As you’ve almost certainly heard by now, Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette has been canceled by ABC.
Network execs made the controversial move after video of Paul assaulting then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen went viral on Thursday.
The situation stunned many — including, it seems, Taylor’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives castmates, who are now speaking out about the situation:
“My personal history as a survivor makes it impossible for me to stay silent. I stand firmly against domestic violence in any form.” Layla Taylor wrote on her Instagram Story (via People).
Shortly after Taylor sounded off, her Secret Lives costar Miranda McWhorter offered her own two cents:
“I’ve honestly been a little at a loss for words trying to process this all. Everything has been really heavy to see. Domestic violence and abuse of any kind is something I take very seriously,” McWhorter wrote, adding:
“As a human, and especially a mother, I cannot support that kind of behavior. My heart is with the children in this and I hope they’re safe, supported, and surrounded by love.”
The video that led ABC to pull Taylor’s season — a decision that’s expected to cost the network tens of millions of dollars — was bad enough.
But today, we learned that Dakota has accused Taylor of assaulting him two more times in February of this year.
The first fight allegedly broke out while Dakota was visiting Taylor and their 2-year-old son at her home.
Dakota claims that Taylor choked him, shoved him into a window, and struck him at least once.
Mortensen says he called 911 for help, but that Taylor “pressured and manipulated” him into falsely telling the dispatcher that their son was sick and ending the call.
He claims that Taylor’s “aggressive behavior” continued from there, so he took the child home for his safety.
Elsewhere in his filing, he claims that the aggression continued the following night when Taylor threw his phone at a wall and tried to physically prevent him from leaving her house.
Despite the mounting evidence against her, Taylor continues to maintain that she is the victim in this situation.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” Paul said through a spokesperson, adding (via People):
“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.
“There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives.”
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.