Disney cancels new Bachelorette season amid Taylor Frankie Paul domestic abuse scandal 

Disney has scrapped the upcoming season of The Bachelorette, which had been set to debut on US broadcaster ABC on Sunday, amid the fallout of a domestic violence scandal involving Taylor Frankie Paul.

Taylor Frankie Paul

The series was pulled after TMZ published a video that showed Paul in a violent incident with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.

The footage was previously used in a 2023 court proceeding that ultimately found Paul guilty of aggravated assault, but the video itself had never been released publicly.

In the video, Paul is seen punching, kicking and throwing chairs at Mortensen, with her then five-year-old daughter nearby. According to TMZ, a police report said one of the chairs thrown hit her daughter on the head.

“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,” said a rep for Disney Entertainment Television.

The court case had previously been a major storyline in season one of Hulu reality series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which follows Paul and a group of Utah-based TikTok influencers. Earlier in the week, NBC News reported that filming on the fifth season had been paused due to an “ongoing investigation” involving Paul and Mortensen.

The incident comes on a week when Disney was hoping to focus on the ascension of Josh D’Amaro, who took the CEO reins from Bob Iger on Wednesday. However, an incident with this much public attention will no doubt have reached the very top echelons of Disney, which also include newly installed president and chief creative officer Dana Walden.

ABC is planning to run repeat episodes of American Idol in the two-hour slot left by The Bachelorette. The series is Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, which is part of Warner Bros Television Group.