American Idol will be airing an additional episode this week, with a rerun of the March 16 episode being shown on Sunday, March 22, in the wake of The Bachelorette‘s cancellation.
Taylor Frankie Paul‘s season of The Bachelorette has been pulled from ABC amid her domestic violence scandal and controversy. The decision came on March 19 after a video surfaced from before The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star’s 2023 arrest. The footage showed her throwing chairs at ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, with one piece of furniture even hitting her child, who was nearby in the same room.
Paul’s season of The Bachelorette was set to premiere on March 22 at 8/7c, but now that the network has pulled the plug, an Idol rerun (Part 1 of the Top 20’s performances) will be airing instead. ABC has not announced plans for this time slot moving forward, but it could leave the door open for Idol to air two nights a week once the Live Shows begin the week of March 30.

Part 2 of the Top 20 will air as planned on Monday, March 23. The results are expected to be revealed at the first Live Show on March 30, with viewers getting to cast votes for their favorites for the first time. American Idol used to air two nights a week, with performances on one night and results the next, so with an open Sunday evening time slot, one option could be for this format to return.

Of the decision to cancel The Bachelorette, a Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson said, “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.”

The footage in the newly-released video led to Paul’s 2023 arrest on misdemeanor charges of assault, criminal mischief, and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a minor. She addressed the situation on Season 1 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, but it has all come to light once again amid recent new allegations of domestic violence against her.