Disney’s unscripted and reality TV chief, Rob Mills, is sharing an update on whether Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette season will air on Disney-owned ABC — or perhaps elsewhere.
“Everything with that is one day at a time,” Mills said in a Wednesday, April 22, interview with Variety.
ABC shelved season 22 of The Bachelorette starring the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star back in March, just days before it was set to premiere. The decision came after TMZ published footage of a domestic violence incident involving Taylor, 31, and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, that took place in 2023. (Taylor pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault over the incident in exchange for other charges against her being dropped.)
“The day all of that stuff happened, really our first sort of concern was really for Taylor and the family and everyone involved in that … it was really more on a human level,” Mills said in an interview with Deadline on Wednesday.
At the time, Utah’s Draper and West Jordan police departments were also investigating Taylor in connection with two further alleged domestic violence disputes between her and Dakota, 33. Earlier this month, the Salt Lake City District Attorney’s Office declined to press charges against Taylor after reviewing evidence submitted by the respective police departments.
In light of the development, Mills reiterated to Deadline that, “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. After ABC pulled the plug on the latest season, there was some speculation that Warner Bros. could attempt to license the episodes elsewhere.
According to Deadline, Mills denied any conversations with Warner Bros. about that prospect.
“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 status of The Bachelorette season 22 remains up in the air, Hulu confirmed on Tuesday, April 22, that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 5 is set to resume production. Filming previously paused following an alleged incident between Taylor and Dakota that took place in February.
“The producers and cast have welcomed Taylor to return to this year’s filming,” a source exclusively 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, meanwhile, “will not be involved” in the show going forward, a source added.
