Castmates From 2 Shows Speak on Bachelorette Chaos

ABC's decision to yank its new season of The Bachelorette in the 11th hour could come with a massive price tag. The Disney-owned network risks losing tens of millions of dollars in licensing fees, marketing spend, and related revenue after pulling the Taylor Frankie Paul-led season on Thursday, insiders tell Variety. The move followed the circulation of a 2023 video showing Paul throwing chairs at her then-partner, Dakota Mortensen, and apparently striking her child in the process. Warner Bros. Unscripted TV, meanwhile, produces The Bachelorette and gets its license fee whether or not ABC airs it.

Studio execs there were said to be blindsided by the video, but they'd previously voiced concern about casting Paul, whose domestic violence history is featured in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. ABC swiftly scrubbed Paul and the show from its site, and both ABC and Canadian broadcaster CityTV have swapped in an American Idol rerun for what was supposed to be Sunday's premiere. Despite the upheaval, insiders don't see this as fatal to the franchise and expect Paul's season could still surface later, perhaps on Hulu or in a reshuffled ABC schedule—likely after a round of public apologies. (Rolling Stone disagrees this should be an option.)

When ABC announced Paul in the starring role last fall, it gave her kudos for "igniting 'MomTok' and going viral for pulling back the curtain on Salt Lake's soft-swinging scene," per the AP—"MomTok" being the nickname for the social media presence of women from the Mormon community. The stars behind Mormon Wives now say it was their decision to pause the creation of the fifth season of their show as well. "It was a decision that all of us girls came up with," Paul colleague Mikayla Matthews noted Wednesday on Instagram."We didn't feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening."

People notes that some of Paul's potential love interests are also speaking out in the wake of everything. "I'm just sending out prayers to Taylor, 'cause that was her moment and her moment was blocked," contender Doug Mason posted on social media. Another contestant tells E! News that, although things never got violent, Paul "exploded on a couple of us during the show." He added, "I just thought she was leaning into the drama." A rep for Paul, meanwhile, tells People that "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."