The Bachelorette: Taylor Frankie Paul on season cancellation

Just one hour after the official cancellation of her season of The Bachelorette, star Taylor Frankie Paul is speaking out.

In a statement via People Magazine, the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star’s spokesperson focused less on the end of the show, and more on the allegations that have surfaced regarding her and ex Dakota Mortensen, including a video that surfaced online early Thursday:

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.

Paul’s season had been heavily promoted even early Thursday, and while the latest Mormon Wives season was put on hold. This is what ABC parent company Disney originally said about the cancellation:

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.

As for what all this means for the future of Bachelor Nation…

All options could be on the table, but we do have to question key decision-makers all across the board for their decisions over the past few months. We do wonder if there is a way to bring back some of the cast for a future season … but will there even be one? The financial implications that do come from canceling a season like this last-minute are vast, and it is certainly something that is hard to ignore at this point.

This is a developing story and through that, we imagine that there will be more news that comes out in the weeks ahead.