Who Made The Decision To Cancel Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette, And Are Multiple Lawsuits Brewing?

A major decision involving ABC’s Bachelorette franchise was made this week, as it was determined that the already-filmed Season 22 would be pulled from the 2026 TV schedule. That news came down after the release of a video, which showed the season’s star, reality TV personality Taylor Frankie Paul, involved in a physical altercation with on-and-off boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. Since then, new details regarding who made the final call have been reported. At the same time, it seems lawsuits could be on the way.

Who Made The Decision To Shelve The Bachelorette Season 22?

Disney – the parent company of ABC – announced the Bachelorette news on Thursday and, in the statement, the company said it was pulling the season “at this time” in order to zero in on “supporting the family.” When it comes to the actual decision, Deadline reported that there were a number of people involved in making it. However, the trade alleges that it was Debra OConnell – the newly installed Chairman of Disney Entertainment Television – who made the main call. This situation coincided with OConnell’s first week on the job.

Additionally, Deadline reports that other bigwigs within the company were managing other facets of the situation. Craig Erwich – the President of Disney Television Group – along with unscripted content chief Rob Mills, apparently communicated with Warner Horizon Unscripted Television. All the while, Dana Walden, who was recently promoted to The Walt Disney Company’s President and Chief Creative Officer, contacted Mills during the week for an update on the plans being made.

Right now, Disney hasn’t indicated whether it will ever air Paul’s season of The Bachelorette, as execs are allegedly still trying to determine that. There are also ongoing conversations about the status of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, the Hulu subscription-based reality show Paul co-stars on that’s produced by Warner Horizon. Filming on the fifth season of that show also paused due to the investigation into alleged domestic violence that Paul is currently involved in alongside Mortensen.

What Kind Of Legal Situations Could Result From The Cancellation Of This Season?

Stunt casting rumors swirled around this particular season of The Bachelorette, but what was known with certainty was that a new roster of male suitors had been tapped to romance Paul on the show. Now, per TMZ, five of those men are considering taking legal action against both ABC and Warner Bros. Discovery. Per the outlet’s allegations, those men claimed the producers of the show created an unsafe work environment by putting them in the position to interact with Paul in more intimate settings, given her alleged history.

On the other side of this situation, deuxmoi of Instagram alleges that Taylor Frankie Paul – who has addressed the investigation in several statements – is also looking to sue ABC/Disney. That same report also includes claims regarding Paul’s season, which was said to be subpar due to uninteresting storylines and her supposed lack of chemistry with the men. All in all, the insider claims the video of Paul and Mortensen simply gave the studio a reasonable opportunity to shelve the season.

A few members of Bachelor Nation have since weighed in on the matter, sharing their takes not only on the immediate impact but the franchise’s stability moving forward. Grant Ellis – star of The Bachelor Season 29 – called the situation “unfortunate” but also reasoned that ABC “made the right choice.” However, Ellis also said it would “take some time to recoup” the franchise’s losses. To that point, Bachelorette Season 13 star Rachel Lindsay opined that the show wouldn’t be able to survive this controversy and is essentially “over.”

The notion of The Bachelorette being at an end is only an assumption at this point, of course, as ABC and Disney have yet to discuss future plans. It remains to be seen what might happen on that front and with the purported lawsuits that could crop up.