Taylor Frankie Paul at the 98th Annual Oscars held at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026, in Hollywood, California.
Photo by Gilbert Flores on Getty Images
On Sunday night, Kevin Montero was about to become a national TV star.
The local physical therapist was cast as one of 22 contestants on “The Bachelorette,” starring Frankie Taylor Paul from “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
In a video about a month before the dating competition was set to air, Montero shared an Instagram dance video set to Raye’s hit song, “Where Is My Husband!” The text over screen says, “Taylor, right here.” The caption reads “Let the journey begin.”
Insert record-scratch sound effect here.
As of Friday, Montero’s video’s still up, but the season, which had already been filmed, was scrapped. Just a day before, in a stunning, unprecedented move, ABC axed the whole thing after a disturbing video emerged of Paul from her 2023 arrest in Utah.
First released by TMZ, the clip shows her viciously fighting with her ex Dakota Mortensen, with whom she shares a son, 2. Paul, whose then-5-year-old daughter from a different relationship was present, was the one who ended up in cuffs. The 31-year-old influencer pled guilty to aggravated assault and is currently serving a three-year probation ending Aug. 24.
That’s not all the drama fit to print. On Tuesday, two days before the bombshell video dropped, Mortensen, 33, had filed a protective order to get sole custody of their toddler. He alleges the Hulu star attacked him in two separate incidents back in February; cops did not respond to the home that time, and no arrests were made.
A representative for Paul clapped back against all allegations, saying in a statement the mother of three has been a silent victim of abuse for years.
Regardless, the damage is so done, and ABC is reportedly set to lose tens of millions of dollars in this debacle.
The bright spot in all of this? Miami’s Montero is still available. So ladies in the 305, BOLO.
We reached out to the singleton to ask for comment but didn’t immediately hear back, so we scanned his “Bachelorette” bio.
“After navigating a ‘fake’ dating scene, Kevin is excited to settle down with the real deal,” it says, adding some fun facts.
The FIU grad, 32, is a fan of the Dave Matthews Band and is “a self-proclaimed yes man,” always up for adventure, such as swimming with hammerhead sharks. Another less dangerous activity you could share with Montero is chowing down on Cuban food, his favorite.
“Kevin is happiest when he’s well-fed,” the bio concludes.
Miami Herald
Celebrity/real time news reporter Madeleine Marr has been with The Miami Herald since 2003. She has covered such features as travel, fashion and food. In 2007, she helped launch the newspaper’s daily People Page, attending red carpet events, awards ceremonies and press junkets; interviewing some of the biggest names in show business; and hosting her own online show. She is originally from New York City.