Taylor Frankie Paul — star of Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and the newly announced lead of The Bachelorette Season 22 — just had her entire ABC season cancelled three days before its premiere.
The implosion came after TMZ published video of Paul attacking her ex-boyfriend and baby daddy Dakota Mortensen in front of their child, who appeared to be holding the camera. Hours later, Disney pulled the plug.
"In light of the newly surfaced video today, we have chosen not to proceed with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, as our priority is to support the family," Disney said in a statement to NBC News.
This isn't Paul's first run-in with the law. In February 2023, she was arrested after Mortensen called police claiming she kicked him, put him in a chokehold, and threw heavy metal chairs — one of which reportedly struck her then-5-year-old daughter. She was charged with felony aggravated assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, and child abuse. She pled guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault in August 2023, with the charge set to reduce to a misdemeanor in three years if she stays clean — a review date of August 2026.
ABC knew about all of this when they cast her.
The fallout has been swift. Filming for Season 5 of Mormon Wives was halted after cast members collectively refused to continue. Mikayla Matthews confirmed the pause was a group decision: "It was a decision all the girls came together and agreed on. We didn't feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening."
Cinnabon became the first sponsor to cut ties, saying the partnership "no longer aligns with our brand values." The Draper City Police Department confirmed an open domestic assault investigation with "allegations made in both directions" since at least February 24, 2026.
Paul's team released a statement calling Dakota's actions "an unending, desperate, attention-seeking, and destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for their child's well-being." Dakota's rep says his "number one priority is protecting their son, Ever."
The woman who built her brand on MomTok — the Mormon mom TikTok community that went viral for the "soft swinging" scandal — is now the #1 trending topic in America.