Trending Now: This entertainment story covers the latest buzz, reactions, and updates surrounding Trending Now: Taylor Frankie Paul’s criminal past & ‘The Bachelorette’ cancellation, explained – Fans React..
Straight people can be so messy.
Sometimes, the heterosexual drama blows up so big that it even starts oozing into our timelines — how dare they! The problem is that we aren’t paying attention to what the heteros are doing, so when they take over every headline, we’re left scratching our heads.
That’s what happened when reality TV star Taylor Frankie Paul’s scandal reached critical mass and could no longer be ignored. For anyone who isn’t fan of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, some explaining needs to be done.
Who is she, why was her upcoming season of The Bachelorette canceled, and why are fans ready to come after her with pitchforks and torches?
Who is Taylor Frankie Paul?
\u200bThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
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The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
Paul is a 31-year-old TikTok creator and star of Hulu’s popular reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which follows the lives of eight Mormon moms in Utah. She is most well-known for being the self-proclaimed creator of #MomTok, a group of Utah-based Mormon moms who gained notoriety for creating TikTok content in 2020.
The reality TV star has three children, two with ex-husband Tate Paul, and one with Dakota Mortensen, with whom she has had a tumultuous on-and-off again relationship.
Her relationship with Mortensen has been a central plot line throughout The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which just released its fourth season. The couple has broken up and gotten back together multiple times amidst allegations that Mortensen has cheated.
Due to her popularity on the Hulu show, it was announced in September 2025 that she would be the star on season 22 of The Bachelorette.
Why was ‘The Bachelorette’ canceled?
The upcoming season of The Bachelorette, starring Paul, had already been filmed and was set to premiere on March 22 when ABC abruptly pulled the whole season.
The decision to take a financial loss and shelve the season came after TMZ released video footage showing Paul physically attacking her then-boyfriend Mortensen back in 2023.
“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,” Disney Entertainment, ABC’s parent company, said in a statement per the Associated Press.
The video, filmed by Mortensen, shows Paul kicking him and throwing wooden barstools at him while her daughter is nearby. ”Your daughter is sitting right there,” Mortensen said in the video.
Paul was accused of allegedly throwing a stool at Mortensen that hit her daughter and was charged with misdemeanor assault, criminal mischief, and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child, People reports.
The events in the video led to Paul’s 2023 arrest and her pleading guilty to aggravated assault. Although the video was only recently released by TMZ, the incident was well documented in the pilot episode of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which first aired on September 6, 2024.
Paul’s representative accused Mortensen of releasing the video to as a way to disparage Paul, and called the video footage the “latest installment of [Mortensen’s] never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child.”
Taylor Frankie Paul’s other scandals
This isn’t the only domestic violence accusation against Paul, as she’s had three separate alleged domestic violence incidents.
The upcoming fifth season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives halted filming after an investigation into a separate domestic violence allegation involving Paul and Mortensen came to light in February.
According to People, a spokesperson for the Draper City police Department in Utah confirmed that “allegations have been made in both directions” and “contact was made with involved parties on [Feb.] 24th and 25th.”
Prior to her time being cast on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Paul was also embroiled in a sex scandal on #MomTok, after a woman made videos claiming that she and her husband engaged in “soft swinging” with Paul and her husband, which ultimately led to Paul’s divorce.
What has Taylor said about the controversy?
After The Bachelorette was canceled, a spokesperson for Paul shared a statement with The Hollywood Reporter, which reads, “Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security. After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.”
“There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives,” the statement continued. “Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation, and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.”
Paul also told THR in an interview that she was trying to keep her head up amidst the controversy. “It’s been really difficult and heavy, given, you know, all the headlines and what’s going on,” she said. “I am handling it like any normal human would, like struggling but trying to show up at the same time.”
This article originally appeared on Out: Taylor Frankie Paul’s criminal past & ‘The Bachelorette’ cancellation, explained