Bachelorette suitor from Taylor Frankie Paul's canceled season drove car in wreck that paralyzed ...

Brad Ledford was set to be one of Taylor Frankie Paul's 22 suitors on the ABC reality series. Bachelorette suitor from Taylor Frankie Paul's canceled season drove car in wreck that paralyzed former congressman Madison Cawthorn Brad Ledford was set to be one of Taylor Frankie Paul's 22 suitors on the ABC reality series. By Sharareh Drury March 23, 2026 2:08 p.m. ET Leave a Comment :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/BradLedfordMadisonCawthorn0323267796e0dbf5bc46abae804ba6244ec9cf.jpg) 'Bachelorette' suitor Brad Ledford, former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn.

Brad Ledford was set to be one of Taylor Frankie Paul's 22 suitors on the ABC reality series.

Bachelorette suitor from Taylor Frankie Paul's canceled season drove car in wreck that paralyzed former congressman Madison Cawthorn

Brad Ledford was set to be one of Taylor Frankie Paul's 22 suitors on the ABC reality series.

By Sharareh Drury

March 23, 2026 2:08 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

'Bachelorette' suitor Brad Ledford, former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn. Credit:

Disney; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty

*The Bachelorette* drama continues.

A contestant from the now-canceled 22nd season of the ABC reality series was involved in the 2014 car accident that paralyzed former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn.

Brad Ledford was set to be one of Taylor Frankie Paul's 22 suitors. His bio described him as a "handsome California cowboy," adding that "his best friend is his horse, Gus, whom he partners with on all his cowboy jobs."

"When he's not on the ranch, Brad enjoys swing dancing, hanging at the beach, and listening to Adele. This fearless romantic is ready to start a family and prides himself on being a generous, loving partner. We can't wait to see if he can giddy up his way into our Bachelorette's heart," his bio continued.

In April 2014, a 17-year-old Ledford was involved in a serious car accident with his friend Cawthorn, then 18, in Florida after falling asleep at the wheel. The vehicle crashed into a concrete barricade while Cawthorn was asleep with his legs propped up on the dashboard. The accident left Cawthorn partially paralyzed and he now uses a wheelchair.**

Madison Cawthorn in 2021.

Emil Lippe for The Washington Post via Getty

Cawthorn, who left Congress in January 2023 after losing the previous year's Republican primary, recounted the moments immediately following the crash in a 2017 speech, saying of Ledford "my brother... my best friend, he leaves me in a car to die in a fiery tomb." However, Ledford has disputed that claim, telling *The Washington Post** *that "it hurt very badly that he would say something as false as that."

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"That is not at all what happened," Ledford continued. "I pulled him out of the car the second that I was able to get out of the car."

After not speaking for a couple of years, the two have since reconciled, with Ledford even attending Cawthorn's 2020 election party. Ledford told *The Post *that Cawthorn eventually shared with him "that he didn't believe those things anymore" regarding his claims about the car accident.**

'The Bachelorette' contestant Brad Ledford with Taylor Frankie Paul.

Disney/Bahareh Ritter

Ledford, as well as the rest of *The Bachelorette *contestants, will not get any airtime as the series has been pulled amid allegations against Paul.

Less than a week away from the scheduled March 22 premiere, news broke that an alleged incident involving the *Mormon Wives* star and her on-again, off-again ex Dakota Mortensen was under investigation by Utah police. The Draper City Police Department confirmed there was a "domestic assault investigation" involving the exes, revealing "allegations have been made in both directions" and "contact was made with involved parties on [Feb.] 24th and 25th."

On March 19, TMZ published footage from the past altercation, in which Paul can be seen throwing a chair at Mortensen in the presence of their oldest child. (Paul shares two kids with her ex-husband Tate Paul. The pair split following a soft-swinging scandal.)

ABC officially pulled the season following the video's release. "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," a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to *EW*. TMZ was the first to report the cancellation.**

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Source: Celebrity

Published: March 23, 2026 at 09:57PM on Source: MORNING MAG

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