Whenever a massive scandal is happening in Hollywood, you know Bethenny Frankel is coming forward to give her take, so it comes as no surprise she did exactly that with the Taylor Frankie Paul drama.
As you know at this point, ABC cancelled the 31-year-old television personality’s season of The Bachelorette on Thursday after footage of her attacking Dakota Mortensen and striking her daughter with a metal chair in 2023 dropped. Taylor was arrested for the incident, and she pleaded guilty to aggravated assault while the other charges were dropped as part of a plea deal. The decision also comes after another domestic dispute between the former couple in February, which forced their show, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, to hit pause on Season 5 amid the investigation.
Related: Mikayla Says Taylor Has A Pattern Of ‘Ruining’ Her Opportunities For Dakota
When ABC cast Taylor as the lead, they were aware of her history. The details of her swinging and domestic violence scandals were well-documented. The network was even reportedly warned about her alleged abusive behavior. However, they decided to give her the opportunity anyway. Which is why Bethenny thinks it “doesn’t make any sense” that the network shelved the season at the last minute. In fact, she doesn’t really get why they took her on in the first place! The Real Housewives of New York City alum explained in a TikTok video on Thursday:
“They knew about her domestic violence past, and apparently they cast her as the first non-Bachelor nation person, and they wanted the controversy and the redemption, so now they’re re-trading on that because the video was made public. I mean, a picture’s worth a thousand words, and audio’s worth a thousand words, but if someone was already involved in domestic violence, why would they cast her?”
Bethenny knows reality TV “thrives on conflict, negativity, substance abuse, physical abuse, bankruptcy, DUIs, incarcerations.” Referencing her attempted takedown of Bravo and Andy Cohen a few years ago, she continued:
“So whenever people say, ‘Whatever happened to the reality reckoning?’ I say, the reckoning still continues. I hear examples of it all the time.”
The Skinnygirl founder then noted that “you don’t cancel a whole season if there’s not a pile of s**t underneath it,” adding:
“So the reality reckoning is and has been real and continues, because there are a lot of things going on legally that you haven’t heard of. Cases don’t wave a magic wand and get resolved the next day. There’s a lot underneath.”
There’s also a difference between reading about the domestic violence allegations and seeing it. The video was horrifying and heartbreaking to watch, especially as you heard the cries of Taylor’s young daughter. Once everyone saw the footage, there was no way ABC could proceed with the season. Not only because of the online backlash or to protect their brand, but we bet more advertisers and sponsors were pulling out.
Bethenny even noted in the caption that “a lot more” is “about to surface,” which could happen because there is an active investigation into their latest dispute. Dakota wants sole custody of their son Ever and filed for a restraining order, as well. Meanwhile, Taylor is insisting she has suffered years of mental and physical abuse at his hands. So, this situation is far from over.
Concluding the video, Bethenny thinks The Bachelorette crew members will speak out about all the drama soon:
“The crew, they’re the ones rising, cause they’ve witnessed it all, made to be quiet about it all. And watch what happens with the crews. Mark my words. You’re welcome.”
We’ll wait and see if the crew speaks out! Watch Bethenny’s video (below):
@bethennyfrankel There is a lot more about to surface #watchwhathappens
Do you agree with Bethenny, Perezcious readers? Tell us your thoughts on the cancellation in the comments (below).
[Image via Hulu/YouTube,Dakota Mortensen/Instagram,Bethenny Frankel/TikTok]
