Jana Kramer has thoughts about ABC’s last-minute decision to cancel Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette.
“Abuse is never great TV,” Kramer, 42, said on the Thursday, March 19, episode of her “I Do, Part 2” podcast. “Where it’s being physical, that is not something that our children need to see. … When you have to grab someone, hurt someone, push someone, verbally, physically, that is not something to get viewership for.”
Taylor, 31, was named as the next Bachelorette in fall 2025, with her season scheduled to premiere on ABC Sunday, March 22. Days before the premiere, footage leaked of Taylor assaulting and throwing several chairs at ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen in 2023 while in the presence of her daughter. (Taylor shares Indy, 8, and Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul, as well as son Ever, 2, with Dakota, 33.)
In light of the video’s release, ABC pulled the plug on Taylor’s season.
“DV is not something to joke about [or] to get viewership,” Jana, who previously claimed to suffer domestic abuse during her first marriage, stated on Thursday. “It’s just not at all, and if it was a guy, they would have shut it down immediately.”
ABC has not addressed their specific reasons for waiting to scrap Taylor’s journey until the video was released, though a rep did issue a statement addressing the cancellation itself.
“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,” a spokesperson for Disney Entertainment Television told Us Weekly in a Thursday statement. “Our focus is on supporting the family.”
Taylor is also a star on Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which also ceased production on its fifth season.
“I’m proud of the [other] girls for not filming The Secret Life and being, like, ‘You guys need to figure this out,’” Jana said, referring to the reports that Taylor’s costars met with Disney execs to express their alleged desire to no longer filming with her. “You’re just enabling a situation that is not healthy and is not safe for anybody.”
According to Jana, ABC would have been “feeding into this really awful narrative” glorifying domestic violence had they not canceled the show.
“It’s not acceptable on the side, whether violent resistance or not,” the One Tree Hill alum stressed on her podcast. “Defend yourself to get out of a situation if that’s the case, but it’s not something where you should be highlighting [on television] or saying that behavior is OK. It’s not OK.”
After Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette was axed, she released a statement.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” a rep for the MomTok creator said in a Thursday statement. “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.”
The statement concluded, “She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support and preparing to own and share her story.”
Dakota, meanwhile, has denied any accusations against him.
“As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation,” Dakota said in a separate statement on Thursday. “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.”
The next day, Us confirmed that Dakota was granted a temporary protective order barring Taylor from coming within 100 feet of her ex or having any online communication before a court hearing scheduled for early April. The order also granted Dakota sole custody of Ever for the time being.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
