In the summer of 2025, Walt Disney Co. executives made a big bet on a reality TV star prone to high drama: complicated personal relationships and accusations of domestic violence.
Now, Disney's ABC network could lose at least $70 million with a nearly finished season of “The Bachelorette” on shelves.
Last week, ABC canceled this season of “The Bachelorette,” featuring Taylor Frankie Paul, 31, just three days before the premiere episode aired Sunday night. Disney canceled the service after a three-year-old video surfaced showing Paul, the star of the hit Hulu series “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” physically attacking his ex-partner.
Paul can be seen screaming and throwing metal chairs, one of which apparently hit one of his children who witnessed the altercation. His former partner, Dakota Mortensen, recorded the video of the attack on his mobile phone.
Trouble has been brewing around “The Bachelorette” for weeks as Paul did publicity for the show.
Police in Draper City, Utah, separately confirmed an investigation into a subsequent domestic violence incident in February between Mortensen and Paul. As part of that investigation, Paul, 31, temporarily lost custody of the couple's son, Ever, who turned 2 last week, the day the disturbing video emerged.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC's support as she prioritizes her family's safety. After years of silently suffering extensive physical and mental abuse, as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to confront her accuser and take steps to ensure she and her children are protected from further harm,” a spokesperson said.
Representatives for Mortensen could not immediately be reached for comment. In a statement to People magazine, a representative for Mortensen said that “his number one priority here is to protect” his son Ever.
Last month, Disney requested an investigation to clarify Paul and Mortensen's differing accounts of the February incident, according to people close to the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive situation.
The scandal has become the first big test for Dana Walden, who last week took over as president and creative director of Disney, the day before the video showing a violent Paul was leaked to TMZ.
The episode has raised uncomfortable questions about why Disney made Paul the face of one of ABC's biggest franchises.
He has also shed light on the decision-making of Walden's newly appointed ABC team: Debra O'Connell, president of Disney Entertainment Television; the president of the Disney television group, Craig Erwich; and Rob Mills, executive vice president of alternative and unscripted entertainment at Disney TV.
Disney declined to comment.
The network has not said whether it plans to eventually air Paul's season of “The Bachelorette.”
But the network made a big investment, paying a licensing fee of about $5 million per season episode to Warner Bros., sources familiar with the matter said. The season includes nine episodes and other programming elements, including a special that aired immediately after the Oscars telecast on ABC this month and drew 5.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
Dakota Mortensen, left, and Taylor Frankie Paul are the stars of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
(Fred Hayes/Disney)
ABC also orchestrated a major marketing campaign: Billboards for the show had appeared across the country, social media channels were crackling, and Paul appeared on ABC's stalwart “Good Morning America,” where she discussed her role on “The Bachelorette,” where she dated nearly two dozen men in search of her soulmate.
She also acknowledged simultaneously facing accusations of domestic abuse, which she called a “difficult time.”
“For me, dating as a mother of three is extremely difficult,” Paul told ABC host Lara Spencer. “I thought, I can go out, get away from my toxic cycle here in Utah, go on dates, and also have my kids come visit me. That's what I thought, why not?”
Advertisers, including Cinnabon, also pulled out in light of the controversy.
Viewers have long been fascinated with Paul, who gained notoriety on TikTok and formed a community there called MomTok. Their combative relationships added to the intrigue.
Hulu’s “The Secret Life of Mormon Wives” has been a huge hit, developing a loyal following and an alternative to the “Real Housewives” franchise on rival network Bravo. A clip from the show was included in a Disney video montage of movies, TV shows and other notable attractions that was shown to investors last week.
Mills and other Disney executives who oversee programming for ABC and Hulu had been looking for ways to revitalize “The Bachelor” franchise, realizing after fans latched on to a funny video Paul had posted on TikTok, expressing his desire to join the long-running ABC show, produced by Warner Horizon.
The comments posted about Paul's video were intriguing, particularly for viewers who said they would watch “The Bachelorette” again if she appeared.
“I flew to Utah and met with her and she was serious. [about joining]”Mills told The Times two weeks before the controversy. “Then I sent her roses the next day and said, 'Would you be 'The Bachelorette' and the rest is history?”
Disney recognized that Paul's relationship with Mortensen was complicated.
Disney executives were aware of the altercation in 2023 and briefly debated internally whether to move forward with Paul in a featured role on “Mormon Wives,” according to a source close to the situation but not authorized to comment. Paul is an executive producer of that show.
The first episode of the first season of “Mormon Wives,” which debuted in September 2024, featured Utah police body camera footage from the February 2023 fight that was the subject of the newly released video.
The final moments of the most recent season ended with Paul and Mortensen sleeping together again, the night before she flew to Los Angeles to start filming “The Bachelorette.” He missed his initial flight, but took a later flight.
Disney also halted filming of “Mormon Wives” during production of its fifth season.
Over the show's four seasons, there have been tensions between the castmates, which accelerated as Paul and the other wives sought fame elsewhere, including ABC's “Dancing with the Stars.”
When recent allegations of domestic violence surfaced, castmates expressed concerns about working with her, which contributed to the decision to hire an outside law firm to investigate.
The firm was hired, at Disney's request, by the show's production company, Jeff Jenkins Productions, based in Sherman Oaks.
Times staff writer Yvonne Villarreal contributed to this report.
