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What ABC Aired Instead of Taylor Frankie Paul's ‘Bachelorette’ Premiere
American Idol fans dimmed the lights this week a little sooner than usual.
After ABC announced Taylor Frankie Paul's season of The Bachelorette would no longer premiere on March 22, the network replaced the dating series with a re-run of the competition show.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star's journey to finding the one was ultimately shelved on March 19 after a 2023 video of a physical altercation between her and then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen surfaced. Shortly afterwards, a spokesperson for Disney Entertainment, the parent company to ABC and Hulu, shared insight into the company's resolution.
"In light of the newly released video just surfaced today," the spokesperson said in a statement to E! News, "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.”
As for Taylor—who shares a son with Dakota, as well as two other kids with ex Tate Paul—her rep addressed the footage in a statement to E! News, saying that the video was part of “a destructive campaign to harm Taylor" and categorized the release as “a reprehensible attempt to distract from" Dakota's behavior.
(TMZ did not specify from where they obtained the video.)
In turn, Dakota, who has since filed a restraining order against his now-ex, spoke out to share his side of the story.
"As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation," Dakota said in a March 19 statement to E! News. "I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny."
"I am focusing on our son and his safety," he added, "and hope that Taylor will do the same."
Disney/Michael Kirchoff) (Photo by Michael Kirchoff/Disney via Getty Images
After the 2023 incident, the TikToker was arrested and charged with one count of felony aggravated assault, two counts of felony domestic violence in the presence of a child causing injury, one count of misdemeanor child abuse and one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief, according to court documents released by the District Attorney for Salt Lake County and obtained by E! News.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to aggravated assault that August, per ABC4 Utah, while her other charges were dismissed.
Taylor's set stint in Bachelor Nation also comes after production on season five on Secret Wives of Mormon Wives was halted amid an investigation into a more recent alleged dispute between the former couple that took place earlier this year.
For a closer look at the contestants that were set to appear in this season of The Bachelorette, keep reading...
Disney/Evan Mulling
Trenten
The pro athlete, 35, lives in San Juan Capistrano, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Shane
The 28-year-old works as a private wealth planner in Atlanta, Georgia.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Michael Baba
The chiropractic healer, 32, lives in San Diego, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Doug
The 28-year-old lives in San Diego, California, where he works as an ocean lifeguard.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Richard
The photographer, 35, lives in Charleston, South Carolina.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Marcus
The 28-year-old creative director lives in Elmont, New York.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Ronn
The 28-year-old account executive lives in San Francisco, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Mike T
The brand protection manager, 36, lives in Lavallette, New Jersey.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Kevin
The 32-year-old works as a physical therapist in Miami, Florida.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Rod
The entrepreneur, 35, lives in Austin, Texas.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Matt
The 43-year-old dad works as a real estate broker in Carmel, Indiana.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Conrad
The startup founder, 32, lives in Santa Monica, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Malik
The tech executive, 30, lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Clayton
The 36-year-old is a singer/songwriter living in Nashville, Tennessee.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Brad
The 29-year-old self-proclaimed cowboy and entrepreneur lines in Newport Beach, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Casey
The mechanical engineer, 32, lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Johnnie
The former pro baseball player, 30, lives in Massapequa, New York.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Christopher
The 35-year-old is a business owner and single dad living in Vacaville, California.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Brandon
The 28-year-old is a single dad who works as a loan officer in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Aaron
The 32-year-old product manager joins the show from Valentine, Utah.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Josh
The sales manager, 32, lives in Provo, Utah.
Disney/Evan Mulling
Lew
The 32-year-old lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he works as an insurance tech founder.
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