March 19 marked an infamously significant milestone for Bachelor Nation history. The first-time cancellation of a “The Bachelorette” season from airing. A rerun season of “American Idol” filled in the premiere evening of March 22.
ABC decided three days before the first episode’s airing to pull the season amid the domestic violence charges against Taylor Frankie Paul, the lead in season 21 of the franchise. The charge she received backlash for is three years old. A previously filmed piece of evidence from the charge was released to the public. The release led to the removal of the season. Newer charges released to the public caused alarm for the pattern of domestic violence from Frankie Paul, leading to her “cancellation” to remove her from her platform. This is not the first time that Bachelor Nation participants were not properly vetted for the show. This leads the fanbase to wonder if the show will move past this.
Let’s run this back
Frankie Paul created MomTok, the TikTok influencer group of Mormon mothers in Utah who share content together. Their lives went into an uproar as Frankie Paul went on a TikTok Live, announcing that the group involved themselves in “soft swinging” with one another — flirting and connection outside of sex with other married partners. The whirlwind of MomTok led to the production of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives“.
Four seasons have spanned over the course of the past two years. The series’s introductory episode opens with Frankie Paul’s arrest at her home following a dispute with her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. The video displayed Frankie Paul and Mortensen visibly distressed, with Mortensen telling the police that Frankie Paul threw chairs at him. She retaliated, saying he started the argument, and she was only defending herself. Police arrested Frankie Paul, but eventually let her go.
The public records for the charge are available to the public. Knowledge on this dispute has been available for three years since the initial charge. Included in the premiere season of the series, viewers know now that the situation was severely downplayed. In mid-March 2026, TMZ released the video filmed from Mortensen’s point of view during the dispute. Viewers can find Frankie Paul screaming at Mortensen, then throwing barstool chairs at him, with one deflected off of Mortensen, hitting her oldest daughter. Frankie Paul received immense backlash with the release, and ABC pulled the season from airing.
The Bachelor franchise at a glance
“The Bachelor” series began just after 2002 began, and the season showed a promising start to a successful series. The viewership doubled from 9.90 million views to 18.20 million views over the course of the first season. The plot for each season follows a bachelor and a few dozen potential suitors, with weekly eliminations after one-on-one and group dates. The eliminations lead to the final three, who will then have more alone time with the bachelor. He then decides who he plans to propose to. This leaves the audience in high anticipation, typically raising the viewership ratings. The series was so successful that the franchise created several spin-offs, including “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise.”
The original seasons were pre-social media, which led to many of the contestants really searching for a potential partner.
The million-dollar question: “Are they here for the right reasons?”
Many of the more recent seasons are riddled with “investigations” into who is on the show for the lead or social following.
The previous season’s runner-up is the next season’s lead. However, the most recent season of “The Bachelorette,” with lead Frankie Paul, was excluded from this theme. Frankie Paul was not a former contestant in Bachelor Nation. Rather, she was the lead in the popular “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” Hulu original.
Fans of both shows were not excited for this collaboration, as they agreed that Frankie Paul was not emotionally available after the on-again/off-again relationship with Mortensen. Viewers believe the casting of Frankie Paul as the lead was to drive up the plummeting viewership for the franchise. With regular views earlier in the series hitting near 10 to 15 million viewers, the average count presently nears two to three million.
Bachelor(ette) scandals
Bachelor Nation is no stranger to controversy. Over its two-decade run, the show has faced several instances of backlash. One of which was over the lack of diversity among the leads and contestants. More recent seasons have attempted to cast more people of color than in the original seasons. Even with this push, the show’s former participants have found themselves in legal trouble, bringing the Bachelor Nation into unfavorable headlines.
Rachael Kirkconnell’s former Instagram posts at a plantation party sparked a notable controversy that shook Bachelor Nation. “The Bachelor” season 25 contestant Kirkconnell posted photos of herself and friends at a party hosted at a plantation. Her season aligned with lead Matt James, the first Black man cast as lead for “The Bachelor.” Allegations arose that Kirkconnell had previously bullied peers at her university for dating Black men and liking insensitive posts.
She and James broke off their relationship, rekindled it, until ending the relationship in 2025. Chris Harrison, the host of the show for nearly 20 years, doubled down to defend Kirkconnell, stating the posts were not insensitive when posted in 2018. After receiving backlash for his comments, Harrison stepped down as host.
Season 23 of “The Bachelor” holds looming issues that have made fans question the vetting process for the show. Lead Colton Underwood has received stalking allegations and restraining orders against him regarding his actions towards his former partners and co-stars. In a similar vein, the first “The Golden Bachelor” Gerry Turner and ex-wife Theresa Nist made headlines amidst Turner’s book drop dissing Nist, and Nist coming forward about Turner’s concerning behavior.
Moving forward?
With the dismissed season, the future of “The Bachelor” and related spin-offs is up in the air. As the list expands of restraining orders, domestic violence and other concerning behaviors in contestants, several fans are leaving the season. It appears that the show is losing its direction from the original goal: to find love. Seasons appear more focused on dramatization to gain viewership. Ratings continue to drop, and fewer relationships last.
As of now, season 22 of “The Bachelorette” will hold off, but producers are not against airing at a later time. Production for Frankie Paul’s other series, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” also halted, but resumed filming without her. The show’s final rose, Doug Mason, was spoiled amid the domestic violence cases with Frankie Paul and Mortensen. Mason and Frankie Paul are giving the relationship a second chance. The show may have led to a “happily ever after” story for the two of them, but at the cost of the reputation of the show.
The show will proceed with filming for “Bachelor in Paradise,” but many fans have left Bachelor Nation in the dust. Which, as a standing show of nearly 25 years, may need to be put to rest.
