The full scope of the fallout from Taylor Frankie Paul’s legal issues remains to be seen, after her season of The Bachelorette was pulled from the 2026 TV schedule. Paul’s “toxic relationship” with her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen is at the center of the disturbing viral video from Paul’s 2023 arrest and reports of two other domestic violence incidents since then. Knowing what we do now, it’s devastating to look back at what the MomTok leader said about her ex and why she agreed to lead The Bachelorette.
It’s unknown if we’ll ever see the already filmed episodes of The Bachelorette Season 22 or if this could spell “the beginning of the end” of ABC’s longtime dating franchise. The future of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — which prominently featured Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen’s drama — is seemingly at risk too. Now an interview from 2025 has resurfaced in which ET asked Paul why she went the reality dating show route to find love. She responded:
