The Bachelorette is a beloved spin-off series of The Bachelor, a dating game show that has people compete to be with “The Bachelor or ” The Bachelorette.” The show debuted on ABC on January 8, 2003, and has since aired for 21 seasons. The person selected to be the bachelorette is typically chosen through fan-favorite contestants of the previous bachelor season. Though in what was supposed to be this upcoming season, ABC broke their tradition of choosing a previous contestant and instead chose reality TV star/influencer Taylor Frankie Paul. Why did they do this? You may ask, well, ratings were low, and producers believed that casting Taylor would not only boost ratings but also draw in her fan base. This decision was seen as a “crossover event” between ABC and Hulu, since Taylor’s reality show airs on Hulu. And producers were right, this did bring a lot of buzz and anticipation, people were waiting to see this upcoming season, until a video was released where Taylor was seen being physically abusive to her ex-boyfriend. This video release led ABC to cancel the season entirely.
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Who Is Taylor Frankie Paul? And what really happened?
Taylor Frankie Paul is a 31-year-old Mormon influencer who created the original TikTok group called “Mom Talk.” She was very popular and got even more exposure when a scandal broke out about her being involved in swinging with other married couples. This became a big thing, with multiple influencers involved in “Mom Talk” who had to clear their names or come out with the truth. Eventually, this led Hulu to create a reality show called “The Secret Life of Mormon Wives.” The show has 4 seasons featuring various influencers, showing what it’s like to be a Mormon influencer amid drama.
Paul was previously married to a man named Tate Paul from 2016 to 2022. The pair had 2 children together before their separation, whose identities have mostly remained private. Since her divorce, she has dated a man named Dakota and has had a baby with him. In the show, they follow their co-parenting and on-again, off-again relationship. In 2023, Paul was arrested and charged following a domestic violence incident involving Dakota. Paul pleaded guilty in abeyance to a third-degree felony count of aggravated assault. The charge is to be reduced to a Class A misdemeanor if she complies with a three-year probation, which includes substance abuse and domestic violence evaluations, treatment, and not violating any major laws.
The media and fans of the show were shocked to see this play out, but few details were provided at the time. People mostly moved on from the incident until TMZ released a video on March 19, 2026, where Paul is seen throwing a mental chair at Dakota, screaming, while her daughter is heard in the background crying.
After the video was released
When the video was released, major backlash came to Paul, with claims that she was a verbal and physical abuser who put her children in danger. Some suspect that the person who shared the video with TMZ was Dakota, because he was upset that Taylor was on The Bachelorette. After this video was released, ABC announced it was pulling the upcoming season. Fans were shocked to see ABC do this for the first time, but felt it was necessary. Paul has since come out with a few posts thanking her fans for the support and sharing her mental health struggles.
It is unknown if the filmed 22nd season will ever see the light of day, but we will just have to wait and see.
