Former Bachelorette Producer Julie LaPlaca Predicts The Franchise’s Future

Ever since ABC pulled Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette season — an unprecedented move precipitated by the release of a video tied to her 2023 arrest — viewers have wondered what’s next for Bachelor Nation. One of the show’s former producers, Julie LaPlaca, has her theories, too.

For starters, she wouldn’t rule out Paul’s season seeing the light of day just yet. “They were strategic with their statement saying ‘for now,’” LaPlaca tells Bustle over Zoom, referring to Disney Entertainment Television’s stating that they will “not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time.”

During LaPlaca’s seven years with the franchise, from Andi Dorfman’s 2014 season to Matt James’ in 2021 — which she chronicles in her upcoming memoir The Love Producer (out in July) — she operated across the flagship series and its spinoffs, eventually serving as a lead producer where she worked closely with the very Bachelor/ettes looking for love. LaPlaca has since stepped away to focus on her own personal journey, to borrow a term from the Bachelor Nation lexicon.

“I adored my time there,” she says. “I have a deep love and appreciation for the show and the franchise, and it actually breaks my heart everything that’s going on right now. I hope that they get back to the roots of what the show was originally about.”

We’re chatting at an inflection point for Bachelor Nation — and in tandem, the show that made Paul a mainstream reality TV fixture. In addition to Paul’s Bachelorette season being put on ice, production on Season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives paused in the wake of a more recent domestic assault investigation between her and ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, People reports.

For her part, Paul has said that she’s “finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.”

As viewers wait to learn what’s next for The Bachelorette, LaPlaca weighs in on the unfolding situation and shares her hopes for the franchise’s future.

On Mormon Wives, Taylor talked about how she hoped to heal from a toxic cycle through The Bachelorette. Is this the right place for someone dealing with serious stuff?

I absolutely believe that people who go on the show and are open and vulnerable often grow and learn a lot about themselves. On the flip side, [that growth is] to a certain [extent]. [Taylor’s] still dealing with a lot of wounds and trauma, and that’s deep healing work that she needs to have done. And I would not say that reality TV is the right place to do that.

What kinds of conversations do you imagine are happening at ABC right now?

Oh my goodness, to be a fly on the wall. There [must be] a lot going on. My personal take is that if there’s a way to air the season, they will — based on their statement and Taylor’s statement leaving it very open. My guess is they’re probably going to wait and see how [the new allegations] pan out over the next few weeks. If that’s not the case, it is like: What do we do now? Where do we go from here as a franchise?

Look at the first season of The Golden Bachelor. Remember how successful that was? Even though there was a lot of drama after, in the moment, everyone was rooting for them, and they had interesting backstories, and the ratings were an all-time high. And then you look at Mel [Owens], the next Golden Bachelor, who made those rude statements about women, and they still moved forward with him, and the ratings went down. As a collective, we’re starting to be like, No, let’s get back to the heart of the show. I know people love drama, but we have enough chaos in the world.

How do you envision them doing that at a time when people definitely know going on a reality show could be lucrative for them?

That’s the reality of reality TV in general. Confession: I auditioned for the show when I was 22. Like, why wouldn’t I want to go and travel the world and get a cool guy that’s supposedly a really eligible bachelor? There’s always gonna be an appeal for people who love love and love TV, right? So that’s OK. When you look back at the contestants over the years, it’s always the people who hesitantly came on that ended up doing the best. The grandma submitted them, or the aunt. Let’s find more of that versus sliding into people’s DMs who have a following already.

They also should go a little older. Collectively, women are waiting a lot longer to get married.

If ABC doesn’t air this season, what do you think will happen next?

They’ll probably just jump to The Bachelor. And in that case, I feel like they should go either [with] someone from the franchise that already has a huge following and is still single. Or maybe do an open casting call for the actual most eligible bachelor in America, like the show started off with.

I’ve seen all the rumors about Maura Higgins. She would be great for the next Bachelorette! She’s quirky and silly and would make really entertaining TV.

Do you think it could be fun to cast public figures as future leads?

I do. I think about that show that’s coming out with Harry Jowsey, [Let’s Marry Harry] — they have a built-in audience. It has to be the right famous person, right? If someone’s too big, it might be harder. But someone from another dating show or reality show? In theory, it was a smart move — but it definitely backfired this time around.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.