“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,” a spokesperson for Disney Entertainment Television said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter this afternoon.
Earlier this week a “domestic assault investigation” was opened regarding Paul and her ex, Dakota Mortenson. At the time, filming for the next season of Mormon Wives was paused. On Thursday afternoon, TMZ released a 2023 video appearing to show Paul fighting with Mortenson. At one point, she throws a stool at him, which, according to a police report, hit her then-five-year-old daughter and left her with a “goose egg on her head.”
Paul was arrested after the incident, and the arrest was publicly known when she was cast in The Bachelorette, and THR reports that there has been some backlash since she was announced to lead ABC’s long-running dating series. Her tumultuous relationship with Mortenson is a recurring storyline on Mormon Wives. One of Paul’s castmates on that show, Mikayla Matthews, said that the other wives made the decision to stop filming, sharing on Instagram (via People) “It was a decision that all us girls came up with and agreed on… We didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening.”
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