The decision to pull Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette from the 2026 TV schedule was a very big deal, and, now, there are questions about how the franchise will move forward after this. While there’s no clear path forward at the moment outside of the immediate cancellation of the current season, franchise alums have been sharing their takes regarding what could happen next. Now, Rachel Lindsay has spoken out about what happened and why she believes The Bachelorette cannot go on after this.
Lindsay, who led Season 13 of The Bachelorette, spoke in detail on the Bachelor Party podcast about the controversy surrounding Taylor Frankie Paul that ultimately led to the cancellation of what was the upcoming season. She also claimed that she thinks the franchise, as a whole, is “over.” Questioning how ABC can move forward with this franchise after all this, the former lead said:
I was trying to think of a scenario where it could be different. Because this isn’t just, ‘Oh, we put it all on a person. This person did this.’ This is the system that allowed this to happen. So the name ‘Bachelorette,’ ‘Bachelor’ is tainted at this point. How do you move forward past that? You can’t.
To contextualize this, Paul’s season of The Bachelorette was pulled in the midst of new reports coming out about a domestic assault investigation involving her and her ex, Dakota Mortensen. In the days leading up to this, Paul was asked about it, as well as the pause in production on Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 5. (Notably, that reality series had premiered its fourth season for those with a Hulu subscription on March 12).
Article continues belowThen, a video from 2023 of an incident related to the domestic violence allegations was released. Not long after that was made public, ABC pulled the plug on Paul’s season of The Bachelorette.
Lindsay went on to say that when this season was initially announced, there was debate over Paul being the lead. So, now, considering the controversy and her observation about the hesitance that already existed from some fans, the former Bachelorette wondered how people are supposed to move forward with the show. Weighing in on all that, she said:
How do you trust this name, ‘Bachelor,’ ‘Bachelorette,’ that has meant something to people, moving forward? You don’t. You already questioned it when you moved Taylor Frankie Paul over [from ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’]. Now it is completely destroyed. Like, ‘Why did you guys think this was okay?’ That’s the question that needs to be answered. We’re never gonna get that from Taylor at this point. I could make an argument ‘Secret Lives’ may be done.
Now, to reiterate, the future of The Bachelorette and the franchise as a whole, as well as Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, is unknown at this point. All we know right now is that the season of The Bachelorette that was about to premiere was canceled.
Lindsay, however, stated that she cannot imagine a world where the show comes back after this. But she also made it a point to “acknowledge” how a move like that could impact everyone who works on these shows, saying:
I think you also have to acknowledge that so many people are about to lose their jobs, and that’s the irresponsible part, too, with the network. Because I still have friends who work on the show, and in an industry right now where it is slim pickings when it comes to new shows and people even leaving the positions that they have, the jobs do not exist.
Lindsay went on to note that there are people who have been working on The Bachelor shows for well over a decade. If it comes to an end, that will change their lives and force them to pivot and find new jobs. Elaborating on that idea, she said:
We just have to acknowledge whoever decided to look past these issues or a video or a background [check], and know that this could possibly come out and be detrimental to the franchise, whether it was one person, multiple people, whatever it may be, now, it’s a bigger loss. It’s not just that you don’t get your season [to] air. It’s that people are going to be unemployed. And that is really, really sad. ‘Cause I don’t even see a [Bachelor in Paradise] coming back. At best, that’s the only show that could come back.
Well, time will tell if The Bachelor franchise manages to move past this situation. All the while, though, Lindsay seems convinced that the long-running franchise it will not remain intact. Meanwhile, former Bachelor Grant Ellis said that ABC did “the right thing” and noted that it is “gonna take some time to recoup” from this.
It should be noted, however, that this is a developing situation. So, as we learn more about Taylor Frankie Paul and the controversy surrounding her, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and The Bachelorette, we’ll keep you updated.
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