The future of two of the biggest unscripted shows on television hangs in the balance as the Taylor Frankie Paul contretemps continues.
ABC on Thursday pulled Season 22 of The Bachelorette, days before its premiere, after a video emerged that showed Paul attacking her on-again, off-again partner Dakota Mortensen and injuring her child in the process.
The Disney-owned broadcaster is now figuring out whether it will ever air the Paul-fronted season of the long-running dating show, whether the pause has any longer-term implications for the Warner Horizon-produced franchise, if and when it will restart production on Season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (Season 6 has also already been greenlit), and how to help Paul and Mortensen over the next few weeks and months.
These are some of the questions that would have filled the Disney war room yesterday as it put out a statement saying it would “not move forward” with the upcoming season of The Bachelorette “at this time” and that its focus was on “supporting the family.” The premiere episode had been scheduled for Sunday night.
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It’s been a particularly tough 12 months for The Bachelor franchise, which paused last year’s The Bachelorette and saw two of its top showrunners leave after a major production cull.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which is produced by Jeff Jenkins Productions, has also seen its fair share of drama over the last two years, while becoming one of Hulu’s top reality titles alongside The Kardashians.
Deadline understands that a number of Disney executives have been involved in mitigating the crises following the release of the Paul-Mortensen tape. The decision to pull The Bachelorette is believed to have been ultimately made by Debra OConnell, who is in her first week as Chairman of Disney Entertainment Television. Craig Erwich, President of Disney Television Group, was involved in calls with the team at Warner Horizon alongside unscripted chief Rob Mills. Deadline hears that Dana Walden, recently promoted to President and Chief Creative Officer at The Walt Disney Company, called Mills on Thursday night to check in.
Mills was one of three Disney executives on a Zoom call with the cast and producers of Mormon Wives earlier this month, according to NBC News, which obtained leaked audio of the call.
On the call, the wives – Jen Affleck, Jessi Draper, Miranda Hope, Whitney Leavitt, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley and Layla Taylor – voiced concerns over the show’s brand, its future and allegations involving Paul and Mortensen.
Season 4 of ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’
Disney
Draper, one of the main stars of the show over the last two seasons, whose husband Jordan Ngatikaura just filed for divorce, is heard asking Mills if he was “aware she’s hurt a child?”
One cast member said it was “concerning” that Disney didn’t want to know the details of the video that later emerged that showed Paul throwing metal stools at Mortensen.
“This is not me putting my head in the sand, but it’s not me — you know, I don’t want to inquire, because I don’t know what that does,” Mills reportedly said.
Disney insiders described the call as a “wellbeing check” after production on Season 5 had been suspended. It came after Jeff Jenkins Productions hired an external law firm to oversee a “workplace safety investigation.”
Mills was clearly being careful with his words on the call, with sources saying that he did want to get ahead of both the police investigation going on and the law firm investigation.
Mills has been with Disney for 23 years and has dealt with many controversies surrounding The Bachelor over the years as well as overseeing some of its most successful franchises including Dancing With the Stars, which last season had its most-watched run in 10 years, and American Idol, which opened in January with its biggest premiere episode in four years.
He stressed that Disney is “never going to hide anything that is wrong for the sake of business” and encouraged cast members to speak out about their concerns.
The Mormon Wives, who are now executive producers on the show, were clearly worried about their own futures. They also reportedly expressed concern that Paul was paid more than them, which Mills denied.
Could that show return with or without Paul? Season 5 would certainly attract some eyeballs if they resume filming and address the situation.
On March 7, Mills sounded confident that it could. “I want this to continue, and I want everyone to continue really being successful, both with this show and beyond it,” he said. “But I think really, just navigating through this thing and taking care of each other is the most important thing right now.”
The company also stressed its need to “support the family” amid the drama and the investigations. Deadline understands that Paul has hired Matthew Hiltzik, a crisis management publicist who runs Hiltzik Strategies.
A spokesperson for Paul said that she was “very grateful” for ABC’s support “as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security.”