Scandals And Controversies That Hit Bachelor Nation Like A Wrecking Ball

"The Bachelor" has evolved into one of those TV franchises that has no intentions on slowing down anytime soon. The original reality dating series now includes equally popular spin-offs like "The Bachelorette" and "Bachelor in Paradise." Part of Bachelor Nation's allure is that there are plenty of contestants who can't seem to stop showing back up. Another popular aspect is the automatic notion of knowing what to expect: love, human connection, humor, and a hefty dose of drama along the way.

"The Bachelor" has changed significantly since its first season, although the franchise didn't face its first undisputed controversy until Jason Mesnick dumped his initial winner, Melissa Rycroft, for Molly Malaney during the Season 13 finale in 2009. In the years since that unexpected switcheroo, Bachelor Nation has gone through countless other scandals and controversies that range from being rather easy to forget to full-on impossible to erase from one's memory. Either way, these moments certainly made an impact. 

Taylor Frankie Paul, an original cast member on Hulu's "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," was announced as the next Bachelorette in September 2025. "The Bachelorette" Season 22 was supposed to premiere on March 22, 2026, but was shelved after TMZ released a video that showcased Paul attacking her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. The incident, which occurred in 2023, resurfaced after Paul allegedly assaulted Mortensen in February 2026. 

On March 19, 2026, a spokesperson for Disney — ABC's parent company – told Today: "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." After ABC's "Bachelorette" cancellation, Paul's team put out a lengthy statement. Per People, they claimed, in part, "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."

Paul and Mortensen share one son, who was born in March 2024. Mortensen filed for sole custody of their child upon the video's release; coincidentally, Mortensen was captured running to Paul's ex-husband, Tate Paul, at the courthouse. Paul temporarily lost custody of their son, with the pair set to officially hash things out in court. Mortensen was also granted a restraining order. 

Clare Crawley, who appeared on "The Bachelor" Season 18, was announced as the next Bachelorette in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. One of many untold truths about Crawley is that, at 39, she became the oldest Bachelorette in Bachelor Nation history. When "The Bachelorette" Season 16 finally premiered in October 2020, Crawley made a shocking exit after just four episodes: Crawley hit it off with Dale Moss so quickly that they got engaged and rode off into the sunset (Crawley and Moss called it quits for good in September 2021). 

Crawley's early exit was a first for the franchise, as was ABC's rapid substitution. Taysia Adams from "The Bachelor" Season 23 replaced Crawley as the Bachelorette; all of the remaining contestants proceeded to compete for Adams' heart, plus four new additions. In October 2020, before the Crawley-Adams transition was televised (or even confirmed), Crawley told Entertainment Tonight, "I wanted Tayshia as the Bachelorette...like, I support her. I've wanted her to be the Bachelorette forever."

Colton Underwood, who initially appeared on "The Bachelorette" Season 14, was announced as the star of "The Bachelor" Season 23 in September 2018. Although Cassie Randolph quit the competition at the final three, she returned after Underwood begged her for another chance. Randolph was given Underwood's final rose, and they dated for almost two years until their breakup in May 2020. Underwood came out as gay in April 2021. 

In September 2020, a few months after their split, Randolph was granted a temporary restraining order against Underwood. Randolph alleged that Underwood stalked her, placed a tracker on her car, and showed up at her house uninvited. According to court documents obtained by E! News, Underwood allegedly texted Randolph that she was "a selfish person who isn't ready to be loved," among other accusations. The restraining order was dismissed in November after the former duo settled out of court. 

Underwood later apologized to Randolph when he announced his sexuality, although in 2026, the drama unexpectedly became a point of contention on "The Traitors" Season 4. Underwood sparked a feud with "Real Housewives" alum Lisa Rinna on "The Traitors" when he tried to get her banished (AKA eliminated). Rinna threw shots on Threads with a passive-aggressive suggestion that reignited the controversy: "Let's talk about you being a stalker."

After finishing as the runner-up on "The Bachelorette" Season 8, Arie Luyendyk Jr. was chosen to lead "The Bachelor" Season 22. At the end of the season, Luyendyk chose Becca Kufrin over Lauren Burnham. Although he got down on one knee and asked Kufrin to marry him, he pulled a Jason Mesnick and realized soon after that he actually had stronger feelings for Burnham. 

Luyendyk didn't just end his engagement to Kufrin to shoot his shot with Burnham, but did so in one of the most humiliating ways possible: on camera, knowing the footage would be broadcast on the "Bachelor" finale. Days after popping the question, Luyendyk sat Kufrin down, in an infamous moment available on YouTube, and started the hard conversation with, "For me, the more I hung out with you, the more I felt like I was losing the possibility of reconciling things with Lauren." 

As the cherry on top of this controversial moment, Luyendyk proposed to Burnham right after he dumped Kufrin. In the end, things worked out: Luyendyk and Burnham have been married since 2019 and have four children, while Kufrin became a Bachelorette in 2018 and eventually met her husband, Thomas Jacobs, on "Bachelor in Paradise" Season 7. Still, Luyendyk was (and continues to be) massively criticized for his lack of tact. "A breakup is hard enough, and to have it all filmed and have to re-watch it and know that people all across the country are watching you get your heart broken, it is embarrassing," Kufrin told People. 

In 2016, Amanda Stanton competed for Ben Higgins' heart on "The Bachelor" Season 20. Although Higgins didn't choose Stanton, she and Josh Murray became a memorable Bachelor couple on "Bachelor in Paradise" Season 3. After her engagement to Murray ended, Stanton entered a new relationship with Bobby Jacobs. In September 2018, Stanton was arrested for alleged domestic violence against Jacobs. As reported by CNN, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stated that the incident occurred in front of officers present.

Stanton pleaded not guilty, and her charges were dismissed in December 2018. In September 2019, Stanton released the memoir "Now Accepting Roses," in which she discussed the events that led to her arrest. Per People, Stanton explained that she was in Las Vegas for a bachelorette party and had too much to drink when everything went down. "To this day, I am still devastated and confused by what happened that night. So is everyone who knows me," Stanon wrote. "I felt immense guilt for Bobby, who didn't ask to date someone who was in the public eye...I felt terrible for him."

Amanda Stanton isn't the first Bachelor Nation star to have one too many drinks, nor will she ever be the last. If anyone can attest to this, it's former contestant Chad Harrison. Harrison was originally introduced on "The Bachelorette" Season 12, and returned for "Bachelor in Paradise" Season 3. In both seasons, Harrison became the resident "villain" who was not afraid of conflict. 

While Harrison's elimination on "The Bachelorette" was cringeworthy, his exit from "Bachelor in Paradise" was peak secondhand embarassment. On the very first night, Harrison got too drunk, went off on a violent tangent, and eventually passed out on the beach. When confronted the next day by Bachelor Nation host Chris Harrison — no relation, just similarly named — Harrison lost his cool even more and officially got the ax. Harrison and Chris' tense confrontation, in which Harrison accused the other man of making him "look like a b***h," is available to watch on YouTube.

In 2017, Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson appeared on "Bachelor in Paradise" Season 4. Beforehand, Olympios starred in "The Bachelor" Season 21, while Jackson appeared on "The Bachelorette" Season 13. Soon after the cameras picked up for this season of "Bachelor in Paradise," production was suspended over alleged misconduct between the pair. "It's an incredibly difficult and complicated situation, primarily involving two contestants," a source told People at the time. "It appears as though conduct allegedly occurred without the proper consent having been given."

While specific details were never officially released, it eventually emerged that Olympios and Jackson had a sexual encounter in a hot tub after a night of drinking, which multiple "Bachelor" producers later reported. Jackson described the night to E! News and said that Olympios perpetuated what happened, which included some physicality. Olympios, on the other hand, told People, "I am a victim and have spent the last week trying to make sense of what happened...As a woman, this is my worst nightmare and it has now become my reality."

In the end, Olympios clarified that she was simply a victim of the situation and that Jackson did no wrongdoing. "Bachelor in Paradise" Season 4 was given the green light to continue after an investigation, although the duo was removed from the villa. Later, Olympios appeared on other reality TV shows like "House of Villains" and "Below Deck Down Under." Jackson, on the other hand, was sued for alleged sexual assault in 2022. 

After he finished in third place on "The Bachelorette" Season 10, Chris Soules was chosen to star on "The Bachelor" Season 19, which aired in early 2015. After he proposed to Whitney Bischoff in what became one of the shortest engagements in Bachelor Nation history, Soules lay relatively low until April 2017. As reported by TMZ (via KWWL), Soules was arrested in the early hours of April 25 for an alleged hit-and-run. Soules was accused of crashing into a tractor on April 24, which killed the other driver. According to court documents, Soules left the scene and was later apprehended. 

Although Soules was allegedly under the influence at the time, he was not charged with a DUI because of how much time passed between the crash and his arrest. Soules initially pleaded not guilty in May 2017, but ultimately accepted a plea deal in August 2019. Soules was given a two-year suspended jail sentence with two years of probation; Soules was also ordered to pay the victim's family $2.5 million. In September, Soules told ABC News, "I had nothing to hide, honestly...I was not drinking that night...My sentence is living with this for the rest of my life."

Rozlyn Papa was a contestant on "The Bachelor" Season 14, which was led by Jake Pavelka. Although Papa initially made a good impression and received a rose during a group date, Papa was disqualified due to an alleged inappropriate relationship with one of the "Bachelor" producers, later identified as Ryan Callahan; Callahan was also fired. Papa maintained that the most egregious thing that occurred was Callahan lending her his phone to call her children. Chris Harrison, on the other hand, told People, "Other girls on the show saw it. The producer confessed more than once and to more than one person. I cannot make it any clearer."

In 2019, Papa revisited the controversial moment in an interview with the Daily Mail. At the time, Rachael Arahill, a contestant on "The Bachelor Australia" Season 7, was kicked off for her own alleged producer affair. Papa reaffirmed that she did not have an affair with Callahan and said, "They had the nerve to repeatedly ask me to come back on the show, as well as all of their spin-offs. They are relentless." Papa mentioned that she would never return because of what happened to co-star Gia Allemand, a Bachlor Nation contestant who sadly passed away from suicide in 2013. 

Hannah Brown was a contestant on Colton Underwood's "Bachelor" season in 2019. After she was eliminated, Brown was announced as the star of "The Bachelorette" Season 15. Following these Bachelor Nation appearances, Brown gained a hefty social media following. During an Instagram Live in 2020 (which was uploaded to YouTube), Brown said the N-word as she sang the lyrics to DaBaby's song "Rockstar." Brown immediately tried to backtrack and apologized, although she also tried to claim that someone else in the room said it. 

Brown received immediate backlash from other social media users and Bachelor Nation stars. Nick Viall said on his "The Viall Files" podcast (via People), "The reality is, it is not okay in any context to say that word. I am very critical of Hannah Brown's use of that word." Rachel Lindsay, the first Black Bachelorette who initially appeared on Viall's "Bachelor" season, said that she spoke to Brown privately and that they agreed to do an Instagram Live together to address the controversy.

According to Lindsay, Brown changed her mind about doing an Instagram Live. Instead, she used an Instagram Story (via Variety) to issue a formal apology. "I owe you all a major apology. There is no excuse, and I will not justify what I said," Brown wrote. "I am terribly sorry and know that, whether in public or private, this language is unacceptable. I promise to do better." 

Rachael Kirkconnell was selected to compete for Matt James' heart on "The Bachelor" Season 25. When the season premiered in early 2021, Kirkconnell came under fire for multiple instances of racially insensitive behavior on social media. As reported by US Weekly, Kirkconnell was accused of bullying a TikTok user for dating a Black man. From there, Kirkconnell was accused of liking racist online posts. As the cherry on top, Kirkconnell was pictured at an antebellum-themed college party in 2018. 

Kirkconnell issued a lengthy apology on Instagram in late February 2021, with the caption, "If you do not identify as BIPOC then it is not your apology to accept. [Please] be respectful to those who have been affected." Kirkconnell admitted that she was young and "ignorant," and so didn't realize how "offensive and racist [her] actions were." Kirkconnell wrote, "I am learning and will continue to learn how to be antiracist," and hoped that she would regain Bachelor Nation's trust over time. 

While James gave his final rose to Kirkconnell at the end of his "Bachelor" season, their relationship ultimately didn't last. The former couple initially broke things off after filming due to the controversy, although they managed to reconcile. In January 2025, James announced their breakup in a now-deleted Instagram post. "Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding," he wrote (via US Weekly).

Chris Harrison was Bachelor Nation's longtime host for almost two decades. From the very first season of "The Bachelor" in 2002, Harrison helped shape the franchise fans know and love today. When the allegations against Rachael Kirkconnell rose during "The Bachelor" Season 25, Harrison defended her in an interview with Rachel Lindsey for Extra. "A lot of it is taking a leap," Harrison said during the conversation. "We all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion...is it not a good look in 2018, or is it not a good look in 2021?"

Harrison didn't know it yet, but these comments dug his Bachelor Nation grave. After an extensive amount of backlash, Harrison apologized for the remarks and told "Good Morning America" (via People), "I made a mistake. I am an imperfect man, I made a mistake, and I own that." Harrison was temporarily replaced by Emmanuel Acho, Taysia Adams, and Kaitlyn Bristowe, along with other special guests for "Bachelor in Paradise" Season 7. Harrison was permanently replaced by Jesse Palmer in June 2021. According to Variety, he received an estimated $10 million settlement.