Doug Mason from Taylor Frankie Paul‘s now-canceled season of The Bachelorette is breaking his silence.
“In light of everything that has happened, I am just sending prayers to Taylor because that was her moment and her moment was blocked,” Doug, 28, said in an Instagram video on Friday, March 20. “All we can do right now is just be hopeful, and I am headed off to run to watch the sunrise.”
He concluded: “I hope you guys have a great day, and let’s stay positive and show nothing but support for people in need.”
Doug was one of over 20 potential suitors vying for Taylor’s heart in season 22 of The Bachelorette — and was an early fan-favorite. Before the season was set to premiere on Sunday, March 22, news broke that Taylor, 31, and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, were involved in an alleged domestic violence dispute in February. The alleged altercation reportedly led to season 5 of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives being put on pause.
“There’s more to the context to everything, and it’s unfortunate,” Taylor exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, March 17. “It’s been hard. And it sucks to be in this position.”
The mother of three — who shares son Ever, 2, with Dakota, 33, and daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul — denied that the incident had anything to do with her as a parent.
“And the mother that I am, that is something I will always stand my ground on. I believe that I am a good mother and I have always treated my kids very well,” Taylor explained. “So the headlines that are out right now are very hard to see, because that’s not the truth of it. I have always treated my children with respect and I’ve never touched them. So it’s been really hard.”
Dakota later broke his silence on the alleged dispute.
“His No. 1 priority here is protecting Ever,” a rep for Dakota told Entertainment Weekly. “He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor. It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to coparent well.”
The statement continued: “He was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away. He’s never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side. He kind of just lets it all happen to him, and I think he realizes with the severity of everything now that he just can’t do that.”
Season 22 of The Bachelorette was ultimately canceled when footage from a 2023 incident between Taylor and Dakota surfaced. In the video, Taylor is seen throwing chairs at Dakota while her daughter cries in the background. (This is the same incident that was explored in season 1 of Mormon Wives.)
A Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson told Us on Thursday, 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.”
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