ABC pulled the new season of "The Bachelorette" days before its debut after TMZ published a video of lead Taylor Frankie Paul.
ABC's Bachelor Nation needed another chance at love. What it got instead was a crisis.
Once a ratings boon and cash cow for the network and its parent company, Disney, the long-running romantic reality series had become an aging franchise with sagging ratings and declining ad revenue.
So ABC decided to shake things up with its newest season of "The Bachelorette," casting Taylor Frankie Paul -- breakout star of Disney's own Hulu hit, "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" -- as its next leading lady looking for love. It was an act of corporate synergy likely to draw eyeballs.
But the decision backfired this week after TMZ published a video of Paul in a 2023 physical altercation with her former partner. On Thursday, ABC quickly pulled the plug on the new season, just days before it was scheduled to debut this Sunday. It is unclear if the season will ever air.
Pulling the highly anticipated show could lose ABC tens of millions of dollars in production, promotion and marketing costs. The network also will have to placate advertisers who had bought time during "The Bachelorette," which hasn't had a new season since 2024.
The "Bachelorette" debacle is a harsh baptism for the new leadership at Disney -- Chief Executive Josh D'Amaro and President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden. D'Amaro took over from Bob Iger earlier this week and is tasked with protecting the Disney brand. Walden has oversight of the company's entertainment operations, which include ABC.
The decision to pull the show was made by Debra OConnell, who has assumed the newly established role of chairman of Disney Entertainment Television, a person familiar with the matter said.
The trouble illustrates one of the challenges of reality TV, which thrives on messy on-screen drama but can dig its own grave if it goes too far. Some of Paul's issues were already in plain sight, with her often volatile relationship with Dakota Mortensen, the former partner who appears to be in the video and father of one of her children, playing out on "Mormon Wives" from the first episode.
ABC licenses "The Bachelor" franchise from Warner Bros. Television. ABC was paying approximately $5 million per episode to Warner for the coming 10-episode season, people familiar with the deal said. If the show ends up not airing, ABC will eat that $50 million cost.
People close to the show are hoping that as more is revealed about Paul's relationship with Mortensen, a more sympathetic character will emerge and the episodes could air.
The network spent millions of dollars promoting the new season. Paul herself spent most of the past week publicizing the show, walking the red carpet at the Oscars and appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America." ABC had aired a preseason special episode after the Oscars on Sunday, called "Before the First Rose," in which nearly every previous Bachelorette gathered at the Bachelor Mansion to welcome Paul and give her advice.
Guideline, an ad-spending tracking firm, estimated that "The Bachelorette" was expected to bring in as much as $35 million in advertising revenue.
The network will now have to place those advertisers in different shows and may have to provide extra commercials to reach an audience similar to that of "The Bachelorette." Disney is in the process of working with brands to reallocate their media buys, a person familiar with the matter said.
At least one brand has already cut ties. Snack company Cinnabon said this week it had ended its partnership with "The Bachelorette" and "Secret Lives." Earlier this month, Cinnabon unveiled a new drink called the Swirled Soda inspired by "Secret Lives," as well as Bachelorette-themed food packaging bearing images of Paul's face.
"Recent developments and allegations surrounding the lead cast member led us to reassess this collaboration as it no longer aligns with our brand values," a Cinnabon spokesperson said in a statement.
The first season of "The Bachelor" in 2002 drew 18 million viewers with its finale. Over the years, it has tried to entice its audience with spinoffs like "The Bachelorette," "Bachelor in Paradise" and, more recently, "The Golden Bachelor," which features seniors.
Paul was an unusual pick for the franchise. In casting her, ABC broke with its typical pattern of picking someone who had previously appeared as a contestant on "The Bachelor."
Leads of "The Bachelorette" have often embodied idealized notions of marriage and traditional values. Divorced and a single mother, Paul defied those norms.
She also came with controversy. In 2023, she was charged with child abuse, domestic violence in the presence of a child and aggravated assault. She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, and the other charges were dismissed. Her arrest was an early part of her story line on "Mormon Wives," which follows a group of Mormon influencer moms collectively known as #MomTok.
The video TMZ published appears to show Paul being violent toward Mortensen while a child is present. In the video, Paul appears to hit and kick Mortensen before throwing several stools at him. A child can be heard crying in the background. Hours after the video was released, the show was pulled from the air. The Wall Street Journal hasn't independently confirmed the video's authenticity.
A Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson on Thursday said, "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."
In a statement to the Journal on Friday, a spokesperson for Paul said she was trying to focus on her family's safety and security.
"Taylor is very grateful for ABC's support as she prioritizes her family's safety and security," the spokesperson said. "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."
Paul is "preparing to own and share her story," the spokesperson said. Mortensen didn't respond to requests for comment.