Cinnabon ends partnership with “The Bachelorette” amid investigation into star Taylor Frankie Paul

Not long ago, Cinnabon was ready to capitalize on what should have been reality TV star Taylor Frankie Paul’s sweetest season. The MomTok influencer had already risen to fame as a central cast member on Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” Her imminent debut on “The Bachelorette” is set to make Paul a household name. Meanwhile, the cinnamon roll chain offered a pair of roses: First, it launched Swirled Soda on Mar. 9, inspired by the viral “dirty soda” trend popularized by the Hulu hit. Along with that, Cinnabon offered a “Mormon Wives”-themed cup sleeve and limited-time “Bachelorette”-branded packaging for its CinnaPacks®.

But recently surfaced domestic violence allegations involving Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, have led Cinnabon to pull the plug on both partnerships.

“Recent developments and allegations surrounding the lead cast member [Paul] led us to reassess this collaboration as it no longer aligns with our brand values,” a company spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly in a statement. Nevertheless, the announcement went on to invite fans to “grab their favorite Cinnabon pairing” and watch both shows.

Currently, Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” premieres Sunday, Mar. 22, on ABC, while the fourth season of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” is already streaming on Hulu. Production on season 5 has been paused in light of the allegations.

The recent dispute between Paul and Mortensen comes after a previous incident in February 2023 when, according to court documents cited by the Salt Lake Tribune, Paul threw a metal chair at Mortensen that allegedly hit her then 5-year-old daughter. She pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault in August 2023 as part of a deal in which additional charges of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse and criminal mischief were dismissed, Variety reported.

Per PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department in Utah said there is an open domestic assault investigation regarding Paul and Mortensen, adding that the “allegations have been made in both directions” and that “contact was made with involved parties on [Feb] 24th and 25th.” According to Utah ABC affiliate KTVX, no charges have been filed against Paul or Mortensen, and officials have not disclosed any additional information.

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In a recent statement to PEOPLE, Paul addressed the ongoing drama for the very first time.

“Honestly, just like, my heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time,” she said. “Just the timing is hard, and it’s a big deal. I feel like every premiere that I’ve experienced, I’ve never enjoyed fully, so this is another one… it’s extremely hard, and it took everything to get me here today.

“It’s just heavy. It’s a heavy time, and it’s unfortunate,” Paul continued. “I’m struggling for sure, but also at the same time I feel like if I don’t show up, then I’m just giving these opportunities away and not enjoying what we’ve worked on and something super exciting that’s coming. I just feel like it was the right thing to do… show up even though it’s hard.”

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