There’s a double standard in The Bachelorette’s cancellation

I can’t lie, I was excited for the new season of The Bachelorette starring Taylor Frankie Paul, a reality personality from the show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. 

But a few days before the season was set to air, TMZ leaked a video of her assaulting her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. Paul’s season was over before it began — and rightly so.

The video is a hard watch, showing Paul scream, kick, hit and throw barstools at Mortensen — with a 2023 criminal indictment saying that her eight-year-old daughter, Indy, was hit with a barstool.  

In a matter of hours, Paul was trending on X, and TikTok accounts were posting by-the-minute updates. I couldn’t open my phone without seeing the clip, alongside a caption either defending or denouncing her. 

But I didn’t expect ABC to cancel the season. From what I’ve seen of celebrity scandals, networks rarely choose action over a money-making opportunity — especially with a show like The Bachelorette, which has run for 21 seasons and has a massive fanbase. 

But Disney Entertainment Television, ABC’s owner, released a statement saying they wouldn’t move forward with Paul’s season despite being days away from the premiere. It was quick. No lengthy decision-making process, just a swift cut to the whole thing. 

It makes sense. What Paul did is inexcusable. But it’s gotten me thinking about what the reaction would’ve been if the roles were reversed. 

I see it all the time: men with a platform, accused of domestic violence, get to continue their lives and careers, even once they’ve been convicted.

The issue isn’t whether Paul should face consequences for her actions — she should — it’s that high-profile abusive men rarely always face the same swiftness and finality in similar situations. 

Investigation Discovery released a documentary, Chris Brown: A History of Violence, in 2024, exposing Chris Brown’s abusive history. The documentary detailed the shocking number of assault accusations against Brown. But despite this, and despite his felony conviction, Brown still sells out arenas and makes millions.

FKA twigs sued ex-boyfriend and actor Shia LaBeouf in 2020 for sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress. Still, he continues to star in high-profile films. 

In these instances, fanbases insisted they could “separate the art from the artist” — a lame excuse for people to turn a blind eye to the unethical actions of their favourite stars. 

The consequences for male abusers are inconsistent and temporary, and have been for a long time. Society has historically been willing to let this behaviour slide. Male violence is normalized in TV shows, movies, music and video games, while women are held to the rigid societal expectation of remaining nurturing and calm. When that norm is broken, people are quick to react negatively. 

The point isn’t to defend one perpetrator over another; it’s about criticizing a system that only punishes selectively. Paul’s violence is inexcusable, and everyone who commits similar acts should face the same consequences. 

No abuser should be allowed to retain their fame and power, let alone continue to receive new opportunities. 

I know so many girls who’ve ben physically, emotionally or verbally abused by men. The man always seems to leave the relationship unscathed, while the girl is left trying to put together the pieces of how she ended up there. 

Even when she spreads the word of her experience, nothing seems to change. 

Everyone — no matter how they identify — should be held to the same standard. The cycle of abuse is dangerous, and accountability should be consistent, not conditional.