Brands Drop ‘Bachelorette’ and ‘Mormon Wives’ After Taylor Frankie Paul Controversy
Hulu and ABC are facing serious fallout from the scandals surrounding The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul.
Cinnabon cuts ties with ‘The Bachelorette’
Last week, video surfaced of a violent altercation between Paul and Dakota Mortensen, the father of her son, Ever. In the clip, which was shared by TMZ, Paul hurls a chair at Mortensen, which accidentally hits one of her other children. The 2023 incident led to Paul’s guilty plea on aggravated assault charges. She was sentenced to three years probation.
The alarming video forced ABC to pull Paul’s upcoming season of The Bachelorette. But even before the footage of Paul and Mortensen’s fight, brands were expressing concern about the latest Bachelorette. On March 17, Cinnabon backed out of a partnership with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and The Bachelorette after Paul and Mortensen were reportedly involved in another domestic violence incident.
“Cinnabon has made the decision to terminate its collaboration with The Bachelorette and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” a spokesperson for the company told Entertainment Weekly. “Recent developments and allegations surrounding the lead cast member led us to reassess this collaboration as it no longer aligns with our brand values.”
So far, Cinnabon is the only brand that’s publicly distanced itself from The Bachelorette and SLOMW. But it’s possible that other companies would have also pulled back if ABC had not decided to cancel Paul’s season.
Meanwhile, Paul herself is facing the consequences of her actions. Meta, which had a content deal with Paul, has confirmed it will no longer work with her. Filming has also been paused on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 5, and her future with the show remains unclear.
ABC could lose tens of millions of dollars because of Taylor Frankie Paul’s scandal
As it is, ABC is losing out on tens of millions of dollars in advertising revenue because of Paul’s scandal. The previous edition of The Bachelorette, which aired in 2024, took in $30.9 million in national TV advertising, according to MediaPost. Top advertisers were Kohl’s, Target, and Samsung Mobile.
In addition to lost advertising revenue, ABC is also potentially on the hook for a license fees to Warner Bros. Unscripted TV, which produces The Bachelorette, as well as marketing costs and other lost revenue, Variety reports.
But the latest season of The Bachelorette may not be a total loss for ABC.
“No one seems to think this is lethal to The Bachelor or The Bachelorette,” the trade publication noted. “If anything, insiders predict that Paul’s The Bachelorette will still see the light of day — perhaps just on Hulu, or maybe even in ABC’s summer schedule. But first, they expect to see plenty of mea culpas from Paul.”
For more news and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram.
