The new season of “The Bachelorette” was originally set to air on Sunday, March 22.

Why was* The Bachelorette *canceled? What to know about Taylor Frankie Paul’s latest controversy

The new season of "The Bachelorette" was originally set to air on Sunday, March 22.

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

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on March 19, 2026 4:11 p.m. ET

Taylor Frankie Paul on 'The Bachelorette'. Credit:

Disney/Sami Drasin

- *The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives *star Taylor Frankie Paul is leading *The Bachelorette *season 22.

- On March 16, authorities confirmed an active "domestic assault investigation" involving Taylor and her ex, Dakota Mortensen.

- Disney confirmed in a statement that ABC has pulled the episodes from its schedule.

Taylor Frankie Paul shot to fame in 2022 as a founding member of #MomTok, a group of young Mormon wives and mothers sharing their lives on social media. Her rise accelerated after a "soft swinging" scandal made headlines the same year, and the attention only intensified when the friends reunited for Hulu's *The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives*, which quickly became a cultural sensation.

ABC announced in September 2025 that Taylor would be the next* *Bachelorette. She's never been part of the *Bachelor *franchise, but she spoke with host Jesse Palmer about her hopes for love and a fresh start.

"On *The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives*, there's a side to me that isn't shown. You see a lot of my chaos. My mess. My loud moments," she explained. "Everyone deserves a second chance. If anyone knows that feeling, it's me."

But this second chance is already mired with drama. Here's everything you need to know about the latest controversy surrounding Taylor, and why *The Bachelorette *season 22 won't actually air.

What happened between Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex, Dakota Mortensen?

Taylor Frankie Paul on 'The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose'.

Disney/John Fleenor

On Monday, March 16, sources confirmed to PEOPLE that filming for *Mormon Wives* season 5 has been put on hold because Taylor "has some pretty serious stuff happening regarding her past, and they will see what happens. Until that resolves, they are off." TMZ was the first to report the news.

A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE there is an active "domestic assault investigation" involving Taylor and her ex, Dakota Mortensen. They revealed that "allegations have been made in both directions" and "contact was made with involved parties on [Feb] 24th and 25th." They declined to share further details, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.

A source close to the matter told ** that cameras were not rolling during the incident and that Taylor's children were not present. EW has reached out to representatives for Taylor, Mortensen, and Hulu for comment. A representative for ABC did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Who is Taylor Frankie Paul? All about her journey from #MomTok and 'Mormon Wives' to 'The Bachelorette'

Taylor Frankie Paul's ex Dakota Mortensen reacts to domestic violence investigation

This isn't the first time trouble has followed Taylor and her ex-boyfriend. Back in *Mormon Wives *season 1, before their son Ever was born, Taylor was arrested in 2023 in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident with Mortensen.

She faced several charges, including aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child. She was also charged with child abuse after being accused of throwing a chair at Mortensen that instead hit her daughter from her previous marriage with Tate Paul. She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, while the other charges were dropped.

On Thursday, March 19, TMZ released footage of the altercation, showing Paul throwing a chair at Mortensen while her daughter was present.

"It's sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child," Taylor's rep told EW in a statement about the 2023 footage. "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."

How is MomTok handling the situation?

As news of the investigation came to light, rumors began circulating that Taylor's *Mormon Wives *costars were trying to distance themselves from her.

"None of the women want to be associated with her," one insider told PEOPLE, adding that they are "very overwhelmed" and "getting tired of Taylor."

They also claimed that while "everything was going smoothly" before this, some resentment toward Taylor has been brewing. "They kind of all decided, as a unit, that they're taking the production pause, that they don't want to film right now," the source added. "I don't think they care about her really right now. They're just kind of like, 'We're done for right now.'"

Still, some fans have chalked it up to jealousy. Influencer Zack Peter addressed the rumors in a recent Instagram post, speculating about unverified reports that the cast was jealous of Taylor's role as the new *Bachelorette *lead. *Mormon Wives *star Jessi Ngatikaura shut down the chatter, commenting, "It was never a jealousy thing lol."

How has Taylor Frankie Paul addressed the investigation?

Kevin and Taylor Frankie Paul in 'The Bachelorette' season 22.

Disney/Bahareh Ritter

On Tuesday, March 17, Taylor opened up to EW about what's been going on. "I've had better days," she admitted. The reality star is "super excited" about the *Bachelorette *premiere, but added that "everything that's been heavy right now is kind of taking away from that, I'm not going to lie. But in the normal situation I'd be very excited."

As for the investigation and where things stand with Mortensen, Taylor shared that she "took action about a few weeks ago" when things started getting messy. "I'm just doing third-party everything — pick-up, drop-offs, communication — so no contact right now for me," she explained.

She continued, "I think that's the best case, honestly, because clearly it's just not to a point of us getting along, so I wanted to take the best action I could." Her main goal, she said, was to keep things private. "I didn't want to bring anything to the public eye, making it a bigger deal for the sake of my son, and just everything about to come out. But that wasn't the plan for [Mortensen]."

A representative for Mortensen told EW that his top priority is "protecting [their 2-year-old son], Ever." They also denied claims that Mortensen is behind making the situation public. "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."

The rep added that Mortensen wanted the drama to calm down on its own. "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," they said. "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."

What was going on before *The Bachelorette *filming began?

Taylor Frankie Paul holding a book titled 'The Book of More Men' on 'The Bachelorette'.

Disney/Sami Drasin

The controversy isn't just tied to the domestic assault investigation: it also stretches back to the days before Taylor left to film *The Bachelorette*. In the season 4 finale of *Mormon Wives*, Mortensen claimed he and Taylor slept together the night before her departure.

The situation didn't sit well with Taylor's costars. In a confessional, Layla Taylor admitted she was "disappointed in Taylor."

"I don't think this was a smart move to do right before *The Bachelorette*," she said. "To be frank, if I was one of these guys and I found out that she effed her baby daddy the day before meeting me, I would be extremely upset and pissed."

Mayci Neeley echoed that frustration, saying, "Taylor not showing up at the airport is not only a bad sign for her and her journey on *The Bachelorette*, but also for MomTok. Like, she's going to choose Dakota, who's been kind of ruining her life the last three years, over something that is a fresh start. All of us in MomTok, we've all tried so hard to help her and we've all been there for her, but I think it backfired on us."

Meanwhile, Taylor's mom, Liann, said the ordeal made her feel "very sick" given what was at stake.

And the shock isn't limited to family and friends. On March 17, PEOPLE reported that a source close to the *Bachelorette *cast said several of the men who were on Taylor's season are "losing their minds" over the news.

"They're extremely disappointed," the source added. "They felt betrayed when they found this out because they all went into this to genuinely get to know Taylor." However, another insider claimed Taylor is "on great terms with the men from *The Bachelorette*."

Is *The Bachelorette *season 22 still going to air?

Taylor Frankie Paul poses with previous 'Bachelorette' leads on 'The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose'.

Disney/John Fleenor

With the domestic assault investigation ongoing and Taylor's controversial actions before filming, the big question on everyone's mind is whether *The Bachelorette *season 22 will actually make it to air.

On March 19, ABC officially pulled the season. "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 spokesperson said in a statement to EW. TMZ was the first to report the cancellation.

TMZ previously** **claimed that *Bachelorette *producers were caught completely off guard, prompting ABC to hire "a public relations crisis manager to handle the fallout."

Even so, brands connected to the show are starting to pull back. On March 17, Cinnabon announced it's ending its partnerships with both *The Bachelorette* and *Mormon Wives*. "Recent developments and allegations surrounding the lead cast member led us to reassess this collaboration as it no longer aligns with our brand values," the company told PEOPLE in a statement.

The brand had been planning some *Bachelorette*-themed promotions, including limited-edition CinnaPacks packaging. Cinnabon also planned to release a Swirled Soda inspired by a viral drink from *Mormon Wives*, complete with themed cup sleeves.

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