ABC has decided to pull the premiere for the upcoming season of The Bachelorette just days before it was set to air.
Taylor Frankie Paul, the titular bachelorette for the show’s 22nd season, has been embroiled in controversy for the past few days after allegations of domestic abuse were levied against her by her ex Dakota Mortensen.
In the wake of the allegations, the upcoming season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives also paused production. The show was set to premiere on Sunday, March 22.
It was then confirmed that ABC has hit pause on the premiere, and it’s unclear when the show will return to the air.
“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 statement from a Disney Entertainment Television rep to HELLO! reads.
Taylor spoke about the domestic violence situation for the first time while attending a press preview for the new Bachelorette season on March 17 in New York City.
© Getty Images“Honestly, just like, my heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time,” she told People. “Just the timing is hard, and it’s a big deal. I feel like every premiere that I’ve experienced, I’ve never enjoyed fully, so this is another one… it’s extremely hard, and it took everything to get me here today.”
She continued: “It’s just heavy. It’s a heavy time, and it’s unfortunate. I’m struggling for sure, but also at the same time I feel like if I don’t show up, then I’m just giving these opportunities away and not enjoying what we’ve worked on and something super exciting that’s coming. I just feel like it was the right thing to do… show up even though it’s hard.”
© InstagramA new video was then released by TMZ on March 19, which was filmed from Taylor’s ex Dakota’s perspective, allegedly from 2023 in which the two get into a physical altercation.
The pair verbally spat and continue to push each other back and forth, with Dakota apparently calling Taylor “hammered” and “drunk,” which culminates in Taylor shown throwing multiple metal chairs at Dakota, one of which seemingly hit one of her kids who happened to be nearby, supposedly her oldest daughter Indy.
© Getty ImagesIndy, now eight, could be heard crying in the background, with Dakota screaming out to his then-girlfriend to “take care of your daughter,” with the muffled voices continuing to get more agitated.
Taylor is yet to address the new video, although she previously shared a clip on her Instagram page commenting on the new Mormon Wives season, writing beside it: “I for the first time sat down and watched this season and it was extremely hard to do. These aren’t just story lines these are our actual lives we are sharing. I’ll speak for myself on this, I’m not sharing to appease or switch ‘story lines’ for anyone’s entertainment.”
© Getty Images“A big reason I continue on is to potentially help someone. I know this because I’ve personally watched and listened to people’s experience and it helped me. Takes courage to share such vulnerable topics with an audience. My heart goes out to those around me that share and everyone else that continue to do so, the hugs will always outweigh the hate for me.”
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