Who could have possibly seen the cancellation of ‘The Bachelorette’ coming? Everyone but ABC, apparently.

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this


I LOVE HIM SOOOOOOOO MUUUUUUUCHHHHH ~cries~

@brunothebullmastiff0315

Bruno (Brownie boy) getting all the love on his 4th birthdayđź’™#bestfriends #bestdogever #largedogproblems #bullmastiff

♬ original sound – Bruno The Bullmastiff

Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News

I called it. A couple of days ago, TMZ reported that Dakota Mortensen, the ex of Taylor Frankie Paul, was claiming to have video of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and Bachelorette star physically attacking him and their children. If this were true, I wrote, and that video were to be released, it would be a disaster for ABC and The Bachelorette.

Welp. (Let me be very clear — this video is very difficult to watch; proceed carefully.)

And sure enough, some three hours after that video hit the internet, it was announced that ABC was pulling the plug.

“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,” Disney noted in a statement.

Paul’s representative released a statement regarding the show being pulled, suggesting that she is the actual victim (And let me be clear, I am not suggesting that she hasn’t been victimized, too. In fact, I find the timing of everything that has happened to be … interesting at the very least, as though someone was deliberately trying to sabotage her — NOT THAT I AM DEFENDING ANY OF THIS):

“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security. After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.

“There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives. Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation, and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.”

Paul’s representative also responded to the release of the video, which took place in 2023, and was not a video of the most recent incident, which allegedly happened in late February:

“It’s sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child,” Paul’s rep told Entertainment Weekly in a statement. “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 and sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show, and from their own experiences.”

But this gets at the heart of the problem with ABC casting Paul as the Bachelorette in the first place. What is shown in this video was indeed an old incident; ABC knew Paul had been arrested and had pleaded guilty to abusive behavior when they chose her — she is still on probation for the incident until August. Additionally, when they cast her, they knew she was still embroiled in a toxic relationship with her ex, Mortensen — it played out in real time on ABC’s streaming sister, Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives‘ most recent season. ABC clearly wanted all of the clout and the messy drama, and chose to turn a blind eye to the disruptive and abusive relationship at the heart of that drama. But you can’t have one without the other, and now it’s going to cost ABC millions.

In the Sunday spot that was assigned for The Bachelorette, ABC will air reruns of American Idol, because Ryan Seacrest doesn’t throw hands.

What does it mean for the future of The Bachelorette, or, hell, the entire franchise? ABC/Disney’s statement doesn’t say that Paul’s season of The Bachelorette will never see the light of day, just that they are not moving forward with it “at this time.” I suspect there is a lot of wait-and-see happening in the executive offices, both in terms of what will happen with Paul legally and how the audience will react to all of this. But if I’m being honest, I think they will just shelve this season and try to move forward.

Of course, what that means remains unclear. There were plans to put some of Paul’s contestants on the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise, but considering the challenges the entire Bachelor Nation has faced in the past decade or so (bad vetting of contestants; allegations of sexual misconduct; Chris Harrison being fired; allegations of abuse by the producers), its possible ABC might have passed out its final rose, at least for a while. Or, if more cynical heads prevail, ABC will use this fiasco to its advantage, knowing full well that whatever comes out of the Bachelor universe next will be an event unto itself.

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Rhea Seahorn is the most recent celebrity to tell Quentin Tarantino to suck it. (How did I miss that he was out here dissing television? That man needs to sit all the way down.)

Everything continues to go great at CBS News.

What are we doing here, Craig Melvin? What is this?

I’ve heard this line before, lady.

The Daytime Emmys have tinkered with their rules. 

Nexstar says it’s acquired Tegna; Here’s why this is all a terrible thing. Meanwhile, DirecTV has lined up behind eight states to block this deal.

I hope Jacob Young remains healthy.

Love is dead, but also, lol at the timing of this.

Renewals

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendar

  • Off Campus will debut on Prime Video on May 13.
  • Hazardous History with Henry Winkler returns on History Channel on April 19.

R.I.P.

Chuck Norris, Star of Walker, Texas Ranger, martial arts champion and action movie star

Ed Bernard, Actor who appeared in The White Shadow, Police Woman, Shaft and many others

WATCH THIS

FRIDAY

Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat: It’s Jury Duty, but this time the victim is a temporary employee trapped at a family-owned company retreat. Premiere. Prime Video

Deadloch: If you missed this delightful comedy-mystery series out of Australia, I urge you to go back and check out season one. Because season two is here, set in the cut-throat world of crocodile tours. Season premiere. Prime Video

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man: Tommy Shelby returns to Birmingham during World War II, and becomes involved in secret wartime missions in this sequel film to the popular series. Netflix

Wicked: For Good: Streaming premiere. Peacock

Is This Thing On?: Will Arnett stars as a middle-aged man who, in the midst of a midlife crisis and divorce, tries to find meaning in the stand-up community. Streaming premiere. Hulu

SATURDAY

BTS The Comeback Live | ARIRANG: Get your BTS fan up early: they are back, playing their biggest hits and some new tracks. Live. 6 a.m., Netflix

Arnold Schwarzenegger marathon: Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer. 2 p.m., Sundance

SUNDAY

The Bachelorette: ABC has decided to branch out from Bachelor Nation to cast their new Bachelorette, and have recruited Taylor Frankie Paul of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives fame. And I’ve decided to branch out from my usual box wine to get me through this to recruit bourbon. Season premiere. 7 p.m., ABC

Oops.

The Comeback: SHE’S BACK! EVERYONE SHUT UP, VALERIE CHERISH IS BACK! Season premiere. HBO

The Faithful: Minnie Driver stars in this new series that tells the stories of the women of the Book of Genesis. Series premiere. 7 p.m., Fox

Saturday Night Live U.K.: Tina Fey hosts the premiere episode of the Saturday Night Live spinoff from across the pond. Series premiere. Peacock

The Forsytes: Based on the Nobel Prize-winning book series, The Forsyte Saga, this new series follows the lives of an upper-class family in late-Victorian Great Britain. Series premiere. 8 p.m., PBS

The Count of Monte Cristo: Jeremy Irons co-stars in this adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s masterpiece. Series premiere. 9 p.m., PBS

FRI. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC Celebrity Jeopardy!
(new)		 20/20
CBS NCAA Basketball
(live)
CW Penn & Teller: Fool Us
(new)		 Remarkable Women
(new)		 News/Local
FOX Doc
(repeat)		 Best Medicine
(repeat)		 Local
NBC Happy’s Place
(new)		 Stumble
(new)		 Dateline

—

SAT. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30
ABC NHL Hockey
(live)		 News/Local
CBS NCAA Basketball
(live)		 News/Local
FOX The Fanatics Flag Football Classic
(live)		 MLS Soccer
(live)		 News/Local
NBC The Super Mario Brothers Saturday Night Live
(repeat)		 News/
Local		 Saturday Night Live
(repeat)

—

SUN. 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC America’s Funniest Home Videos
(new)		 The Bachelorette
(new)		 Love Overboard
(new)
CBS 60 Minutes Marshals
(new)		 Tracker
(new)		 Watson
(new)
The CW Penn & Teller: Fool Us
(new)		 Men In Black II Local/News
FOX Martin Scorsese Presents The Saints
(repeat)		 The Faithful: Women of the Bible
(new)		 Local/News
NBC NBA Basketball
(live)

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