ABC has canceled its upcoming season of The Bachelorette starring Taylor Frankie Paul after a video showing domestic violence resurfaced just days before the season was scheduled to premiere. Paul had previously pleaded guilty to aggravated assault stemming from a 2023 incident involving her partner.
Who Is Taylor Frankie Paul?
Paul rose to fame as part of the cast of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, a reality series that documented the lives of social media influencers within Utah’s Mormon community. The show became a breakout hit, and Paul — known for her candid personality and large TikTok following — quickly emerged as its central figure.
Her selection as the lead for The Bachelorette was announced amid significant fanfare and was seen as a continuation of her social media-to-mainstream-television trajectory. She even attended the Oscars the week before the premiere was scheduled to air.
The Cancellation
The resurfaced video led ABC and the show’s producers to pull the season entirely rather than air it as planned. The network has not announced what will replace it in the broadcast schedule or whether a new lead has been selected for a future season.
The cancellation is a significant blow to the franchise at a time when reality television competition for audience attention has never been fiercer. For Paul, it represents a dramatic reversal of what appeared to be a major career milestone.