Reality Steve — the blogger and podcaster who has been correctly spoiling Bachelor Nation outcomes since 2009 — is reporting that Taylor Frankie Paul‘s season of “The Bachelorette” will air on ABC this summer.
There has been no official confirmation from the network yet, but given Reality Steve’s track record, the report is not something to dismiss. ABC has not commented as of publication.
The news lands the day after Whitney Leavitt announced she is leaving “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
How We Got Here
See Reality Steve’s update below.
Taylor Frankie Paul’s Season 22 of “The Bachelorette” was scheduled to premiere March 22. Three days before it was set to air, ABC pulled the plug.
The reason: TMZ released a never-before-seen video depicting a 2023 domestic violence incident between Taylor and her ex, Dakota Mortensen. The footage showed Taylor appearing to punch, kick, and throw chairs at Mortensen while her daughter watched and cried.
ABC issued a statement through Disney Entertainment that read: “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 Draper and West Jordan police departments in Utah opened separate domestic violence investigations into alleged altercations between Paul and Mortensen that also occurred in February 2026.
Last month, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announced they declined to file charges against Paul for those alleged incidents. Last week, Paul and Mortensen were granted mutual three-year protective orders against one another in Utah court. A custody decision for their son Ever was not made.
Taylor has described this stretch as “a heavy time” and said publicly she hopes to continue with “Mormon Wives” as well.
What Disney Said As Recently as Friday
As recently as last Friday, Disney’s reality TV chief Rob Mills was still hedging at Deadline’s Reality TV Summit. “It’s still day-to-day, so we’ll see,” Mills told the room, adding that his team’s focus remained on Taylor’s wellbeing as she navigates the aftermath of the past several months. “Day-to-day” is not a cancellation — and now, four days later, Reality Steve is reporting summer air dates.
What Reality Steve Already Knows
Reality Steve didn’t wait for the cancellation drama to start spoiling. He posted his season spoilers on March 16 with the Instagram caption: “Good. Lord.” — which, in Bachelor Nation terms, is essentially a five-alarm warning.
Per his reporting: Taylor’s final four were Shane Parton, Lew Evans, Doug Mason, and Casey Hux. Fantasy suites filmed in Utah — a notable departure from the franchise’s tradition of international overnight dates. Taylor’s final two traveled to St. Lucia for the finale.
She and Doug Mason got engaged there.
About a month after the engagement, Doug flew to Utah and Taylor ended it. However, Reality Steve also reported that the two were spotted together in Sherman Oaks, California on March 14 — with Doug appearing to wear the same outfit as the mystery man in a TikTok Taylor posted around that time captioned “kinda busy.” Whether they are back together, broken up, or somewhere in between is, apparently, part of what the season will tell.
Click here for what we know about Taylor’s love life post-Bachelorette.
Why This Season Is Unlike Any Other
Taylor Frankie Paul was already a singular “Bachelorette” casting before any of this happened. She entered the franchise as the first lead with an established reality television career — a main cast member of an Emmy-nominated Hulu series with millions of followers and a pre-existing public narrative. The show was always going to be different.
Then came the revelation that she and Dakota Mortensen spent the night together shortly before filming began. Then the domestic violence investigation. Then the cancellation. Then the DA declining to file charges. Then the protective orders. Now, possibly, a summer premiere.
If it airs, it will be the most context-loaded season the franchise has ever produced — not because of what happens in the villa, but because of everything the audience will already know by the time they sit down to watch it.
The Bachelorette airs on ABC. Seasons 1 through 21 are streaming on Hulu.
“Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” Seasons 1-4 are streaming on Hulu.
Read next:
- Taylor Frankie Paul’s Love Life After ‘The Bachelorette’ — and It Includes Doug Mason
- Taylor Frankie Paul Reveals PTSD Diagnosis
- Taylor Frankie Paul Will Not Be Facing Domestic Violence Charges
- Dakota Mortensen Speaks Out as Domestic Violence Charges Are Dropped
- Jessi Draper Voice Memo Leak Explained & How She Came Into Taylor’s Court Case
For more “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” click here.
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