Bachelorette Scandal: Star's Violent Past Uncovered

0:00Entertainment stories making news on March 20th. Producers of the Bachelorette pulled season 22 just days before its premiere, after new details emerged, about lead Taylor Frankie Paul. The 31-year-old reality star from Secret Lives of Mormon Wives faced a guilty plea in 2023 for third-degree aggravated assault. After throwing a bar stool at her ex-boyfriend, which accidentally hit one of her kids, a fresh police investigation into domestic assault allegations between her and that same ex, Dakota Mortensen, is still underway, and he's got a restraining order against her. Contestants signed up last year thinking they were chasing romance, but many felt misled when producers downplay Paul's past during filming. Insiders say, Warner Bros. unscripted television and ABC are pointing fingers over the vetting slip-up, with claims that everyone knew about her. Conviction, but pushed ahead anyway. Paul even walked the Oscars' red carpet on March 15th as part of the promo push.

1:00The guys on the show are furious, stuck behind non-disclosure agreements that keep them quiet while their names get tied to the mess. One contestant said they learned the full story from news alerts, then got calls enforcing silence. They feel dragged through the mud protecting someone who hasn't fully changed. Pulling the plug cost around $28 million for the 13 episodes, hitting crew jobs hard and sparking chaos behind the scenes. The rumored winner, 28-year-old model and lifeguard Doug Mason, has stayed supportive of Paul publicly and might step up as the next Bachelor lead. As networks scramble to regroup, the big question lingers on how the Bachelorette bounces back from this spotlight fiasco.