The newest season of The Bachelorette has not even premiered yet, and already there has been plenty of drama involving the show’s next lead, Taylor Frankie Paul.
Paul, who stars on the hit reality television show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, has been the subject of much controversy after being involved in an alleged domestic violence incident.
The incident, which is currently under investigation, involves Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. Mortensen, who has also appeared on the reality television series, is the father of Paul’s youngest child, Ever.
This is not the first time that an argument between Paul and Mortensen has led to alleged violence. In 2023, Paul was arrested after Mortensen accused her of assault.
Now, former Bachelorette Charity Lawson is speaking out on the controversy and explaining why she believes that the mental health of contestants is not being taken seriously enough when it comes to dating shows.
"The reality of all this is that people genuinely need help, and we are seeing that. We are witnessing that live," Lawson said in a recent TikTok video. "My hope is that we can see there is a much bigger issue here at hand and that the mental health of contestants should never be compromised so severely for ratings."
While Lawson stated that she was not trying to shade anyone, it was clear that it was the recent drama involving Paul that she was referencing.
"You would think that's almost common sense at this point, but we as a society have really normalized enjoying/ridiculing chaos and confusion over essentially prioritizing and celebrating healthy examples of love and what someone who is emotionally available for love should represent," she continued.
"We are human, but patterns and repetitive behaviors are not off days," Lawson went on. "That is a core issue of a person, and change for that does not happen overnight or over the course, essentially, of a few months."
Lawson is still with the final pick of her season, Dotun Olubeko.
