{"id":484863,"date":"2026-03-19T23:45:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T23:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/484863\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T23:45:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T23:45:13","slug":"taylor-frankie-pauls-2026-bachelorette-season-scrapped-over-violent-video-leak-days-before-premiere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/484863\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor Frankie Paul\u2019s 2026 Bachelorette season scrapped over violent video leak days before premiere"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n<p>Your support makes all the difference.Read more<\/p>\n<p>Taylor Frankie Paul\u2019s edition of The Bachelorette will not air after a violent video of her 2023 assault involving her ex, Dakota Mortensen, was leaked just days before the season was slated to premiere.<\/p>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/news\/mormon-wives-cast-husbands-divorce-b2864882.html\">Secret Lives of Mormon Wives<\/a> star\u2019s season of The Bachelorette, which wrapped filming in December, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/news\/bachelorette-2026-cast-taylor-frankie-paul-b2926034.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ready to debut Sunday <\/a>when the network announced Thursday that the show will not go forward as planned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn 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,\u201d Disney said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>The video and Bachelorette cancelation come days after fresh <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/news\/taylor-frankie-paul-allegations-slomw-pause-b2940979.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">domestic violence allegations against <\/a>Paul, 31, triggered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/news\/taylor-frankie-paul-bachelorette-drama-b2940318.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">widespread backlash<\/a>. Paul and Mortensen \u2014 who is the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/news\/secret-lives-mormon-wives-reunion-taylor-frankie-paul-b2878165.html\">father of her youngest child<\/a> \u2014 were previously involved in a domestic violence incident in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Paul was arrested and charged with aggravated assault in 2023 following an altercation with Mortensen that was chronicled on season one of SLOMW, the Hulu reality show that catapulted the mom-of-three to stardom. In August of that year, she pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony count of aggravated assault; the other charges of criminal mischief and domestic violence against her were dropped. Paul is serving three years\u2019 probation from that case. Another charge would violate her probation, which is set to end in August.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MixCollage-23-Feb-2026-01-58-PM-3125.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Taylor Frankie Paul\u2019s season of 'The Bachelorette' will not be going forward\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Taylor Frankie Paul\u2019s season of &#8216;The Bachelorette&#8217; will not be going forward (Disney)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2214126257.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Disney announced the decision about Paul's season of 'The Bachelorette' Thursday after violent video of her 2023 domestic violence incident was leaked\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Disney announced the decision about Paul&#8217;s season of &#8216;The Bachelorette&#8217; Thursday after violent video of her 2023 domestic violence incident was leaked (Getty Images for SiriusXM)<\/p>\n<p>Video of the 2023 incident was leaked Thursday to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/03\/19\/video-of-taylor-frankie-paul-beating-dakota-mortensen\/\">TMZ<\/a>, showing Paul repeatedly attacking Mortensen, kicking him and putting him in a headlock.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is called physical abuse,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/news\/secret-lives-of-mormon-wives-dakota-mortensen-b2864980.html\">Mortensen<\/a> said in the video as he pushed her away. \u201cSee Taylor, this is all you do.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>She then threw multiple metal barstools at him while her daughter, who was present in the room, began to cry. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour daughter is right here,\u201d Mortensen yelled before Paul went on to throw two more stools. Mortensen then repeatedly accused Paul of being drunk.<\/p>\n<p>After the disturbing footage came to light, Paul released a statement through her representatives to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/tv\/news\/taylor-frankie-paul-video-stools-dakota-mortensen-child-1236694182\/\">Variety<\/a>: \u201cIt\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReleasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son\u2019s 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,\u201d her representatives said.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MixCollage-04-Dec-2025-12-07-PM-3766.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen are currently being investigated for domestic violence allegations\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen are currently being investigated for domestic violence allegations (Disney\/Fred Hayes)<\/p>\n<p>Paul\u2019s representatives then released another statement addressing the cancelation of The Bachelorette.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTaylor is very grateful for ABC\u2019s support as she prioritizes her family\u2019s safety and security. After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm,\u201d the statement from her spokesperson read, per Variety. \u201cThere are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTaylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation, and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mortensen has not immediately responded to The Independent\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ScreenShot-Tool-20260318083010.png\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Taylor Frankie Paul responded to the domestic violence allegations on Wednesday her on 'Good Morning America'\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Taylor Frankie Paul responded to the domestic violence allegations on Wednesday her on &#8216;Good Morning America&#8217; (ABC)<\/p>\n<p>News broke earlier this week that <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/news\/secret-lives-of-mormon-wives-scandals-explained-b2864872.html\">season five of SLOMW had paused production <\/a>due to an alleged domestic dispute between Paul and Mortensen that happened February 24 and February 25. Draper City police said that allegations were made by both Paul and Mortensen and that no charges had been filed. Police refused to comment further to The Independent on the incident, citing the pending investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Despite speculation over <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/life-style\/secret-lives-of-mormon-wives-jessi-ngatikaura-plastic-surgery-b2933833.html\">SLOMW\u2019s <\/a>hiatus from filming, Paul continued on her planned Bachelorette press tour throughout the week and doubled down on blaming Mortensen for the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking about the backlash Wednesday on Good Morning America, Paul said, \u201cIt\u2019s supposed to be an exciting time. I\u2019m a person that always speaks her truth, that\u2019s what I\u2019m known for. When the time is right, I will be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paul was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/news\/the-bachelorette-season-22-taylor-frankie-paul-b2823744.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">announced as the lead of The Bachelorette in September<\/a>, marking the first time that a person outside of the franchise had been chosen for the role.<\/p>\n<p>The national domestic abuse helpline offers support for women on 0808 2000 247, or you can visit the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk\/?_ga=2.226359196.767267391.1680271327-984135512.1680271327\">Refuge<\/a> website. There is a dedicated <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mensadviceline.org.uk\/\">men&#8217;s advice line<\/a> on 0808 8010 327. Those in the US can call the domestic violence hotline on 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.befrienders.org\">www.befrienders.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":484864,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-484863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}