ABC Hopes Taylor Frankie Paul Will Boost Bachelorette Ratings
ABC took a risky bet with Taylor Frankie Paul on “The Bachelorette,” and it didn’t pay off. The show was set to premiere its new season featuring Paul, a star of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” but ABC announced that the season would not move forward due to a second domestic assault investigation involving Paul. A video from her first assault case, in which she pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, surfaced online, causing quite a stir.
The video shows Paul putting her on-and-off partner, Dakota Mortensen, in a headlock and throwing metal bar stools at him, all while their daughter, Indy, was in the room. Mortensen urged Paul to help their child, but Paul continued her violent outburst. The incident left Indy with a head injury, and Paul faced charges of aggravated assault, child abuse, and domestic violence in the presence of a child. Paul admitted to drinking before the incident and pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault.
The producers of “The Bachelorette” and Disney lawyers may not have seen the video before, but the police report confirmed the disturbing details of the incident. This turn of events led to Season 5 of “Mormon Wives,” which Paul executive produces, to also come to a halt. It goes to show that reality TV always carries some level of controversy, and in this case, “The Bachelorette” was certainly playing with fire and faced the consequences.
