On March 19, 2026, fans of The Bachelorette found their excitement crushed as ABC announced that season 22, starring Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast member Taylor Frankie Paul, would not air. Production cited a recently leaked video of Paul throwing stools near crying children and kicking her partner, at the time, Dakota Mortensen, as the reason. Benilde-St. Margaret’s students find themselves skeptical of ABC’s intentions and critical of television shows’ treatment of domestic violence.
When left to consider the video, the timing of its release, and the speculation about whether or not Mortensen provided the video, students find themselves questioning the character of both individuals involved. “They’re both bad people in the thing…he tries to act as an innocent bystander. He is not an innocent bystander,” junior Grier Julkowski said.
Julkowski knew of Taylor Frankie Paul before her casting. She had watched Paul on Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and perceived her as a messy person. She believes Paul’s sordid past is what led her to be cast on the television show in the first place. “She had a lot of scandals already. She was already a scandalous name, so they wanted to bring that big name into a TV show,” Julkowski said.
In fact, at the start of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, the show discussed her history with aggression. Tessa Erickson explained how, within the first episode of the show, the cast explained how Paul had been charged with domestic violence. “We’ve always known that she was charged with domestic violence. We’ve always known that she’s done that before, and it wasn’t really something that people talked or cared about,” junior Tessa Erickson said.
Paul’s known background with domestic violence has led students to question whether or not she should have been cast. “I think it was bad for even The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives to put her on because they knew…she’d been to jail for domestic violence,” Julkowski said.
Students have critiqued what the action of platforming abusers says about society’s treatment of domestic violence. Sophomore Brooke Kinkead questions whether or not allowing abusers onto shows like The Bachelorette promotes aggressive behavior at home. “It’s really hard for the victims, because it shows them that society doesn’t care, and it can make them stay in abusive relationships,” Kinkead said.
While fans of The Bachelorette find themselves disappointed at missing out on this year’s season, most students think it’s the right call. Julkowski agrees it’s a smart decision, but she wishes production had done its research before casting her in the first place. She does find herself wondering what this choice means for the rest of the cast. “It’s hard for everyone, because they already made all this, and the poor guys that were part of the show, thinking that they were going to make money and get fame from this, and now that they’re not,” Julkowski said.
However, some students think production had better options than canceling the show altogether. Erickson thinks that since Paul is likely being paid regardless of whether or not the show airs, they should still release the show with a disclaimer about her past and then donate the money to an organization that helps victims of domestic violence. “Also, I think she probably really embarrassed herself that entire season. That’s kind of what she does. She goes on, she embarrasses herself. And I say, let her embarrass herself,” Erickson said.
When analyzing the actions of ABC, some students find themselves skeptical of the company’s intentions. “I think they are just trying to sweep it…under the rug and be like, hey, like, she’s not with us anymore…instead of …we don’t condone these things,” Julkowski said.