3 hours ago
1
ABC could be out tens of millions of dollars if it can’t find a way to salvage “The Bachelorette,” according to sources familiar with the show (and the current predicament it finds itself in). That includes license fees to Warner Bros. Unscripted TV, marketing dollars and other loss of revenue.
With the release of a 2023 video showing star Taylor Frankie Paul throwing chairs at her estranged partner Dakota Mortensen — and accidentally hitting her child — ABC abruptly pulled the show on Thursday, after having sworn throughout the week that it had no plans to do so.
The last-minute pre-emption causes a host of problems — especially because it doesn’t own the show, with comes from Warner Bros. TV Group. Warner Bros. distributes the show internationally to outlets like Rogers’ Citytv in Canada, so it wasn’t clear on Thursday if “The Bachelorette” might still wind up on TV somewhere. (While ABC had immediately scrubbed Paul and “The Bachelorette” from its website by Thursday afternoon, it still appeared on the Citytv+ website, for example.)
According to insiders, Warner Bros. execs are taking a wait-and-see approach to what is happening, while staying in contact with ABC. (The studio gets paid the show’s license fee regardless of whether the show ever airs.) Sources at the studio were shocked by the video, having found out about it at the same time ABC did on Thursday morning.
And yet, some can’t say they were surprised by the sudden turn of events. According to sources, Warner Bros. had concerns with casting Paul, given her well-known history of domestic violence — after all, it’s documented at the very start of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
“We’re collateral damage, to be honest,” said one source. But according to insiders, as a seller, Warner Bros. agreed to Paul as the face of “The Bachelorette” after ABC noted that Paul and “Mormon Wives” was an important franchise for the company.
Warner Bros. Unscripted is also behind “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast in a partnership with iHeart Media.
Ironically, this season of “The Bachelorette” was meant to be a reboot of sorts for the franchise, which hasn’t aired since summer 2024.
“The Bachelor” franchise had been in a bit of a turnaround after a shift at the top last year, when showrunners Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner departed following reports of “toxic” workplace allegations. They were replaced by “Bachelor in Paradise” showrunner/EP Scott Teti.
With all the changes to the franchise, the cycles changed somewhat, and “The Bachelorette” took summer 2025 off — hence its return, this time to winter/spring 2026. (“The Bachelor” traditionally airs in winter, but it has also moved its time of year airdate.)
“The Bachelorette” scandal may now require another reboot for the franchise. In another irony, it was “The Golden Bachelor” that is seen by many as having brought a bit of heart and emotion back to “Bachelor” nation.
Meanwhile, no one seems to think this is lethal to “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette.” If anything, insiders predict that Paul’s “The Bachelorette” will still see the light of day — perhaps just on Hulu, or maybe even in ABC’s summer schedule. But first, they expect to see plenty of mea culpas from Paul.
After all, the paradox of reality TV is the public often derides it as “trash” — so when something like this comes along, it’s not totally unexpected or seen as a death sentence for a TV show in the way that it might permanently harm a professional actor or their scripted series.
English (US) ·