In front of cameras, Taylor Frankie Paul dated 22 men, slowly saying goodbye to eligible bachelors one by one until she handed her final rose to one man.
But in an unparalleled moment in Bachelor Nation history, fans will not see any of it after ABC cancelled the 22nd season of “The Bachelorette” just days before its scheduled Sunday, March 22 premiere.
The Disney-owned network pulled the plug due to an ongoing Utah police investigation into a “domestic assault” involving the “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star and her ex-partner, Dakota Mortensen, who have both leveled allegations. The season cancellation on March 19 comes after TMZ published a shocking video showing the 2023 violent altercation with Paul, seen yelling, hitting, kicking and throwing furniture at Mortensen while a child is heard crying.
What does the abrupt cancellation mean for ABC, the show’s production company, the 22 bachelors and Paul herself? USA TODAY spoke to a legal expert to discuss the possible legal ramifications and how likely the public will be aware of it.
Could ABC sue for its money back for ‘The Bachelorette’?
While the contracts between ABC and production company Warner Horizon Unscripted Television are not public knowledge, it’s not out of the question that the network could file litigation to get some of its money back.
Unable to profit from the lost “Bachelorette” season, ABC may argue Warner Horizon Unscripted Television failed to properly background check Paul when casting her, if that was part of the contract, according to Ashlee Difuntorum, an attorney with the Los Angeles firm Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
Paul was arrested on Feb. 17, 2023, after Mortensen called, saying she was hitting him in front of two children. In March 2025, she faced several charges, including one felony count of aggravated assault and two felony counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child and one misdemeanor count each of child abuse and criminal mischief. Paul confirmed filming for the “Bachelorette” season was completed in December.
Production companies typically have contracts with cast members, showrunners, crew and vendors that often include “broad language” requiring parties to agree not to do anything to cause reputational harm, Difuntorum told USA TODAY.
“I certainly would expect some issue between the production company and Taylor Frankie Paul there, as far as the morality clause. I don’t know the actual contract here, but that’s what I would expect,” she said. “Because as broadly as those are written, typically, I mean, almost certainly something like this would fall within it.”
Have legal battles come from a reality TV cancellation before?
The 2009 reality dating season “Megan Wants a Millionaire” was pulled after contestant Ryan Alexander Jenkins was wanted for the murder of his wife in Southern California, but died by suicide before he was arrested, Entertainment Weekly reported.
The show’s production company, 51 Minds, ended up reimbursing VH1 $12 million for the inadequate vetting of the Jenkins, who had a previous domestic‑violence conviction in Canada.
Could ‘The Bachelorette’ contestants sue?
Difuntorum said it’s unlikely the bachelors on “The Bachelorette” Season 22 would sue over their episodes not airing, as typically reality TV contestants sign contracts where the network or production company reserves the right to not air the footage.
“Usually, contracts state pretty explicitly that it’s the production company’s footage, they can do whatever they want, including not ever use it,” she said. “So I think it would be very rare to see an instance where a contestant could win based on suing, saying, “Hey, I thought I was going to be in this.
Could Taylor Frankie Paul sue or be sued?
Difuntorum also addressed hypothetical scenarios of litigation involving Paul, either as a plaintiff or a defendant, though there is no strong indication that either is likely.
“If she’s already been paid and the production companies feel under their contract she needs to owe it back, and she doesn’t want to give it back. That could be a lawsuit. … I mean, theoretically, anyone can file a lawsuit,” Difuntorum said. “If she hasn’t been paid yet, they refuse to pay or she thinks she should be paid, she could be the one in the plaintiff’s seat, suing the production company.”
However, Difuntorum, she finds it unlikely that Paul would want to be blasted in litigation at this time.
Could litigation over ‘The Bachelorette’ be resolved privately?
Difuntorum said it’s also possible for the public not to be aware of any legal discussions surrounding the cancelled season if the disagreement is “resolved without us ever knowing.”
She mentioned VH1 cancelling “Ev and Ocho” in 2012, weeks before it aired, after filming 11 episodes. The series, which chronicled the engagement between former NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Evelyn Lozada, was cancelled after Johnson was arrested and later sentenced to 30 days in jail for a probation violation in a domestic violence case involving Lozada.
ABC’s “Welcome to the Neighborhood” was another show that was shelved before it could air. The series was cancelled in 2005, less than two weeks before its premiere, due to outrage about its premise, according to The Spokesman-Review. The series followed diverse families vying to win a home near Austin, Texas, by impressing three White, conservative families, who decided which contestants were “fit” to live in the neighborhood.
Did ABC make the right call in cancelling the season?
Sarah Schmidt, a crisis management expert and president of Interdependence PR, said ABC made the right choice in pulling the plug on “The Bachelorette” Season 22, though the entire situation is still damaging financially and optically.
“Yes, they are out millions. But Disney is a family company, and The Bachelorette is a family show. If they would have stayed the course, backlash would have been swift and significant,” Schmidt said in a statement to USA TODAY. “This is a show that sells fantasy, finding true love, emotional safety, and romantic possibility. Casting someone with a documented history of violence and domestic assault and frankly, poor romantic judgement, undermines that premise.”
Schmidt called the entire situation a case study in what happens when franchises “prioritize controversy over credibility.” She said the worst-case scenario is that this is the “beginning of the end for Bachelor Nation” but at minimum, this situation will force an overhaul in the vetting of contestants, especially leads, which “should have happened years ago.”
“This is a classic case of desperation casting gone wrong,” Schmid said. “In this case, they chose to land a buzzy reality star. On the one hand, it’s a calculated risk. On the other hand, they gambled with the brand’s credibility.”
