Taylor Frankie Paul is speaking out after ABC pulled the plug on her season of "The Bachelorette" ... she promises she'll tell her side of the story amid the ongoing and escalating drama -- and appears to take a dig at her ex.
A spokesperson for Taylor tells TMZ ... "Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security."
They continued ... "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."
TMZ has obtained the video -- a copy of which was evidence in the case -- and it's hard to watch. Dakota struggles to record the altercation with his cellphone as Taylor puts him in a headlock. She backs off ... but then charges and tries to kick him.
The struggle turns violent as Taylor grabs a metal barstool and hurls it at Dakota. He screams at her -- "your daughter is sitting right there" -- but she persists, throwing 2 more stools at him. At that moment, you hear her child, who was curled up on the couch, begin crying.
The police report says the 5-year-old girl was hit and later had a "goose egg on her head."
Saturday night wasn’t just another "TMZ After Dark" tour ... it turned into a full-blown reality show on wheels!
Ashley G from"Temptation Island" took over the bus and immediately raised the stakes, turning the ride into her own version of Temptation Voyage ... "Who out of you is getting the most lit tonight?!" she challenged couples and groups, setting the tone before the bus even left the curb.
Teamed up with West Hollywood favorite DJ Coach West, the duo had undeniable chemistry ... riffing, hyping the crowd, and keeping the energy sky-high all night long.
Chuck Norris has been hospitalized in Hawaii ... TMZ has learned.
Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... some medical emergency occurred in the last 24 hours on the island of Kauai that landed Chuck in the hospital. We do not know the nature of the emergency; however, we are told Chuck is in good spirits.
Whatever happened must have occurred quickly, because we're told on Wednesday he was training on the island ... a friend of Chuck's was on the phone with him, and we're told Chuck was in good spirits and cracking jokes.
Taylor Frankie Paul's exes look like they had the same idea ... because they bumped into each other at a Utah courthouse ... and we've got the photos.
Check out these pics showing Taylor's ex-husband, Tate Paul, and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen ... they're chatting in the lobby of a courthouse in Northern Utah.
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Tate and Dakota showed up to court Tuesday to obtain protective orders against Taylor, days before ABC pulled the plug on Taylor's season of "The Bachelorette."
According to court docs obtained by TMZ ... Dakota filed for a protective order in Utah on Tuesday. In his filing, Dakota details the incidents that he claims went down on February 23 and February 24 of 2026.
Dakota said he was at Taylor's home with Taylor and their son, Ever. He claimed the two had an argument that escalated. He then said she choked him, and he had to physically remove her hands from his neck while she shoved him into a window and struck him.
Longtime Bachelor Nation authority Reality Steve is weighing in on 'Bachelorette' Taylor Frankie Paul's ongoing drama, giving a blunt take ... stay off TV!
We had Reality Steve on "TMZ Live" Thursday as developments were breaking ... and in his opinion, "She needs to not be in front of cameras for a while ... She needs help. I don't think she needs more cameras in her face."
Well, that's happening, Steve! "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" has already halted filming on Season 5 amid fallout from Taylor's legal issues with baby daddy Dakota Mortensen. And this season's 'Bachelorette' has now officially been canceled.
The body of missing college student James "Jimmy" Gracey has been found in the ocean off the beaches of Barcelona, Spanish police confirmed.
La Vanguardia reported his father -- who flew to the city to join the search -- has been notified ... and no foul play is suspected in the University of Alabama student's death. Jimmy's body was found "at a depth of four meters in the waters" of Barcelona's Port OlÃmpic, a marina, this afternoon.
WLS-TV in Chicago reports Gracey's family -- he grew up in the Chicagoland area -- released a statement thanking the public for their concern and asking for privacy. As we reported ...
Ricochet's controversial post telling a woman he's "glad" she has multiple sclerosis has had a major impact on his family -- the AEW star's wife, former WWE announcer Samantha Irvin, went to social media to share deeply concerning messages she has received amid the backlash.
Irvin -- who deactivated her X account after her husband's distasteful exchange -- published several screenshots of DMs she's gotten on Instagram this week ... with some users going as far as threatening her and Ricochet's lives.
The original comment came after a woman criticized Ricochet's acting skills -- he then replied by saying, "I'm glad you got MS."
The woman followed up with, "Well if that makes you happy have a great life ..."
While Ricochet was clearly in character, most wrestling fans say he took his role too far ... and he apparently agreed because he later deleted the comment and apologized.
"I took out my hatred for the IWC [internet wrestling community] on Sandi, and inadvertently others who are effected by MS," Ricochet said. "She didnt deserve it and for that, I sincerely apologize."
Ricochet and Irvin went public with their relationship in 2021 ... and got married in 2025. They both worked at WWE and left around the same time when he joined AEW.
Things got wildly uncomfortable on Thursday when President Trumpmade a joke about Pearl Harbor ... while sitting next to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
During the White House meeting, a journalist asked Donald why he didn't give America's allies -- including Japan -- a heads-up before going to war with Iran.
Trump started to explain that he didn't want to "signal too much" before the attack, when he decided to turn the question back around on the journalist with a disturbing joke, saying ... "We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?"
Ketamine and "The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives" don't mix ... at least according to star Demi Engemann, who said ketamine treatment put her in a headspace particularly unsuitable for the reality show.
In an interview on the "Disgraceful with Grace O'Malley" podcast, Demi was very positive about her experience with ketamine ... but she says it left her too exposed to the toxicity of the show.
She said, "What people don't realize is that when you're going through ketamine treatments, it makes your brain extremely raw. A lot is coming up from your past -- a lot of trauma is coming up."
Legendary director David Lynch left behind a massive estate to his four children and substantial gifts for his close friends, TMZ has learned.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Sabrina Sutherland -- the trustee of David's family trust -- says David drafted his will and trust in 1994 and last amended it on May 25, 2023. The director died on January 16, 2025 from cardiac arrest, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as an underlying condition.
David’s assets include his membership in Twin Peaks productions, stock in A2K, and all the copyrights David owned for his various projects ... but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Comedian Mark Normand's got a tip for Taylor Swift ... not one we think she'll take, but nonetheless, he's suggesting she take drastic measures to measure up to one of Travis Kelce's exes.
Mark dropped this hot take during an appearance on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast this week ... and made it pretty clear he thinks Trav's ex-gf Kayla Nicole offers way more in the curves department.
The comic described Taylor's body as being more surfboard-like, and suggested she needs a Brazilian butt lift to catch up to Kayla's booty.
British journalist Steve Sweeney and his cameraman Ali Rida had an extremely close call today ... while reporting on missile strikes, they found themselves dodging one live on the air.
You have to see this video ... in the middle of a report, a missile is heard getting closer to Steve. He ducks just as the weapon drops into frame and appears to blow up just feet away from him.
Shrapnel is seen flying in all directions -- including towards Steve and Ali -- as the camera continued to roll.
"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Taylor Frankie Paul backed out of a scheduled appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," opting to come back another day ... TMZ has learned.
Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... in light of everything that's happened Taylor's appearance is being rescheduled.
Additional sources familiar with the situation say Taylor had done upwards of 10 interviews earlier that day and was exhausted, so it was mutually decided that they would reschedule the appearance for a future date.
