The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Taylor Frankie Paul Makes Statement, DWTS Cast Rumors, and Should The Bachelorette Air???

Episode Date: April 15, 2026

Ben and Ashley have the latest news on Taylor Frankie Paul after the DA decided to not pursue charges.  If her season of The Bachelorette airs…would viewers tune in??  Plus, we break down the latest DWTS cast rumors and what Bachelorette Nation alums name is popping up now!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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So, we have Ashley here. with us to help walk through all of the questions that so many of us have. We'll start with this one, Ashley. What does this mean for the season of The Bachelorette? Well, I don't know. You know that my opinion on their statement was like, I didn't think they had the greatest statement. I don't think their PR statement was the greatest because I think it should have been way

vaguer and I think it should have been pointed at the fact that there was something that was ongoing that happened in February. not the video because the video was jarring and awful awful awful awful but they knew every detail of the video while signing her up for the show so it was the ongoing February investigation to me which that's what they should have used as the excuse as to why this show was I would have said on hold it said that the incidents that happened in February do not rise to the level of criminal offenses and or lack sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges. So if they had blamed the February incidents, they could probably with looking okay gone forward with the season. What do you think about that? Now that she's not going to be charged with

anything that happened in February saying that there wasn't enough to convict her, what's your take on the cancelization? Let's be clear. They're not doing anything now. They did leave it open if there's any other evidence that is found or brought to the courts. Then they're willing to re-investigate and look back into this recent incident that happened in February. My personal thought is that the show is looking for any excuse possible to air this season. They have to be. I mean, I think it's been very clear with how they've navigated this whole thing that they are looking for any ability to say, okay, everything's good, let's move forward. Or, hey, everything's on pause.

Let's move forward. There's, I guess, I don't know this for certain, but I would imagine that they're looking and, waiting and just wanting that first open door, even if it's just open a little bit, for them to start airing this season. They want to get this thing out there. You do? I just feel like they would have let their statement be a little bit more. We'll see instead of like, it's not going to really happen. They're looking at hundreds of millions of dollars in losses if they don't air this season. Now, they're never going to make the money they thought they would on this season based on the pause and obviously now you have to go back out

and find the ad dollars. But Ashley, if they just wanted this season to go away, they would have never spent the time interviewing in these very weird, like, superficial questions interviewing every major man that came on this season. Yeah, that's what's going on over on their official podcast. They're interviewing the guys from Taylor's season. They would have just left this kind of disappear. They would have let these guys go back out into their lives, but they kept this going by bringing these guys on, by doing the interviews, by not really speaking too much against or out about this season, because I think they were waiting for the door to be open for them to say, hey, let's go and run with it. I wouldn't be shocked if this

announcement, if they have the space, that they'll be doing it very soon. Because at this point, you know, they knew, all of us knew about 2023. February was new and the video, you know, then came out. And so for me, this, and tell me if I'm wrong, but the way I've always viewed it is the pause of this season was in response to the video being released along with the February incident. Yeah, that's what it said in the statement. It did never say anything about February. It says something about the video, which is why I was always like, They should have made that so much more vague.

It shouldn't. The video, again, awful. So bad. They had already agreed to have her as a bachelor not knowing what happened in the video. It should have been about the statement to have given them more of an open-ended decision to make. Should have been blaming February.

I'm assuming they'll kind of wait now until April 30th where the hearing happens for custody of ever, the child. up until April 30th, my assumption would be that they would be that Dakota, Taylor will be gathering all the evidence they have leading up to that court case. Some of the evidence that was apparently brought to them was out of the statute of limitations.

I think he was giving them videos from 2024 to try to pile on. Yeah, it says that some of the videos that were given It says police or believe that some of the videos that he, Dakota, had given, were dated early to mid-20204. I mean, I don't know what the statute is on something like that. I don't know California or Utah law at all would never claim to. But my assumption would be that they'll be, both sides will be gathering all the evidence they have, all the text messages, all the videos. trying to get that out there to win this case or to get what they want out of this case.

And then in April 30th, when we know so much more than we know today, then the show will probably be responding in some way, shape, or form. Right now, the big win, and Taylor's talked about it on her social media, Ashley, that this was a huge win for her. In fact, she was thinking people who have stood by her side and had sent her flowers. And so yesterday had to feel like, I mean, from my understanding, she in a sense won the hearing yesterday and now moving towards this April 30th date.

Actually, it's worth mentioning we have a legal expert coming on next week to kind of walk through all the details of how this actually is going to play out leading up to that April 30th hearing. and then kind of what's happened so far to help make sense of it all. But from our perspective right now, the headlines were announced that the charges will not be pursued in relation to Taylor, Frankie, Paul. And that's the first step here. And my assumption, again, we will ask the legal expert, would be that if there's going to be no charges

that she'll probably get shared custody back ever. I'm not an expert. we'll see. Yeah, I don't know if those two things are actually related at all. No? There are two separate hearings. I mean, Ashley, again, I don't know, but I would assume that the court is not even considering what the judge has recently decided yesterday, that the hearing when it comes to ever will be completely separate. And it will be in relation to, I guess now both of them, are they fit to be parents?

Will be the question there. Yeah. Taylor Frankie Paul also yesterday, the investigation will not, though, affect her probation status. She's been on probation since 2023. This, even though that the charges for her recently are being dismissed that will not affect her current probation status. Here's the thing, Ashley. I didn't know she was on probation. You didn't?

Okay, so we talked about this on an episode that you weren't on when we were doing all the breaking news around her. we were like, wait a second, what? They signed a girl up to be the Bachelorette who was on probation and couldn't leave the country. I don't know what the roundabout is, but they were able to film her finale in St. Lucia. But I don't think other than that, there were many other places that could go with her under probation. The newest tracks. Let's go. New music.

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They pulled me to their side and was like, hey, man, we got a call last night, man. You can't be rolling around the city like this tonight before games, no, you know, doing this, doing whatever. And of course, family stories. They'll be like, mommy, why did you miss that? Mommy, do you play basketball? Check out Game Recognized game with Stuy and Miles on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We can't dismiss, Ashley. Like, we can't dismiss that this decision that the show made, they know why they are making.

Now, if it's a good or bad decision, that's up for everybody to have opinions on their own. But we cannot dismiss the fact that they knew all of this. It was not secret. This was not a secret to them. She was on probation. She had a 2023 incident. They knew what they were doing when they said, hey, let's make this work. I think it's why we spent so much time doing Frankie Fridays to try to understand for ourselves why this was the decision they were making,

why they were going to try to make this work. The other big question that's kind of been looming and in relation to the show is what does happen with Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. I mean, outside of The Bachelorette, I would assume that Taylor would be going back to Secret Lives of Mormon Wise even before The Bachelor it would air

because that is her show in a lot of work. That show is in such a limbo right now. Whitney, one of their biggest stars, I don't think, is going to be on a, season five unless she's completely out of Utah because she lives in New York now. I don't think she has anything to do with Utah. So I would just imagine that they go on some sort of heiatus. She just sold her Utah house. And with this going on and then with them doing a spinoff show of Jen in Southern California, I just feel like it's, yeah, it's going to be on pause.

I also want to mention that if this, if she was charged for her. for the stuff this month, this could have impacted her plea deal from 2023. And then, like, I'm assuming that she, the plea deal and the probation, it would have last longer, or I guess she could have gotten jail time, yeah? Again. Yeah, I mean, I think those are questions that we need to jot down for next week. I don't know. I mean, I'm, I've always imagined that when you're on probation and you get into some type of

legal trouble again and you break your probation of some kind, then yes, there is, you know, It's like the one, two, three strike rule that California, like there's different levels of, hey, you've done this once, you've done this twice, a third time you're going to be, you know, punished or charged a little harder. That'd be my assumption. I have no idea. But, I mean, I do think her getting out of this without those charges do help. And now she does face the battle. And she's obviously also filed against Dakota. and now they're going to kind of battle this thing out.

It doesn't mean this thing's over by any means. I mean, the court did leave it open if any new evidence. I actually think the most dramatic side of this hasn't even begun. It really starts April 30th when they sit down in court and start arguing with each other over the custody of the child. That's where it seems to be the most sticky. But again, obviously with Taylor's social media post, She does seem very excited with the outcome yesterday.

And she probably should be. I mean, that's a big deal. She could be facing two kind of court hearings. And now she's just, you know, going up against one for the time being. Ashley, we also broke down yesterday that Taylor Frankie Paul was expected to be going on dancing with the stars. That was rumored by an article online that she was getting pulled from the stars. that. De Mois, Des Mois, Des Mois had shared that she was getting pulled from that show and they're looking to recast her position. We have news, or I guess more news, kind of based on our thoughts

yesterday and kind of what we assumed would happen on where this is going to lead. So Ashley, catch us up on the Dancing with the Stars rumors for season 35 with Taylor Frankie Paul being dismissed from the show. Can you, I can't believe how many shows this girl would have ended up doing. Like,

this would not have been good for her. I feel like she wouldn't have been able to handle this. That's like, nobody, barely anyone who'd be able to handle this. Anyway, so she said they, um,

they are now thinking about adding Tasia in her spot. Like, obviously Tasia is a lead, um, who I would imagine could dance very well. That could just kind of fit into that. Sure. Bachelor slot really well.

Still been seen on a lot of shows. It's not like Bachelor fans are at a touch with her. Forgetting about her. Yeah, definitely. It makes a lot of sense. Don't expect an official announcement for a few months is what we've been hearing, which, yeah, I guess if Dancing with the Stars would probably have been set to premiere like early June, late May.

So we'll hear about this later. Also, there was rumors about Mora Higgins being on that show. No relation. No relation. And she was also rumored to be taking Taylor's place as Bachelorette. We don't know whether there was actually talks between Mora and ABC about the Bachelorette role. But we know that people really, really wanted it so much so that it became a rumor.

Do you think she'd have been a good bachelorette? I don't know her well enough, but I know that she's just so beautiful. And from what I've seen, likable, people really, they find her to be very easy to root for. Yeah, I think her time on traitors kind of blew her up. Tasha would be a pretty obvious choice to me. There's not really outside of Ashley, anybody else I can think of that could come from the Bachelor world and step into Dance with the Stars. I'm assuming that would be a little bit of a conflict of interest right now for you, Ashley. But don't think I would be allowed to.

I also think I would last legitimately one week. I know that Tasia is going to have winning power. Winning power is the word. Don't you think so? Look at her. She's just, that's her. That's her. Yeah.

I think she'd do well. In fact, I was kind of surprised she hasn't been on it before. Yeah, I know. I think it was because her season was that COVID era. and there must have been some wackiness as far as the scheduling. Well, wasn't she, didn't she replace Claire? Yeah, during a COVID season. During a COVID season.

That's the big news. That's the breaking news we have for everybody out there in relation to Taylor, Frankie Paul, what's happening with her, Dakota, what's happening with her in the courts. We're going to stay tuned for any news that comes out. My guess is don't be surprised. If you hear from the world of Bachelorette, Soon. I don't think it's going to be before April 30th, but soon after that, I bet they are prepping Everything and getting ready to go to maybe air Taylor Frankie Paul season and I think that's the question that I

Want to leave out for our listeners, Ashley, is if you know, this is dismissed and then also She continues with custody of ever What do the fans think of that season airing? How do they feel about it? Is there anything? that they feel icky about or is there anything they're like yeah this is exactly how it should happen I just want to hear the opinions I want to get an idea so write us in comment share I have a thought that I would like to ask you what do you think do you think that because there was no sufficient evidence do you think that Dakota was really trying to get her off bachelorette well I think he was 100% trying to get her off bachelor's yeah I know so so do you

think that and yeah it worked do you think that this was like all planned by him oh like there's a strategy behind the scenes of when to release a video and how to exactly because he went forward with the 2004 to some 2024 videos they're saying he submitted to the police and it was almost like his last ditch effort to like just pile on a whole bunch of crap about her um yes i guess my assumption or I guess I've always thought that yet this was very strategic in timing and placement and how it went down. Yeah. I don't know enough to know for sure, but that's always been my assumption is he held this until the minute. He was going to do this at any time.

Yeah. He was going to do this at any time. It's, I mean, in a lot of ways, though, we got to comment that it's not really worked out well for him. Yeah. You know, he's kind of gotten cut from Secret Lives, the Vanderpom Village. of stuff got cut. I mean, he went on unwell winter games, but I don't know if this is like, I don't know if his strategy was to cut out Taylor so that he became a star or if he was going to take everybody down with him. But it feels like right now he's taking everybody down with him.

I just think the thing that Taylor has in her back pocket is, hey, she still has a season of the Bachelorette that's already been filmed. And if aired, she's going to get right back out in there in the spotlight. and he's going to kind of be left, you know, empty-handed. That's kind of how I see it now. My guess is that if she does have good news on April 30th, that they'll release it to Hulu. I don't think they're going to release it, ABC.

Let's keep all these thoughts and check in with how things play out. Again, we're going to have a legal expert on next week to answer all the questions that we have pertaining to both court cases, and they'll be able to kind of walk us through how this process works, what's happened so far. But we want to get out there and share with all of you the news that just recently was released. So we're back multiple times talking about this. And until next time, I've been Ben. I've been Ashley.

Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcasts on IHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is Julian Edelman, host of games with names. On our latest episode, we got comedian, Blake Anderson from Workaholics and The Hilarious. This is Important Podcast. Let's go. We did beat them in improv. You had an improv against the team? Yes. We would pull up their schools would be there with signs for us.

It's competition. What you would win is a bottle of gold slager. James Fester threw it out of a van because he didn't want us drinking it. For more games with names, visit the IHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast. Now everybody over here, oh, it's one of my other favorite places, the Twilight Gazebo. Sunset Gardens, Twilight Gazebo. What's next? Dead Man's Grove?

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On the Sino Show podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience, and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor, cultural icon, Danny Trail, talk about addiction, transformation, and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to bench featuring powerful conversations with the guests like Tiffany Addish, Johnny Knoxville, and more. I'm an alcoholic. And without this probe, I'm going to die. Listen to the Sino show on the IHare radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you. you get your podcast. This is an I-Heart podcast.

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