One week after ABC pulled the plug on Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay says the decision has left the long-running reality TV franchise “tainted.”
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While appearing on E!’s Hot Goss last week, Lindsay shared her thoughts about the situation.
“It’s tainted,” she said about the franchise. “I’m very logical, and I keep trying to figure out, ‘How can you move around this?’ And I’m sure they’ll find a way, they are a business.”
However, Lindsay said she could not see a “road forward” with the franchise. Noting that there are “a lot of people who are still begging” for Paul’s season, the former The Bachelorette star said she empathized with angry fans as well.
ABC canceled the season after a video of Paul’s 2023 physical altercation with her ex, Dakota Mortensen, surfaced just days before the premiere. The clip showed Paul throwing multiple chairs at Mortensen, with one allegedly hitting her then 5-year-old daughter, who had been sitting on a nearby couch when the altercation took place.
“Maybe some people didn’t know the history,” Lindsay said about the situation. “So, I think that there are some people who are disturbed by it. When you think of the name now, you’re going to think of this.”
‘The Bachelorette’ Alum Calls the Decision ‘Unfair’ For the Season’s Contestants
Continuing to speak about the cancellation, Lindsay said that the decision greatly impacts the contestants, who had put their lives on hold to be on the show.
“It’s unfair,” she explained. “There are fathers on this cast that left their families. Some people quit their jobs, some people took a pay cut. So, I understand the sentiment of, ‘What do we do now?'”
Lindsay went on to note that one option ABC now has is to air the season on a later date.
“I think they’ve kind of left the door open,” she pointed out. “And they’re probably seeing what happens in the court of public opinion, what happens with the sponsors.”
Regarding the future of The Bachelorette, Lindsay said ABC execs now have to find a brand new lead for the next season.
“I don’t know who would want to step in after this,” she added. “Maybe with time, sure. Will I watch? No. But it could be another Mormon Wife. Why not a Housewife? I love my Bravo world.”