Disney executive opens up as Taylor Frankie Paul’s ‘The Bachelorette’ future hangs by a thread
A month after ABC abruptly shelved its upcoming season of ‘The Bachelorette’ featuring Taylor Frankie Paul, the situation still feels like it’s in limbo. There’s no firm decision about what happens next. The network appears to be taking a cautious, step-by-step approach rather than rushing into anything. The season was originally set to premiere on March 22, but plans were scrapped at the last minute. That’s because older footage resurfaced showing Paul in a heated altercation with her ex-partner, Dakota Mortensen. The clip, reportedly from 2023, showed objects being thrown during an argument while a child was nearby. Around the same time, there was also an ongoing domestic assault investigation tied to a more recent incident involving the two.
Back then, Disney Entertainment Television issued a brief statement confirming that the network would “not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time.” Now, there’s a small update, though it’s not exactly the kind that answers everything. Rob Mills, who oversees unscripted content for Walt Disney Television, recently spoke about the situation in different interviews. “We’re sort of really still processing everything and figuring out,” Mills said in the April 22 interview with TheWrap. He added that the team is “planning for the next cycles of ‘The Bachelor’ franchise, and really just kind of looking at everything, and first and foremost, honestly, just making sure that Taylor, her family, everyone is being taken care of, just on a personal and human front.”
Moreover, in his conversation with Variety, Mills noted that “there’s really nothing new to report right now” and that decisions are being handled “one day at a time.” Meanwhile, there has been a legal development that changes part of the story. According to documents obtained by PEOPLE, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office confirmed on April 14 that Paul will not face charges related to the domestic violence investigation. The decision came down to a mix of factors, including some alleged incidents falling outside the statute of limitations and others not meeting the threshold for criminal prosecution. In certain cases, officials also cited insufficient evidence to proceed.
That update clears one major hurdle, at least from a legal standpoint, but it doesn’t automatically mean everything goes back to normal. There’s also been a ripple effect on Paul’s other project, ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’. Production on Season 5 was paused amid the headlines, but filming resumed on April 22. However, the restart comes with a catch. Neither Paul nor Mortensen is being filmed at the moment. Sources told PEOPLE that Paul “has the option to return” later if she chooses, though that decision is still up in the air. For now, she appears to be “focusing on her kids and mental health issues.” So, for viewers who were curious about the canceled season, patience might be the only option for now. Whether the footage eventually airs or stays on the shelf is still being worked out behind closed doors.
