The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives

The newest season of "The Bachelorette" is toast, and ABC is turning to one of its other staples to fill the time slot after Taylor Frankie Paul's crash out ... at least for this Sunday.

Our sources confirmed a rerun of "American Idol" will play in place of "The Bachelorette" on March 22, but that's just the plan for this week. We're told the network brass hasn't yet figured out a permanent replacement for the remainder of the canned season.

TMZ broke the news ... Taylor's 'Bachelorette' season was canceled hours after we posted the 2023 video of her fighting with her baby daddy, Dakota Mortensen.

ABC just pulled the plug on Taylor Frankie Paul's season of "The Bachelorette" ... and now, their promo to hype the show is all a big waste.

TMZ has learned ABC planned a "House of Roses" premiere party at Nya Studios West in Los Angeles Sunday to celebrate TFP's journey to finding love -- and it's canned. The "immersive pop-up" was offering a sneak peek at Taylor's season and even a chance to experience one-on-ones and group dates. Fans were also promised exclusive goodies and photo ops throughout the free event.

We broke the news ... ABC cut Taylor's show -- set to debut Sunday -- after TMZ published video that shows her brutalizing her baby daddy Dakota Mortensen in 2023, which led to her arrest for assault charges. She pleaded guilty in abeyance to a felony count under a deal that reduced her felony charge to a misdemeanor in three years if she abided by the agreement.

Taylor Frankie Paul’s business relationships are taking a major hit following the shocking video tied to her 2023 domestic violence case ... with Meta telling TMZ it has no plans to work with her again.

A rep for Meta tells TMZ ... the company entered into a content deal with Taylor last year, which involved posting a handful of TikToks tagged #MetaPartner -- and that agreement officially ran its course with one of her most recent posts, published just five days ago.

However ... after seeing the harrowing video we published today, we're told Meta is done with Taylor moving forward. In case you missed it ...

The world is still trying to wrap their head around the shocking video of Taylor Frankie Paul appearing to assault her ex Dakota Mortensen ... and now Dakota is giving his take on Taylor and the subsequent fallout.

Dakota tells TMZ ...  "As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation. I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same."

As we reported ... In 2023, Taylor pled guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault -- a charge which stemmed from the incident captured in our video. She was later placed on 3 years' probation, which ends in August.

More trouble may be coming down the pike for Taylor Frankie Paul ... we're told Utah prosecutors are looking into whether the recent allegations of assaulting ex Dakota Mortensen constitute a violation of her ongoing probation from her separate case in 2023.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill tells TMZ ... "We have received the police report for the new allegations, and it is our understanding the case is being screened by the Draper City prosecutor. We requested the police report so our prosecutors could evaluate how those new allegations may affect the case for which the defendant is currently on probation."

TMZ first reported that Dakota claimed Taylor got physical with him, allegedly choking him and ripping his necklace from his neck. We've confirmed police were called over the incident, and a report was filed.

ABC and Warner Bros. Discovery are in meltdown, as a tidal wave of ripple effects from the cancellation of "The Bachelorette" is already being realized.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... the show costs around $2 million an episode to produce, and there's already finger-pointing and, we're told, shouting over who's to blame and who should shoulder the costs.

We're told only one of the episodes -- the one that was supposed to air Sunday night -- is in the can. Three more are in the process of being edited, and the remainder pretty much haven't been touched.

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."

Taylor Frankie Paul repeatedly attacked Dakota Mortensen during the 2023 incident in which she pled guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault, and the video shows that one of her children was struck during the fight.

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."

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."

Taylor Frankie Paul is now dealing with her ex, Dakota Mortensen, asking the court for a restraining order against her ... TMZ has learned.

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.

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."

"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.

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Mikayla Matthews has confirmed the show's pause came as a result of Taylor Frankie Paul's ongoing drama with her ex, Dakota Mortensen.

In an AMA on her IG Stories, Mikayla revealed the whole cast was in agreement with the hiatus.

When asked, "Is filming actually on pause?" Mikayla responded, "It was a decision that all us girls came up with and agreed on. We didn't feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening." Of course, she's referring to a bombshell ...

A former 'Bachelorette' producer is calling BS on the idea that ABC was blindsided by Taylor Frankie Paul’s physical violence allegations involving her ex, Dakota Mortensen ... telling us there’s just no way that slipped through the cracks.

We spoke with Michael Carroll on "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... and he says back in his day, casting was unbelievably strict -- with deep background, medical, and psychological checks on every contestant ... adding that anyone with charges like that against her would’ve been an automatic no.

Catch the full clip, 'cause Michael doubles down, telling us current producers were fully aware of who the 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' star was. In his view, this wasn’t a surprise -- it was a setup ... calling it a publicity grab.

'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ star Taylor Frankie Paul told a counselor she didn't recall much after drinking vodka during her alleged 2023 attack on her ex, Dakota Mortensen, and that counselor determined she was a "problem drinker" ... at least temporarily.

TMZ obtained a 2023 substance abuse and mental health assessment filed as part of Taylor’s criminal case. The counselor who interviewed the reality TV star said Taylor showed up on time and was “smiling and friendly.” The report said Taylor was willing to share information “about the event that brought her in for the assessment.”

Taylor denied having any past or present drug use or prescription drug abuse. The counselor noted, however, that Taylor’s score on an alcohol screening test indicated she was an “intermediate problem drinker.”