ABC CANCELS The Bachelorette starring Taylor Frankie Paul over domestic violence scandal

The new season of The Bachelorette, featuring The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives standout Taylor Frankie Paul, has been canceled.

It came hours after TMZ published a video of the reality TV star apparently fighting with her ex-partner, Dakota Mortensen, in 2023.

A source told the site that ABC had not been aware of the clip until Thursday. 

It follows a separate, ongoing police investigation into allegations of a domestic assault involving Paul and Mortensen, the father of one of her children.

The 31-year-old's season of The Bachelorette was scheduled to debut on Sunday.

A Disney Entertainment spokesman told TMZ: 'In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to Paul's representative for comment.

In the footage, she is seen having an outburst, throwing a chair at Mortensen, while a child, her daughter Indy, now eight, was present. 

Mortensen, who was filming the incident, said in the clip: 'This is called physical abuse.'

The child can be heard crying as Mortensen and Paul continued fighting. Mortensen then said, 'Your daughter just got hit in the head by a metal chair.'

Together, they have a son named Ever, who is two years old. 

Paul, a mother of three, was arrested after an alleged domestic violence incident in 2023 and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

In response to the resurfaced footage, Paul’s representative told the Daily Mail, 'It’s sad to see the latest installment of his [Mortensen's] never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child.

'Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior. 

'Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is. Sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show and from their own experiences.’

But just two days before the video was made public, Mortensen filed for a protective order in Utah, citing a new alleged incident that took place in February, according to the outlet.

Mortensen claimed that a verbal argument turned into a physical confrontation, where Paul allegedly choked him.

He alleged that he had to physically remove her hands from his neck, after which she shoved him into a window and struck him.

Describing the situation as ‘chaotic’ and ‘frightening,’ Mortensen said their son woke up from the commotion, which included Paul screaming and yelling, according to TMZ.

In the petition, Mortensen also referenced Paul’s previous 2023 arrest for assault.

As part of his filing, he has requested temporary custody of Ever and asked for Paul to be prohibited from drinking or using drugs during her parenting time.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Mortensen's representatives for further comment.

On Tuesday, it was reported that filming had paused on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. 

Production of season five of the Hulu show is said to have been put on hiatus due to 'serious' issues involving star Paul.

'They are not filming,' a source told People. 'Taylor [Frankie Paul] has some pretty serious stuff happening regarding her past, and they will see what happens. Until that resolves, they are off.'

Draper City Police has since confirmed to the outlet the existence of an open 'domestic assault investigation' into Paul and Mortensen. 

'Allegations have been made in both direction,' a spokesman for the department told the publication, adding 'contact was made with involved parties on [February] 24 and 25.'

The Daily Mail contacted Hulu, ABC and the Draper City Police Department for comment.

Paul and her ex have reportedly been ordered to get psych evaluations, according to TMZ. 

Paul also has a son, Ocean, with ex-husband Tate. 

In a subsequent TikTok, Paul reflected on everything that had happened but remained defiant. 

Paul was part of a group of Utah couples who indulged in 'soft swinging' – a practice where partners are swapped but only with the understanding that they do not have full sex. 

But she caused a sensation when she admitted that she had broken the cardinal rule and ended up losing her husband, Tate, who divorced her, and most of her friends.