Disney’s head of unscripted and reality TV, Rob Mills, recently provided an update on the status of Taylor Frankie Paul‘s season of The Bachelorette and its potential airing on ABC or another platform.
In an interview with Variety on Wednesday, April 22, Mills stated, “Everything with that is one day at a time.”
ABC decided to postpone the 22nd season of The Bachelorette, featuring the star of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, in March. This decision followed the release of a TMZ video showing a domestic violence incident involving 31-year-old Taylor and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, in 2023. Taylor admitted to felony aggravated assault as part of a plea deal to have other charges dismissed.
“When everything unfolded, our immediate concern was for Taylor, her family, and everyone affected,” Mills mentioned in a conversation with Deadline on Wednesday.
At that time, the police departments of Draper and West Jordan in Utah were also investigating Taylor for two additional alleged domestic violence incidents with Dakota, 33. Earlier this month, the Salt Lake City District Attorney’s Office chose not to file charges against Taylor after reviewing evidence from the police.
Following these developments, Mills reiterated to Deadline, “Now, we’re sort of taking it a day at a time.”
Taylor Frankie Paul. Disney/Sami Drasin
“I think her season is a wonderful season by Bachelor standards. If it gets seen, I’m sure people will absolutely enjoy it,” he added.
The Bachelorette is produced for ABC by Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, a division of Warner Bros. Television Studios. Following ABC’s decision to cancel the latest season, there was speculation that Warner Bros. might try to license the episodes elsewhere.
According to Deadline, Mills denied any discussions with Warner Bros. about that possibility.
“I think if there’s something that absolutely says very clearly, one way or the other, that points in that direction, you’ll know,” he said. “But right now, there’s really just nothing to say other than it is a great season, and I hope that, at some point, Bachelor Nation gets to see it.”
While the fate of The Bachelorette season 22 is uncertain, Hulu announced on Tuesday, April 22, that production of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 5 will resume. Filming had paused after an alleged incident between Taylor and Dakota in February.
“The producers and cast have welcomed Taylor to return to this year’s filming,” a source told Us Weekly on Wednesday. “It is still unclear whether she will come back this year, but she is expected to be back in the future.”
Dakota, however, “will not be involved” in the show moving forward, a source added.
