On the Lot: Why ABC broke up with its ‘Bachelorette’

Welcome back to ON THE LOT.

In today’s edition: How MomTok broke “The Bachelorette,” welcoming Josh D’Amaro, a wedding night with Zendaya, and this week’s recommendations from industry insiders.

Got tips (on how the Writers Guild talks are going or how to unclench from awards season)? You can reach me at rebecca.keegan@nbcuni.com or on Signal at thatrebecca.82.

A THORN IN THE BACH FRANCHISE

For a company like Disney, with its loyal family audience, a controversy surrounding its new Bachelorette, Taylor Frankie Paul, has devolved into an especially ugly problem involving two signature reality franchises.

ABC pulled the latest season of its dating show just three days before “The Bachelorette” was set to premiere, and hours after TMZ published a video showing Paul attacking her on-again, off-again romantic partner Dakota Mortensen in front of her daughter in 2023.

“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,” ABC said in a statement.

A source with knowledge of the situation told me that executives at Disney did not see the alarming video until it dropped on TMZ.

But the company’s statement followed Disney-owned Hulu’s decision earlier in the week to pause production on Paul’s other reality show, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”

And the production company behind “Mormon Wives” had already engaged a law firm to investigate “competing and conflicting claims” Paul and Mortensen had made about each other, according to the source.

In a Zoom call on March 7, “Mormon Wives” cast members expressed concerns to Disney executives, including Rob Mills, the company’s executive vice president of unscripted and alternative entertainment, about alleged abuse involving Paul, according to audio obtained by my colleague Rebecca Cohen.

The volatility of Paul and Mortensen’s relationship certainly wasn’t news to “Mormon Wives” viewers, as it’s been an ongoing plotline on the show. In the 2024 pilot, Paul appears on screen in handcuffs after police responded to the 2023 altercation with Mortensen that is depicted in the newly released video. She later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

For some perspective on ABC’s decision to cast Paul in its signature dating franchise despite her behavior on “Mormon Wives,” I reached out to Isabelle Morley, a clinical psychologist and founding board member of the UCAN Foundation, which provides legal advice and mental health support to reality show cast members.

Morley, who didn’t work on “The Bachelor” but has interviewed former “Bachelor” producers, described the standard psychiatric evaluation that a cast member undergoes for that franchise, and used a phrase I hadn’t heard before: “Bachelor crazy.” That’s the notion that an ideal cast member will be just emotionally unstable enough to be good television, without actually being dangerous.

“Casting experts would say anybody who has criminal charges is not somebody you’d want involved in your show,” Morley told me. “That they knew about it and still cast this person in that role shows the true extent of how little they care about people’s safety.”

THE HARDEST JOB IN HOLLYWOOD?

Speaking of Disney, on Wednesday, the company’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro officially stepped into the job as Bob Iger transitioned into his new role as a senior adviser.

On the studio lot in Burbank, the new chapter was marked via Disney’s version of papal white smoke, with a Tinkerbell billboard that read, “Welcome, Josh!”

Quite a first week. D’Amaro walks right into the “Bachelorette” crisis, along with all of the media company’s other challenges, including growing its streaming business, battling franchise fatigue at Marvel and Lucasfilm and adopting AI without alienating creative talent.

The Disney CEO job is one of those Hollywood careers — like Oscars host and CAA valet line attendant — that requires a distinct and hard-to-find collection of skills.

“Disney is one of these companies where it’s just not obvious how many people in the world could actually run it,” Stanford Graduate School of Business’s David Larcker told me. “Parks, entertainment — it’s the rare person who can have deep insights into both of those.”

The company already tried to fill Iger’s sparkling white sneakers in 2020 with Bob Chapek, only to see Iger return in 2022 amid internal turmoil and investor frustration.

Among the most interesting parts of Iger’s goodbye speech at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday was his comment that “when I returned in 2022, people had lost confidence in the company they worked for.” Today, he said, “everywhere I turn, I sense confidence and excitement about what lies ahead.”

This seemed to be a signal to employees and investors that the D’Amaro transition is not going to unfold like the Chapek one, with Iger waiting in the wings to swoop in and solve big problems.

THE BRIDE WORE WHITE

NBC News’ culture and trends editor Saba Hamedy was invited to a very special wedding on Tuesday. Here’s her dispatch:

Like every other wedding, Emma and Charlie’s had a lot of typical trappings. There was a Champagne tower; a massive, tiered cake (featuring a topping of the lovely couple); monogrammed napkins; dozens of red balloons and roses; themed cocktails (I can confirm the “Till Death Do Us Part” was excellent); and some very VIP guests.

Unlike other nuptials, however, this one wasn’t real. It was an A24 extravaganza — at the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex, with an after-party at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood — for a screening of “The Drama.” Zendaya and Robert Pattinson star as soon-to-be newlyweds who grapple with a major confession, just days before they are expected to say “I do.”

A day after promoting the trailer for “Dune: Part Three” together, the duo arrived at the premiere in a classic white car that was adorned with flowers and a “just married” sign on the back. Zendaya leaned into the bridal theme and rewore the Vivienne Westwood gown that she wore at the 2015 Oscars, while Pattinson sported a salmon-pink suit. They posed with fans as they walked the white carpet before the film began.

Though the event was a lavish affair, it didn’t feel as packed as other Hollywood premieres, perhaps a side effect of hosting something shortly after the Oscars. “The Traitors” and “Love Island” alum Maura Higgins was on the carpet interviewing cast members for A24’s social media pages. Pattinson’s partner, Suki Waterhouse, was also there to support, though “Spider-Man” Tom Holland (Zendaya’s real-life boo) was notably absent. Directors and power couple Barry Jenkins and Lulu Wang were also spotted on the carpet, as was artist Tove Lo. Later at the Chateau, Alana Haim, who co-stars in “The Drama,” was joined by her sisters Este and Danielle; and Waterhouse was chatting near comedian Robby Hoffman by the pool.

Throughout the film’s press tour, eagle-eyed fans have noticed that Zendaya has been sporting both her engagement ring and a gold wedding band, fueling further speculation about whether her actual wedding to Holland has taken place. Whether she’s a Mrs. IRL or just playing along with a marketing gimmick, the jewelry has caught people’s attention.

The movie officially hits theaters on April 3. No spoilers, but writer-director Kristoffer Borgli did touch on how it’s been “a challenge to put a genre on the movie.” Instead, he’d prefer audiences watch it and react how they “want to react.” “You decide what it is for you. You can laugh, you can cry,” Borgli told the audience. “You can leave the theater if you want to.”

THE HYPE

Why get your recommendations from an algorithm when you can get them from a Netflix showrunner and a cast member from the live-action “Avatar: The Last Airbender” series.

Lee Sung Jin, the creator of Netflix’s “Beef,” told my colleague Tony Lee earlier this month that he really enjoyed “No Other Choice,” Park Chan-wook’s Korean black comedy thriller film. “I think it’s the best movie of the year,” he said. “[Chan-wook] is the GOAT, you know. Nobody does it better.”

Elizabeth Yu, who plays Princess Azula in “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” told Tony she’s “really into indie Asian music right now.” She listed Laufey and beabadoobee as two recent favorites.

THE DIALOGUE

“Despite the fact some people might call it controversial, this is what Val wanted.” — Director and writer Coerte Voorhees on using AI to resurrect Val Kilmer in the film “As Deep as the Grave.”

“I’m going to hold my head high and keep going. That’s what Buffy Summers would do.” — Actor Sarah Michelle Gellar in an interview with People magazine about the reboot not getting picked up.

“Don’t believe whatever you read.” — Netflix executive Bela Bajaria when asked at the “Next on Netflix” event on Wednesday about the alleged tension between the streamer, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

That’s a wrap — see you next week!