All the biggest Bachelor Nation cast controversies ever amid Taylor Frankie Paul drama
There have been some truly shocking moments
If anyone thought Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was drama-filled, Taylor Frankie Paul getting pulled into the Bachelor Nation sphere has sent the mess meter all the way into the red.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star was meant to kick off a totally new era for The Bachelorette before everything unravelled in very public, very dramatic way.
It has also reminded people that this franchise has a long, chaotic history when it comes to scandal.
From secret girlfriends to racism fallouts to shocking background-check stories, Bachelor Nation has never exactly been controversy-free.
Taylor’s Bachelorette season cancelled before it even premiered
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The biggest Bachelor Nation headline right now is Taylor Frankie Paul herself.
ABC had cast the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives breakout as the lead of The Bachelorette season 22, but the network cancelled the already-filmed season just days before its planned March 22, 2026 premiere after a 2023 video resurfaced showing a domestic altercation involving Paul and her ex Dakota Mortensen.
ABC said the decision was made to focus on supporting the family, while Draper City Police also confirmed an ongoing investigation tied to more recent allegations, per PEOPLE.
The statement, released on March 19, read: “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.”
Taylor responded to the cancellation. Her statement read: “Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security.
“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.
“There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives.
“Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation, and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.”
Jed Wyatt’s secret girlfriend scandal
If you watched Hannah Brown’s season, you already know this one lives permanently in Bachelor infamy.
After Jed Wyatt won The Bachelorette in 2019, reports emerged that he had allegedly left for filming while still in a relationship with Haley Stevens.
Haley told PEOPLE that Jed framed the show as an “obstacle,” and the fallout was so major that Hannah later ended their engagement after learning he had been dishonest.
Per Refinery29, Jed said: “There was two very different views of what actually happened… It never felt like a relationship to me.”
He also said he was seeing other women prior to the show, didn’t consider things with Hannah exclusive, and admitted to her “during an early date that he initially came on the show for the platform for his music.”
Jed apologised during the live show, and said: “I am responsible for this. I will own up to it all day.”
It was one of those scandals that changed the whole season, because what looked like a love story suddenly felt like a brutal PR stunt.
Rachael Kirkconnell’s photos sparked a franchise-wide racism reckoning
Few Bachelor controversies have had consequences as big as this one.
During Matt James’s season, photos resurfaced showing contestant Rachael Kirkconnell at an antebellum plantation-themed party, prompting widespread backlash.
The situation escalated even further when longtime host Chris Harrison defended Kirkconnell in an interview with Rachel Lindsay and criticised the “woke police,” comments he later apologised for, per ABC.
Chris ultimately stepped aside and then exited the franchise, while the whole saga forced The Bachelor to confront years of criticism around race, representation and how the show protects its contestants.
As reported by ABC, Rachel later took to social media to apologise, writing:
“I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were but that doesn’t excuse them. My age or when it happened does not excuse anything,” she wrote. “They are not acceptable or okay in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.
Erich Schwer’s photo controversy
Gabby Windey and Erich Schwer should have been enjoying their post-finale glow in 2022, but instead, their engagement rollout got swallowed by controversy.
A school yearbook photo of Erich in dark-toned make-up resurfaced right as the finale aired. He publicly apologised via Instagram in 2022, calling the image offensive and saying he was ashamed.
Eric wrote: “I wholeheartedly apologize for the insensitive photo of me in Blackface from my high school yearbook that has been circulating. What I thought at the time was a representation of my love for Jimi Hendrix, was nothing but ignorance. I was naïve to the hurtful implications of my actions to the Black community and those closest to me, and will forever regret my offensive and damaging behavior. I am deeply ashamed by my actions and understand that my apology is only the first step in taking accountability.”
On top of that, leaked text messages from an ex appeared to suggest he had gone on the show partly for career reasons.
Gabby addressed both scandals in post-finale interviews.
Variety reported: “Windey told host Jesse Palmer that her now-fiancé had told her about those messages prior to them becoming public on social media, and the couple dealt with it on their own.”
Speaking of the photo, she told Variety: “I found out with the rest of the world and it was an immediate punch in the gut — really, truly devastating, so, it was hard for both of us just to kind of weigh our values and where we’re at and how this came about. And there is no excuse. He apologized, but ultimately there’s really no excuse for this behavior. I think we’re just really reflecting on ourselves, learning about where these biases come from [and] how they affect other people and how to change them and how to grow.”
Devin Strader’s past legal issues rocked Jenn Tran’s season
Jenn Tran’s season was already messy by the time the finale aired, but the controversy only deepened afterwards.
In September 2024, PEOPLE reported that finalist Devin Strader had previously been arrested in 2017 and that court documents showed an ex sought a restraining order against him and later alleged repeated violations.
Devin later denied the abuse allegations and said reports about the case were misconstrued.
PEOPLE’s report detailed his full statement shared via Instagram:
“Following my time on The Bachelorette, there have been many stories and misrepresentations put out in the media that I want to take a moment to address, I want to apologize for the video I released following the final episode. I am not proud of that lapse in judgment.
He continued: “I am truly grateful for my time on the show, and for getting the chance to know and love Jenn. I certainly regret hurting her in any way. She is a very special person, and I wish her nothing but good things.”
“Most recently, there have been challenges from a low point in my past that have been brought up and severely misconstrued… The accusations are simply not true as I have never inappropriately laid hands on another individual or treated my ex-girlfriend in any of the ways I have been depicted.”
“That restraining order was never granted, and fully dismissed. My college ex-girlfriend and I ended up reconciling, and eventually ended our relationship on good terms. This was the first time I ever fell in love and I learned a lot from our relationship. It was a growing experience for both of us.”
PEOPLE included an editor’s note reading: “A judge granted a temporary restraining order against Strader in March 2017, which was later extended by one month to April 2017. A permanent restraining order was never granted because his ex-girlfriend voluntarily dismissed the request.”
Devin’s statement concluded: “I know that I have made mistakes in my life and that I am not perfect, but I have continued to work every day to be someone that my family and friends would be proud of, and I am truly thankful to everyone who has been by my side.”
The report also states that PEOPLE obtained a petition for protection from abuse from March 22, 2017, “in which a woman named Strader as a defendant in her filing.”
She claimed that she “found her room burglarized” after returning from out of town after the two “broke up,” and that “an item was missing.”
She filed a temporary restraining order against Devin, but alleged in a police report that after he violated it “numerous times,” he started a fire in the street near her home and burned “what appeared to be the actual restraining order.”
PEOPLE’s report adds: “A proof of conditions document shows that Strader was later charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass, ordered to pay $500, complete 30 hours of community service and attend the ‘Court’s Effective Decision-Making School’.”
Entertainment Weekly also reported: “Strader was subsequently arrested on burglary charges. He ultimately pleaded guilty to charges of criminal trespass and simple criminal damage to property of less than $500, and received one year of unsupervised probation.”
The revelations, also reported by Variety, triggered major backlash and fresh questions about the franchise’s vetting process.
PEOPLE reported: “According to a source close to The Bachelor franchise, the show takes “the safety” of the contestants “very seriously” and they “make every effort to conduct thorough diligence.”
The source also told PEOPLE that the protective order against Strader “did not surface” in any background searches despite their “exhaustive vetting process.”
Taylor Frankie Paul, and Dakota released statements
Taylor Frankie Paul has now released a statement in response to the leaked video of her throwing the stools, with her rep telling Entertainment Weekly: “It’s sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child.
“Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior.
“Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is and sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show, and from their own experiences.”
Dakota has also released his own statement to Entertainment Weekly, saying: “His number one priority here is protecting [their 2-year-old son], Ever. He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor. It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well.
“He was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away. He’s never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side. He kind of just lets it all happen to him, and I think he realizes with the severity of everything now that he just can’t do that.”
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