Ashley Iaconetti Hopes “Bachelorette” Can 'Bounce Back' from Taylor Frankie Paul Scandal (Exclusive)

Julia Moore, Matthew BoydTue, March 31, 2026 at 6:32 PM UTC

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Ashley Iaconetti (left), Taylor Frankie Paul (right)Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty -

ABC pulled Taylor Frankie Paul's season of The Bachelorette three days before it was slated to premiere

The cancellation came after footage from 2023 was released of Paul throwing chairs at her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen

Bachelor Nation star Ashley Iaconetti tells PEOPLE what she thinks of the show's cancellation and the future of the franchise

Ashley Iaconetti has a lot of thoughts about Taylor Frankie Paul and the current state of The Bachelorette.

At the New York City premiere for The Real Housewives of Rhode Island on Monday, March 30, Iaconetti addressed ABC's decision to pull Paul's season of the show just three days before it was slated to premiere, a decision that came hours after footage was released of Paul, 31, throwing chairs at her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, from a 2023 incident.

"I have very complex thoughts on what went down," Iaconetti, 38, tells PEOPLE. Of the show more broadly, though, she says, "I hope that the franchise goes on and flourishes."

"Overall, I just really hope that we see The Bachelorette on our screens faster than a year or so from now. I hope we can bounce back from this," she says.

A Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson said in a statement March 19: "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 spokesperson for Paul then spoke out, saying the mom of three is "very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security" and that she 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."

Ashley Iaconetti attends a New York screening event for "The Real Housewives of Rhode Island" on March 30, 2026Credit: Noam Galai/Bravo via Getty

Iaconetti's comments echo what former Bachelorette Trista Sutter told PEOPLE last week. "Everyone goes through stuff, everyone makes mistakes," Sutter, 53, said at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 26. "Yes, there's a child involved, and that's where my heart hurts the worst."

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The first-ever Bachelorette added that she is "just trying to show people grace" in the wake of the upheaval, which she said has "been a whirlwind." Of Paul, she added, "I know there's a lot of growth that needs to happen, and she's got a lot of support, including from me."

Sutter and Iaconetti's takes differ from that of former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay. Lindsay reacted in real-time on an episode of the Bachelor Party podcast, which was being recorded when the news broke about Paul's season.

"I think it's over," she said of the franchise. "I was trying to think of a scenario where it could be different, because this isn't just, 'Oh, we put it all on a person. This person did this.' This is the system that allowed this to happen."

"The name Bachelorette, Bachelor is tainted at this point," Lindsay, 40, said. "How do you move forward past that? You can't."

Taylor Frankie Paul on "The Bachelorette"Credit: Disney/Bahareh Ritter

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Lindsay said that "people were already mad" when Paul was first announced as the new lead in September 2025, and that "traditional Bachelor viewers were already upset by this decision."

"So how do you trust this name — Bachelor, Bachelorette — that has meant something to people, moving forward? You don't," she said. "You already questioned it when you moved Taylor Frankie Paul over [from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives]. Now it is completely destroyed. Like, why did you guys think this was okay? That's the question that needs to be answered. We're never gonna get that from Taylor at this point."

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