Taylor Frankie Paul Admitted It Was ‘a Heavy Time’ Before ABC Pulled ‘The Bachelorette’

“It’s a heavy time,” Taylor Frankie Paul told People at a March 17 press review for the upcoming season of The Bachelorette. Indeed, the event came just a day after reports surfaced that the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen — whose tumultuous relationship has been a big part of the Hulu series — are involved in a “domestic assault investigation [in which] allegations have been made in both directions,” according to the Draper City, Utah, Police Department. Production on Mormon Wives was said to be put on pause with Taylor’s costars afraid to shoot with her. (Taylor, who shares two children with her ex-husband and one with Dakota, was evasive when asked about the shutdown during a visit to GMA March 18.)

Then, a shocking video obtained by TMZ from a 2023 fight with Dakota had fans and Bachelor Nation alums calling for ABC to pull the show, which already wrapped. In the footage, the 31-year-old puts Dakota in a headlock, kicks and throws furniture, apparently hitting one of her kids, while a child cries. Eventually, police arrive and separate them. (A rep for Taylor, who pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault among other charges and was given probation, called the release of the “selectively edited” video “a reprehensible attempt to distract from [Dakota’s] own behavior.”)

The clip was bad news for The Bachelorette, which has been accused of failing to adequately vet contestants. On March 19, a spokesperson said, “We have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette… and our focus is on supporting the family.”