67.0% chaos · heated culture clash 4 sources 22h ago

‘Bachelorette’ Star Taylor Frankie Paul Throws Bar Stools at Ex Dakota Mortensen in Leaked 2023 Video, Child Near Domestic Incident

What happened

A 2023 video leaked showing Bachelorette star Taylor Frankie Paul throwing bar stools at her ex Dakota Mortensen during a domestic incident with a child present in the room. The leak comes just before Paul's season of The Bachelorette is set to air on Sunday. The Tonight Show has canceled her scheduled appearance following the video's release.

Why people care

Paul is about to debut as The Bachelorette, making the timing of this leak particularly damaging to ABC and the show's launch. She's also known from Hulu's "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," so this hits multiple reality TV fandoms at once.

The takes

Paul's team says

The video is being released without proper context and the timing is deliberately malicious, coming on their son's birthday. They claim this is an attempt to distract from Dakota Mortensen's own problematic behavior during the incident.

Critics say

The video shows concerning domestic violence behavior regardless of context, especially with a child present during the altercation. The footage speaks for itself about Paul's actions and raises questions about her suitability as The Bachelorette.

Sources