Despite recent rumors, Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” is not included in ABC’s summer slate.
While there were whispers across social media, led by online tipster Reality Steve, that the season would debut this summer, the reality series was not mentioned as part of the broadcast network’s upcoming premiere dates following the end of the traditional TV season at the end of May.
Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” was initially scheduled to debut on March 22, but was axed from ABC’s spring slate after TMZ posted a video of a domestic violence incident between Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. Since then, fans of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” on which Paul also stars, have been on the edge of their seats to see if and when the season might eventually debut.
The initial announcement from Disney left room for the season to air down the road, with the statement from March 19 reading, “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.”
The show’s absence from the slate doesn’t fully close the door on its airing, since Walt Disney Television’s EVP of unscripted and alternative entertainment Rob Mills told TheWrap in late April, “We take everything a day at a time.”
“We’re sort of really still processing everything and figuring out … planning for the next cycles of ‘The Bachelor’ franchise, and really just kind of looking at everything, and first and foremost, honestly, just making sure that Taylor, her family, everyone is being taken care of, just on a personal and human front,” Mills said.
In the meantime, ABC renewed “The Bachelor,” “Bachelor in Paradise” and “Dancing with the Stars” for new seasons during the 2026-27 TV season.
While “The Bachelorette” won’t be coming to ABC this summer, the network will debut its new reality series “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro” on July 13 alongside several other unscripted series.
Check out ABC’s full summer schedule below:
Thursday, June 25:
- 8:00-11:00 p.m. – “CMA Fest presented by SoFi” (special)
Thursday, July 9:
- 8:00-9:00 p.m. – “Celebrity Family Feud” (Season 12 premiere)
- 9:00-10:00 p.m. – “Press Your Luck” (Season 7 premiere)
Monday, July 13:
- 8:00-9:00 p.m. – “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro” (series premiere)
Wednesday, July 15:
- 8:00-11:00 p.m. – “The 2026 ESPYS Presented by Capital One” (Live on ABC and streaming on ESPN+)
Wednesday, July 22:
- 8:00-9:00 p.m. – “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” (Season 5 premiere)
