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ABC Abruptly Canceled One of Its Most-Watched Shows

By Andrew McCarty Men's Journal

Updated June 13, 2026 12:41 AM

Earlier this year ABC made the decision to cancel one of its most-watched shows just three days before it was set to premiere.

The network abruptly canceled The Bachelorette starring Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul, citing a recently released video from 2023 in which she appears to punch, kick and throw chairs at her former partner as her young daughter watched and cried.

"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," a statement from Disney Entertainment Television said.

A spokesman for Paul said in a statement at the time that she 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."

'The Bachelorette' Is One of ABC's Most-Watched Shows

The Bachelor franchise is among the most-watched shows in television and the latest season of The Bachelorette received an average of 2.46 million views – a more than 20% increase in viewership over the previous season, according to data from TV Series Finale.

The latest season of the show beat out popular titles like Grey's Anatomy, 20/20 and finished just behind beloved comedy Abbot Elementary.

Rumors Suggested It Could Air in Summer

Speculation ran rampant last month that the show could air this summer, even amidst the video and prior allegations. However, a source told The Sun that ABC has no plans to air the show with Paul - ever.

"ABC has no plans to air it. Certainly not this Summer but there's no plans to air it for now – ever," the insider said, via Cosmopolitan. "Sure, that can always change given how things play out but there is no indication the network will take that chance with her ever again. Any reports about them airing the season in the near future are absolutely false. That has never been part of the plan."

Disney's reality chief Rob Mills told Deadline the show will be back in 2027.

"The Bachelor is almost a perfect format and it is really powerful. It's over two decades old, and it's seen really good days and really bad days. But it's always had a lot of resilience, especially when the people making it really, really care about it, because that fan base also really cares about it," he told Deadline. "However The Bachelor comes back next year, it will be done with a lot of thoughtfulness and care. I do think better days are ahead for the franchise."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 11:19 PM.