The Bachelorette cancels Taylor Frankie Paul's season amidst leaked domestic violence video

A leaked video showing "The Bachelorette" star Taylor Frankie Paul throwing metal stools at her ex-boyfriend led ABC to cancel her season before its premiere, raising questions about what the network knew before casting her.

Just three days before the release on March 19, TMZ released a video showcasing the domestic violence demonstrated by Paul, recorded by her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.

The video showed Paul physically fighting with Mortensen. She progressively got angrier until she eventually threw metal stools at him.

Hannah Stansbury, a senior at Brigham Young University studying public health, shared her thoughts on seeing this video.

I don't condone what happened, like, I don't think she was in the right for doing this. However, I think it was 100% like incited violence by Dakota. I think he was trying to provoke her, Stansbury said.

Stansbury and others shared that through watching the video, as well as the show "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives", it is evident to them that Mortensen and Paul were in an abusive relationship. Stansbury said she feels it is wrong to make a judgment without seeing what led up to this video before the camera was on.

A major concern with the video was the safety of her children. Pauls daughter is heard crying part of the way through the video, as she was in the room when Paul began to throw the stools.

Later the same day, ABC decided to pull this season of "The Bachelorette". Malia McLeod, a BYU-Hawaii graduate, shared her opinions on the cancellation.

I feel like they canceled it so that they wouldn't be canceled, McLeod said. "But also they have a history of selecting controversial people in general for the show. And I don't see how it's different."

The Bachelor Nation has been criticized in the past for unconventional casts. Contestants have included those who hold criminal records for arrests and restraining orders, including other domestic violence reports.

In the days before the release was supposed to happen, many people online speculated that this would simply be a public relations stunt. An internet influencer with the handle @leximars posted a video where she said:

The news is such a liar. 'The Bachelorette' isn't cancelled."

She proceeded to share that she and her fianc believed that this was a stunt to attract more eyes and attention to the season for its release.

This speculation has since stopped when nothing was aired on March 22.

While many do not support Paul through this incident, they sympathize as the video shared a very private and difficult moment with the whole world. Some said they feel the video could be harmful to those who have experienced domestic violence, especially with it posted all over the internet.

Others pushed back on the cancellation from a different angle. They argued that ABC's decision rings hollow given the network's own history with the show.

Jayce Rudd, a BYU student studying economics, said he and many of his friends feel that Disney, ABC and "The Bachelorette" should move forward with the season.

They've been perfectly comfortable exploiting these women's lives, and these women have been fine with it too, Rudd said.

Most agree that the network was aware of Paul's arrest and violence reports, as they are referenced in the first season of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives." However, whether the show's cancellation was justified remains controversial.