Disney has pulled the plug on this season of ABC’s ‘The Bachelorette’, and the timing could not be more dramatic.
The network’s parent company confirmed it is no longer moving ahead with the new season, only days before the show was supposed to premiere on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The move follows the release of a video tied to lead Taylor Frankie Paul, whose name has been at the center of a domestic assault investigation.
The Taylor Frankie Paul Drama
The season was built around Taylor Frankie Paul, a familiar face from Hulu’s ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’, and ABC was ready to use that crossover buzz to revive ‘The Bachelorette’ after the series sat out last season.
Instead, Paul’s legal and personal drama swallowed the rollout whole.
The chaos escalated after a video surfaced showing Paul in 2023 repeatedly trying to physically attack her ex, Dakota Mortensen, and throwing several metal barstools while a child was present. The incident eventually led to Paul pleading guilty to aggravated assault. Draper City Police Department also confirmed there is an open domestic assault investigation involving Paul and Mortensen, with allegations made in both directions.
That put ABC in a brutal spot. The timing couldn’t be worse because this was supposed to be a big comeback moment for the franchise. ‘The Bachelorette’ had already been parked last season, and the wider ‘Bachelor’ world has spent the past year dealing with turbulence, including the exit of its two top showrunners. Season 22 was supposed to reset the vibe. Instead, it walked straight into a scandal spiral.
At a press dinner, Paul addressed the headlines and said, “Honestly, just like, my heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time. Just the timing is hard, and it’s a big deal.”
What Happens to ABC’s Sunday Nights?
At first, ABC plugged the hole with a repeat of ‘American Idol’, which made it clear the network was trying to buy time and decide on next steps.
Recent updates reported that ABC is set to fill the vacancy left by ‘The Bachelorette’ Season 22 with reruns of ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ at 8 p.m. ET and ‘The Greatest Average American’ at 9 p.m. ET on Sundays. That is a very different energy for the slot that had been reserved for love and gossip.
‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ is currently hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro, while ‘The Greatest Average American’, which premiered in February 2026, is a game show hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze and built around testing contestants on how everyday Americans live.
So, is this just a patch job, or is Season 22 gone for good? ABC has still not confirmed whether ‘The Bachelorette’ will ever air. That uncertainty is what makes this story especially juicy.
Meanwhile, the fallout is spreading beyond ‘The Bachelorette.’ Filming on Season 5 of ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ has also been paused because of the same domestic assault investigation involving Paul and Mortensen, whose rocky relationship has played out heavily on that series, especially in Season 4, filmed in fall 2025.
For now, one thing is clear. ‘The Bachelorette’ is off the board, ABC is filling the gap with lighter fare, and one of TV’s most durable guilty pleasures is now sitting in limbo with no final rose in sight.
