New Scandals Show Reality TV Hasn't Learned Its Lesson

Scandal and reality TV have long been intertwined. Drama, shocking scenes and explosive arguments are baked into the appeal for viewers.

But beneath the glossy veneer, a darker pattern persists.

This week, Married at First Sight UK was pulled from the air after two former participants alleged they were raped by their on‑screen husbands. This comes two months after Disney canceled an upcoming season of The Bachelorette, as its star, Taylor Frankie Paul, faced accusations of abuse.

For years, journalists and academics have been unpacking a critical history of reality TV. As the reality shows of yore are being put under the Netflix documentary and TikTok commentator microscope, a common sentiment is that things have changed, and you just couldn't get away with how reality TV was in decades past.

And yet, allegations are surfacing from some of the biggest reality shows on television right now that suggest people are still being put at risk of serious harm.

Newsweek spoke with Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr, a social media expert and associate professor in the Department of Information Studies at University College London in England, and author of the book Smart Phone Nation.

“The problem with constructed reality is kind of implicit in its name. How can something be both a constructed performance for entertainment but also intersect with the lives of real people without raising some serious ethical implications?” she told Newsweek in a phone interview.

Meanwhile, speaking to Newsweek over email, Joanna Otero-Cruz, executive director and president of Women Against Abuse, said: “Domestic violence is a complex and deeply personal issue. When media coverage or online commentary reduces situations to quick judgments or speculation, it can perpetuate harmful myths and even place blame on survivors.

“Edited clips, incomplete information, and a lack of understanding about the power and control dynamics in an abusive relationship can distort reality and put survivors at greater risk. Responsible storytelling and informed public discourse matter. How we portray and talk about domestic violence has real-world consequences.”

“It's crucial for the TV industry to prioritize people's safety and well-being over profits. Scandals drive viewers and metrics, but it's important to question what kind of messages and relationship norms a show is perpetuating, especially for impressionable young viewers,” Otero-Cruz added.

Newsweek examines the scandals, past and present, that raise the question of how far reality TV has come, and how far it still has to go.

The Married At First Sight Rape Allegations

Married At First Sight UK has been pulled from screens after two women who participated in the program alleged that they had been raped by their on-screen husbands.

One woman said that her on-screen husband raped her and threatened her with an acid attack. Another said that she had told Channel 4 that she had been raped by her on-screen husband, but the episodes were still aired. A third woman alleged that she had been subjected to a nonconsensual sexual act.

The allegations were first reported by the BBC, the U.K.'s public broadcaster, on May 18.

The series-produced by CPL for Channel 4-matches strangers at the altar before they live together and decide whether to remain a couple. The marriages are not legally binding.

A former contestant has also alleged misconduct. Shona Manderson, the only woman to have given her consent to be identified, appeared on the show in 2023 and has accused her on-screen husband, Bradley Skelly, of sexual misconduct, allegations which he has denied.

Channel 4 said on Monday that it had removed all episodes from streaming and linear services, alongside MAFS UK social channels. In response to a request for comment, a Channel 4 spokesperson directed Newsweek to a statement which reads in part, “In April, Channel 4 was presented with serious allegations of wrongdoing against a small number of past contributors, allegations that we understand those contributors have denied.”

MAFS UK is only one version of the show. The U.S. and Australia both have their own versions.

A Channel 4 spokesperson said in a statement to Newsweek that “No decision has been made on the broadcast of MAFS UK series 6. We have just announced an external review into contributor welfare on MAFS UK and we need to see what that finds before deciding what happens next.”

Taylor Frankie Paul, and The Bachelorette Cancellation

Taylor Frankie Paul, star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, was set to star in the ABC dating show The Bachelorette this year.

But her season was abruptly canceled after footage of her seemingly assaulting her ex-partner, Dakota Mortensen, was leaked to TMZ days before the season was set to air. The video appears to show Paul throwing metal stools at Mortensen in the presence of her child. She was arrested and charged with aggravated assault in connection with the incident.

Both Paul and Mortensen have faced allegations of abuse.

The two were granted mutual protective orders for three years in a court hearing in April. In that hearing, which was livestreamed, Commissioner Russel Minas told the court that violence had been displayed both ways.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives had covered the tumultuous relationship between Paul and Mortensen, and Paul's 2023 arrest. The casting of Paul in The Bachelorette was criticized both before and after the show was pulled, given this context.

Disney confirmed the cancellation in a statement first reported by The Associated Press.

“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,” Disney said at the time.

There has been speculation over whether Paul's season of The Bachelorette will eventually air, and what the future of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives will be. Both outcomes remain unclear.

Newsweek has contacted Disney via email for comment.

The Allegations Surrounding The Duggar Family

The Duggar family rose to fame on TLC's 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On, chronicling Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's enormous household. Their public image has since collapsed under the weight of sexual misconduct allegations.

In 2015, the eldest son, Josh Duggar, was accused of molesting children, including four of his sisters. In 2021, he was convicted of receiving and possessing child pornography and is serving a 12‑year sentence.

In March 2026, his younger brother Joseph pleaded not guilty in Florida after being extradited to Arkansas, where he is accused of molesting a 9‑year‑old girl when he was over 18.

Love Island, Gaslighting and Coercive Control

Love Island-one of the world's most successful reality franchises-has long faced criticism for normalizing gaslighting, misogyny and coercive control.

There are more than 20 versions of Love Island worldwide, but concerns specifically about the Love Island U.K. franchise date back to at least 2018, when domestic violence charity Women's Aid condemned contestants’ behavior. The charity again contacted broadcaster ITV in 2022 after viewers raised alarms about controlling conduct being shown. In 2025, Ofcom received more than 14,000 complaints about bullying, abusive behavior and misogyny.

ITV has regularly outlined duty of care procedures and contestant welfare guardrails. The 2026 season launches June 1, but questions about the show's influence on viewers-and the relationships it portrays-persist.

America's Next Top Model Scandals, In Retrospect

America's Next Top Model, the show where contestants vied for the position of top model, ran for 24 seasons from 2003 through 2018, and was a linchpin in the reality TV landscape.

The show's legacy is a complicated one, though, and was examined this year in the Netflix documentary, Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model.

A major focus of the docuseries was a storyline from the show's second season, involving the contestant, Shandi Sullivan.

In the original show, an encounter she had with a male model in Milan was framed as infidelity and led to an episode entitled “The Girl Who Cheated.” In the documentary, Sullivan said she had been drinking heavily and only recalled fragments of events, and now believes she was unable to consent.

The documentary also included other incidents, including one involving Keenyah Hill, who said she was groped by a male model during a shoot and was criticized for her weight.

While the show now belongs to the archives of reality shows past, the questions posed in the documentary about potential harm and responsibility in some ways echo the conversations being had about reality TV today.

Looking To The Future of Reality TV

The scandals reality TV has faced, both past and present, show how far the genre still has to go.

Professor Karen Boyle of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, told Newsweek over email: “We need to get much better at recognizing this kind of behavior as a problem as it is occurring, not just with the wisdom of hindsight. And by ‘we' here, I mean not just those involved in production but also all of us as audiences.”

“This needs to prompt a cultural reckoning for-and with-reality TV,” Boyle said.

Regehr, meanwhile, pointed to the importance of considering the audience, beyond the show.

“It’s not just a blurring of the real and the performed for the performer but also for the viewer, and that additionally can be problematic if young people are looking to this content as some kind of instruction about how they should behave.”

“We have to kind of consider if we are as a society ethically OK with that and if we should be comfortable with this airing on what is essentially regulated platforms,” Regehr added.

Otero-Cruz said that changes should be introduced moving forward.

“The industry should adopt stronger safeguards that prioritize participant well-being, implement clear protocols for responding to allegations or warning signs, provide trauma-informed training on the dynamics of domestic violence, ensure survivors have access to confidential and caring support, and avoid storytelling that romanticizes controlling or abusive behavior,” she said.

“Media has enormous influence over how audiences understand relationships, and with that influence comes responsibility,” she added.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 5:00 AM.