‘Bachelor’ Alum Says Taylor Frankie Paul Wasn’t ‘Mentally’ Well For Show

"Bachelor" alum Ashley Iaconetti recently spoke about Taylor Frankie Paul and her cancelled season of the iconic franchise. The ‘Bachelor’ Alum Says Taylor Frankie Paul Wasn’t ‘Mentally’ Well For Show first appeared on The Blast

Former “Bachelor” contestant Ashley Iaconetti is laying into “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul. As Paul continues to deal with the aftermath of ABC canceling her season of “The Bachelorette” two days before it was scheduled to premiere, more and more people are speaking out about what drove the network to that decision.

Former ‘Bachelor’ Star Lays Into Taylor Frankie Paul, Questions If She Was The Right Choice To Begin With

Speaking with Variety, Iaconetti, who is reclaiming her star as the newest cast member on Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” called Paul’s situation with the network “nuanced” before sharing even more of her opinion.

“It’s a good thing they didn’t go forth with the season,” she said. However, Iaconetti said the network should’ve decided to pull Paul’s season sooner. “That was a decision that should have been made more carefully earlier on.”

‘Bachelor’ Alum Says The Network Knew Taylor Frankie Paul Had A Troubled Background Before Casting Her

As reported by The Blast, ABC canceled Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” after a video of her appearing to assault her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, was shared online.

Paul displayed appalling behavior in the clip, striking Mortensen, pulling his hair, wrapping her arms around his body, and later throwing metal chairs at him.

Mortensen appeared distraught in the video, crying out for Paul to stop. “This is called physical abuse. This is all you do,” he could be heard saying. “It’s the only thing you know how to do is hurt me. You think this is OK? It’s not OK. Holy sh-t.”

ABC released a statement shortly after, saying it was focusing on supporting Paul and her family at the time, but Iaconneti said there was nothing new about the released clip.

“We knew very much in detail, based on a lot of the interviews that she’s given, exactly what happened in the video and what led to the arrest,” she said. “You guys did have her on a TV show for four seasons.”

This Previous ‘Bachelor’ Cast Member Said Taylor Frankie Paul Was Not ‘Appropriate’ For The Show

Elsewhere in the interview, Iaconetti called the events of that night in 2023 “terrible” and said it was one reason Paul wasn’t the right fit for the iconic franchise.

“That wasn’t an appropriate role for her to fill,” she said, adding, “and probably was not something that she was mentally, emotionally ready to take on for many reasons—the fact that she was so intertwined with Dakota going into it being one of them.”

Paul’s rep addressed the news in a statement to Variety, thanking the public for their support.

“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,” their statement read.

Paul Is Being Investigated Right Now

Amid this, production on season 5 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” was halted, according to NBC News, after Paul and Mortensen were involved in another alleged domestic dispute in February 2026.

While the details of the most recent alleged dispute have been kept under wraps, a friend of Mortensen’s called the Draper Police Department and said he was a “victim of a domestic violence assault by an ex-girlfriend at her Draper residence.”

The police department declined to share additional details, but a spokesperson confirmed there was an open investigation.

Paul Shares Candid Post On Social Media Saying She Is Distancing Herself From The Mormon Church

Paul shared a post on social media calling the last 40 days “hell on earth.” Despite that, Paul said she’s relied on her faith to get her through.

In another post, however, Paul admitted the way she practices her faith would look different moving forward.

“Born and raised Mormon (LDS) and I’ll always have love and respect towards it,” she said on her Instagram Stories. “I’ll even continue to go with my family at times; with that being said, it’s time to detach myself from it.”

And while Paul said she’ll always believe in Jesus Christ and God, she stated that she’s realized she can practice her faith anywhere, not just inside the physical church.

“Point being, there is more out there to learn. And I’m writing this out as a release,” Paul finished.

The ‘Bachelor’ Alum Says Taylor Frankie Paul Wasn’t ‘Mentally’ Well For Show first appeared on The Blast