Jimmy Kimmel takes aim at Taylor Frankie Paul's “Bachelorette ”cancellation with jab about chair-throwing incident

Marina WattsWed, May 13, 2026 at 6:02 PM UTC

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Jimmy Kimmel at Disney event on May 12; Taylor Frankie Paul at season 2 premiere of 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives'
Credit: Michael Le Brecht II/Disney via Getty; JC Olivera/Variety via GettyKey Points -

Jimmy Kimmel joked about Taylor Frankie Paul's season of the Bachelorette being canceled at the ABC upfront presentation on Tuesday.

Paul's season was pulled days before it was set to premiere after a video of an altercation involving her and ex Dakota Mortensen from 2023 was leaked this March.

ABC execs spoke on Tuesday about whether the season will ever air.

Jimmy Kimmel took aim at Taylor Frankie Paul's season of The Bachelorettebeing canceled.

On Tuesday evening, during the ABC upfront presentation, the late-night host — whose talk show has been the target of calls for cancellation by Donald Trump — joked about what he'd have to do to get his show actually taken off the air.

“You know, usually in order for ABC to pull you off the air, you have to throw a chair at your Mormon boyfriend," he quipped, referring to the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

ABC pulled the plug on Paul's season of The Bachelorette in March, just days before it was set to air, following the leak of a video from 2023 the captured an altercation between Paul and ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen. The video shows Paul throwing a metal stool at Mortensen in front of her daughter. The pair share a son, while Paul has a daughter and son from a previous marriage, to Tate Paul.

"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 shared with Entertainment Weekly read.

Entertainment Weekly contacted reps for Paul and did not receive an immediate response.

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Jimmy Kimmel at the Disney Advertising Upfront event on May 12.
Credit: Pawel Kaminski/Disney via Getty

Jimmy Kimmel Livewas temporarily suspended in September of last year after the comedian made comments about the "MAGA" reaction to Charlie Kirk's death. Amid pressure from the Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr, ABC's parent company, Disney, took Kimmel's show off the air. Following public outcry, including from hundreds of Hollywood insiders, the program was back within a week.

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Paul was ultimately arrested in 2023 and charged with misdemeanor assault, criminal mischief, and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child. She pleaded guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault, while the other charges were dropped. She is on probation until August.

The former couple are due in court on June 1 to discuss parent time for their son after being recommended mutual protective orders that would extend three years.

Taylor Frankie Paul for 'The Bachelorette'
Credit: Disney/Sami Drasin

On Tuesday, ABC gave an update on a potential air date for Paul's season after the reality show was noticeably missing from the fall 2026 schedule. “The Bachelorette dynamic right now is one that we were just approaching day by day,” said Ari Goldman, ABC’s senior vice president, per Variety.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages

on Entertainment Weekly

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