Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette contestants are standing together after the recent news about their leading lady.
“The men on The Bachelorette have all been rallying around each other in solidarity and feel extremely upset and let down by Taylor and the situation,” a source tells Luxury Handbag Shopping exclusively.
News broke on Monday, March 16, that the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has halted production on the show’s upcoming fifth season after a report that Taylor, 31, and ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen were allegedly involved in a domestic dispute.
Draper City Police Department confirmed to People on Monday that there is an open “domestic assault investigation” involving Taylor and Dakota, 33, after multiple outlets reported that an incident between the two took place earlier this month.
Details about Taylor’s alleged domestic dispute also comes days before her season of The Bachelorette is set to premiere on Sunday, March 22.
Us has reached out to ABC for comment.
SLOMW viewers know that this most recent controversy is not the first time that Taylor has experienced a brush with the law. She was previously arrested for domestic violence in February 2023.
Taylor told Us in her recent cover story that her Bachelorette contestants asked about “all” of her past controversies — also including her soft-swinging scandal — during one-on-one conversations with the men.
“I was ready for it. I’ve got nothing else to hide. My arrest will always be a sensitive subject given the circumstances in that,” the reality star told Us. “Swinging — that’s such a scandal headline — but it’s also a very traumatic time in my life. That was one of my rock-bottom points. I lost my family, my husband.”
Before Taylor was in an on and off relationship with Dakota, with whom she shares 23-month-old son Ever True, she was married to Tate Paul. Taylor and Tate wed in 2016 and were divorced by 2022. They share kids Indy May, 8, and Ocean, 5.
“It’s so much deeper than that to me, and deep conversations were had,” she said referring to her time on The Bachelorette. “I think anyone that actually cares about me would definitely be asking those.”
Taylor told Us that her contestants were “very receptive and nonjudgmental and open-minded” when having discussions about her past. Taylor also said the men on her season had “concern” about her being attracted to toxic relationships.
“Of course that’s going to be their concern going into this, especially if they knew anything about me prior,” she said. “That’d be a question for me if I was on the other end.”
Taylor explained to Us that her “goal” with The Bachelorette was “to find my person” and jumped headfirst into the journey.
“I didn’t really have any vision of how it had to go — an engagement, we leave together or we’re trying dating,” she said. “I didn’t set any other expectations.”
