New season of The Bachelorette cancelled after Taylor Frankie Paul domestic dispute video resurfaces

The new season of The Bachelorette US has been cancelled after a 2023 video showing Taylor Frankie Paul in a physical altercation with her ex was made public on Thursday.

Paul, 31, who rose to fame on the reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, was due to be the lead of the already filmed newest season of the dating show.

However, ABC has now pulled the program three days before it was supposed to air, following the release of video footage showing the reality star hitting, kicking and throwing a chair at her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, during a 2023 altercation.

A Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson released a statement in the hour following the video's release, confirming the show had been cancelled.

"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," the statement reads.

In the video, which was filmed in 2023 but only published by TMZ on Thursday morning, Paul could be seen putting Mortensen in a headlock before kicking him and hurling several metal chairs towards him.

Paul's daughter, Indy, was allegedly present in the room during the fight and could be heard crying in the background.

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Paul was arrested in 2023 and charged with aggravated assault and other offences, including domestic violence in the presence of a child. She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of aggravated assault while the other charges were dismissed.

Fans of the show took to Paul's Instagram to leave comments about the video, calling it "disturbing" and "hard to watch."

Following the release of the footage, a representative for Paul said the newly released video of the 2023 incident was a "manipulation tactic" by Mortensen.

"It's sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child," the statement, obtained by PEOPLE, reads.

"Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son's birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behaviour.

In a second statement released to the outlet, a spokesperson for Paul said the mother was "grateful" to the ABC for cancelling the show in order to prioritise her family's safety.

The statement added, "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."

In a statement to nine.com.au, Mortensen said: "As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation.

"I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny.

"I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same."

Nine.com.au has also contacted Paul's representatives for comment.

Earlier this week, production halted filming on season five of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives due to "some pretty serious stuff happening regarding [Paul's] past."

Local police later confirmed that a fresh "domestic assault investigation" had been opened involving the couple, with accusations "made in both directions" in February 2026.

The fresh domestic violence allegations, which surfaced last week, caused whispers that ABC was going to pull The Bachelorette, with the newly released video seemingly being the final straw.

One day before the video was released, a representative for Mortensen told Entertainment Weekly that he was not the reason the new investigation was made public.

"His number one priority here is protecting (their two-year-old son), Ever," the statement read.

"He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor.

"It's been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well."

The pair share a son, Ever, who turned 2 today.

Paul also shares two children, Indy, aged 8 and Ocean, 5, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Tate Paul.

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