Just three days ahead of the scheduled premiere of Taylor Frankie Paul‘s Bachelorette season, media site TMZ posted a leaked video of a February 2023 domestic violence incident involving Paul and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
Hours later, ABC/Disney scrapped the completed season of The Bachelorette. Executives said they knew of the arrest and charges, but had not seen the video until the leak.
Paul – a Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star – shares a young son with Mortensen – Ever, two. She also shares daughter Indy, eight, and son Ocean, five, with ex-husband Tate Paul.
In the disturbing video, Paul hits Mortensen and throws kitchen bar stools at him. One stool appears to hit her daughter, who can be heard crying and screaming “Mommy!”
Mortensen says in video that the daughter was hit in the head with the stool and Paul was arrested at the time.
Six months later, Paul pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault, according to People. As part of the plea agreement, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child. a class-A misdemeanour charge of child abuse and a class-B misdemeanour charge of criminal mischief, were all dismissed.
The fallout from Paul’s arrest was a major storyline on season one of Mormon Wives.
View this post on Instagram
ABC/Disney cancels The Bachelorette after abuse video
The broadcaster’s statement reads:
“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.”
ABC immediately removed all online The Bachelorette promotional material.
Paul spoke out through a spokesperson soon after ABC abandoned the season.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” a spokesperson for Paul told People.
“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.”
The statement further said, “It’s sad to see the latest instalment of [Mortenson’s] never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child.
“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.
“There 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. Taylor 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.”
Top image: Taylor Frankie Paul. Image: ABC/Disney