US broadcaster pulls The Bachelorette after domestic abuse allegations

The new season of dating show The Bachelorette has been cancelled following domestic violence allegations against this season's star, ABC has said.

The network said it "made the decision to not move forward with the new season" after footage of Taylor Frankie Paul emerged on Thursday appearing to show her in an altercation with her ex-partner Dakota Mortensen in 2023.

Paul, a TikTok influencer who also stars in Hulu's Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, was arrested in relation to the incident in 2023.

She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, US media report.

In a statement, Mortensen, the father of Paul's third child, said he is "focusing on our son and his safety".

A spokesperson for Disney, which owns ABC, said it made the decision to pull the season "in light of the newly released video just surfaced today", referring to the footage, which was published by TMZ.

The new season of The Bachelorette was set to premiere on Sunday.

ABC did not provide detail on what the network planned to air during the show's allocated timeslot instead.

Before the cancellation was announced, Paul appeared on ABC's Good Morning America programme on Wednesday to promote the series, during which she addressed the allegations against her.

"Honestly, it's been a heavy time to see the headlines, especially during this time of 'The Bachelorette' being released," she said.

"It was supposed to be a really exciting time."
Paul also confirmed that production has been paused for the upcoming fifth season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which first premiered in 2024.

"It was a decision that all of us girls came up with," Paul's co-star, Mikayla Matthews, said on Wednesday on social media.

"We didn't feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening."
She made headlines in 2022 when she announced she and her husband were divorcing, and that they had had relationships with other couples during their marriage.

Her story featured on the Hulu show, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

After her divorce, she began a relationship with Mortensen, who has featured on the show.

We asked Mormons what they really think about The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives