I’ll never forget what 2026 has taken away from us: Taylor Frankie Paul on The Bachelorette. ABC canceled The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star’s season just days before its planned March premiere, after TMZ posted footage of the domestic violence incident that led to her 2023 arrest, which was already covered on the series premiere of her Hulu show.
Yes, it was the right move at the time, since Paul was dealing with a separate investigation of another incident involving her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen in February, and clearly needed to prioritize her family and mental health. But even though no charges are being pressed against her, it seems like ABC still won’t air Paul’s season of The Bachelorette, as the ending was completely spoiled on Mormon Wives Season 5 (well, as if fans didn’t know her winner already).
Despite this turn of events, I still make the following plea: release the Bachelorette footage.
Even Paul seems to be in support of this suggestion while speaking out about the latest season of Mormon Wives on Instagram, saying that her “redemption arc” has “slowly just begun.”
“P.S. should we release the tapes now just to see?” she added. “And maybe Bachelorette round two?? lmfao.”
OK, fine, Paul getting a second chance to be the Bachelorette is a stretch, and unprecedented in the franchise, but there’s no reason why fans shouldn’t be able to watch what was already filmed. Historically, most seasons of The Bachelor and its spinoffs have been spoiled before the finale, thanks to blogger Reality Steve, and that hasn’t stopped ABC from airing the show.
In fact, airing Paul’s Bachelorette may inform Mormon Wives, giving more context as to how she ended up in another toxic situation with her ex. And while viewers may never know what really went down between Paul and Mortensen after she returned from The Bachelorette, she’s not being charged with any wrongdoing in that February incident.
In fact, Mormon Wives Season 5 provides evidence that Mortensen was a catalyst for depriving fans of this season. He is seen showing Paul a lip tattoo with her initials, saying he’s “obsessed,” and telling his DadTok cohorts to get “toxic” in their relationships. The day after Paul drew boundaries with him via text, the situation started spiraling, and production was paused shortly after.
If there are any concerns from longtime Bachelor Nation fans that Paul didn’t find love and wasn’t on The Bachelorette for the right reasons… who is? Big Brother, of all shows, has led to more marriages than The Bachelor or any of its spinoffs. The point hasn’t been to find true love for a long time. The Bachelor franchise is solely for entertainment, and the trailer proves Paul provided that in spades.
While Paul’s future on Mormon Wives hasn’t been confirmed yet, sources told US Weekly she’s been invited to film for Season 6 and expects to return at some point. Therefore, unless Hulu gives any indication that Paul has been fired, there should be no moral objection to letting fans watch her season of The Bachelorette. Even if ABC just dropped the episodes on Hulu and called it a day, that would be more than enough to satiate our curiosity.
