further information.
After news of the investigation spread, Paul told People on Tuesday that her “heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time.”
“Just the timing is hard, and it’s a big deal. I feel like every premiere that I’ve experienced, I’ve never enjoyed fully, so this is another one…. It’s extremely hard, and it took everything to get me here today,” she said of the investigation and the upcoming premiere of The Bachelorette.
“It’s just heavy. It’s a heavy time, and it’s unfortunate,” the influencer continued. “I’m struggling for sure, but also at the same time I feel like if I don’t show up, then I’m just giving these opportunities away and not enjoying what we’ve worked on and something super exciting that’s coming.”
She also told the Hollywood Reporter that it’s been “really difficult and heavy given, you know, all the headlines and what’s going on.”
“But I would say I am handling it like any normal human would, like struggling, but trying to show up at the same time,” she added.
Mortensen’s representative addressed the reports of the domestic assault investigation in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.
“His number one priority here is protecting Ever,” his rep said on Wednesday. “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.”
“It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well,” his rep added.
Mortensen’s rep also denied that he was the reason the situation became public and said he was hoping the drama would de-escalate.
“He was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away. He’s never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side,” the rep 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.”
Production on Season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has also been halted following the investigation into the allegations involving Paul and Mortensen.
During her appearance on Good Morning America on Wednesday, Paul said she doesn’t “call the shots with production.”
Paul, an executive producer on the reality series, did say that she has “gotten word that there’s a pause” in filming but she doesn’t know for how long.
Hulu has not publicly commented on the domestic violence investigation as of this writing.
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