‘BIP’ Alum Ashley Iaconetti Blasts ABC For Taylor Frankie Paul Drama
Ashley Iaconetti is a veteran when it comes to Bachelor Nation shows. She appeared on the reality franchise four different times. She met her future husband on Bachelor in Paradise. The fan favorite knows how the show works. She shared her thoughts on ABC mishandling the drama surrounding Taylor Frankie Paul’s now-canceled season of The Bachelorette. Keep reading for an inside take on the scandal.
BIP Alum Joins Real Housewives Franchise
When Bachelor Nation viewers first met Ashley Iaconetti, she was 26 and looking for love. She thought she might find it with farmer Chris Soules. When she didn’t, she joined Season 2 of Bachelor in Paradise. After unsuccessfully finding love there, she returned for Season 3. She was also part of the Bachelor Winter Games.
Ashley Iaconetti met her future husband, Jared Haibon, on Season 2 of BIP. They left the beach as friends but later found love. The couple married in 2018 and has two sons. They’re still a part of Bachelor Nation but have also moved on to other ventures.
The couple owns a coffee shop in Rhode Island. Ashley Iaconetti is ready to show viewers the next chapter of her life as a married woman with kids. She joined the first season of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Rhode Island. The season premiered on April 2, 2026.
Ashley Iaconetti spoke with Variety magazine ahead of the premiere. She revealed why she chose to return to reality TV after several years away. I’ve always loved doing it. It’s always been so fun for me,” she said. Ashley Iaconetti credited The Bachelor for giving her a career and her family.
Bravo fans believe that the Real Housewives franchise is a curse on marriages after many couples divorced after appearing on the show. Ashley Iaconetti admitted that filming RHORI already put a strain on her marriage.
“We’re in a really stable part of our relationship. But are we always dealing with having two little kids, and does that put a strain on things sometimes? Yes, especially when we were filming,” she said about her relationship with Jared Haibon.
Ashley Iaconetti Blasts ABC For Taylor Frankie Paul Drama
ABC found itself in the middle of another scandal surrounding its Season 22 Bachelorette lead, Taylor Frankie Paul. Days before the season was to premiere in March, a video of a domestic violence incident she was involved in back in 2023 was leaked to TMZ. The incident was public knowledge before the video, but the footage of Taylor Frankie Paul throwing barstools at her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, caused major outrage.
According to the police report, one of the stools hit one of Taylor Frankie Paul’s children. She has two kids from her previous marriage and one son with her ex-boyfriend.
ABC made the shocking decision to cancel The Bachelorette season just hours after the video went viral. Ashley Iaconetti put the responsibility for the scandal on the network.
“She probably should not have been decided to be ‘The Bachelorette.’ That wasn’t an appropriate role for her to fill, and probably was not something that she was mentally, emotionally ready to take on for many reasons,” the Bachelor in Paradise star said.
There’s still a chance that ABC could air the canceled Bachelorette season at a later date. Tell us in the comments if you agree that ABC bears most of the responsibility for choosing Taylor Frankie Paul in the first place.
