Ben Higgins Questions Dakota Mortensen's Casting

Former Bachelor star Ben Higgins has publicly questioned the decision to cast Dakota Mortensen in Alex Cooper’s new reality show, Unwell Winter Games. Higgins believes the casting is particularly problematic given the recent cancellation of Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette.

Higgins Highlights Perceived Hypocrisy

On the Wednesday, April 1st episode of his “Almost Famous” podcast, Higgins expressed his discomfort with Mortensen’s participation in the YouTube series. “You have a situation where a woman birthed your child’s season of The Bachelorette was canceled due to a situation that you’re involved in,” Higgins, 37, stated. “You’re still involved…you hold full custody of the child right now because of this situation that just happened. … That feels messy.”

Background on the Legal Disputes

Dakota Mortensen, 33, was recently awarded temporary full custody of his 2-year-old son, Ever, following a February domestic violence investigation involving Taylor Frankie Paul, 31. The initial altercation between the pair occurred in 2023, resulting in Taylor’s arrest and a guilty plea to aggravated assault in exchange for the dismissal of other charges, including those related to child abuse.

Resurfaced Footage and Cancellation

Footage from the 2023 incident, showing Taylor physically assaulting Dakota and damaging property, resurfaced last month. This led ABC to pull Taylor’s planned season of The Bachelorette from its schedule.

Higgins Calls Casting “Hypocritical”

Higgins feels it is “hypocritical” that Dakota is now being given a platform on Unwell Winter Games while Taylor’s show faced cancellation. “I look at this cast, I’m like, ‘OK, there’s some stuff here that, I would assume, that society still takes very seriously,’” he explained. “It feels to me almost hypocritical for Taylor Frankie Paul. I don’t agree with what happened there. I think it should have ended. I don’t think the show should have aired.”

Ongoing Investigations

Higgins acknowledged the severity of the 2023 video involving Taylor, but also noted that Dakota “is not clean in all of this either.” Utah police are currently investigating two separate incidents between Taylor and Dakota, occurring in 2024 and 2026. Both individuals have denied any wrongdoing.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.