James McCoy Taylor, contestant on season 12 of The Bachelorette, is no stranger to bad press. The 35-year-old vocally conservative Republican has become known for saying and doing pretty much anything he wants. This time, however, that led him to getting arrested.
In 2016, Taylor was booted from The Bachelorette for failing to get a final rose at the end of week seven. Since then he has maintained that his time on the ABC hit dating show was a positive experience, even after being officially “exiled” from “Bachelor nation” in 2021.
The reason for his exile was due in part to his advertised beliefs that former U.S. President Donald Trump won the 2020 election over Joe Biden despite the overwhelming evidence to support the contrary. Even more damning was Taylor’s involvement in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021, which he has since confirmed and supported on his Instagram.
The Bachelor’s executive producer Mike Fleiss tweeted at the time, “Whoever that former cast member/idiot jerkoff is that went to Trump’s treasonous rally, got a message for ya… You are officially exiled from #BachelorNation!!!” Upon learning it was Taylor, Fliess added, “Shame on you.”
Now, Taylor proudly wears his exile as a badge of honor, writing on his Instagram bio “exiled from bachelor nation” as one of his many identifiers among “song writer” and “Believer / Follower.”
So, why was James McCoy Taylor arrested?
Taylor was arrested by police in College Station, Texas on Sept. 11 for driving under the influence and being in the unlawful possession of a firearm, according to InTouch.
Taylor did not immediately address the arrest on his Instagram, where he regularly updates his followers on polarizing opinions about politics. In fact he has remained uncharacteristically quiet since then. However, that hasn’t stopped his followers from accusing him of damning behavior. In the comments section of one of his more recent posts in which he discusses his involvement in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, user @skaraff said, “Arrested for drunk driving with an 18 year old in the car?1? Explain please.”
Indeed, it was reported that Taylor did have an 18-year-old “college freshman companion” in the passenger seat of his car upon his Sept. 11 arrest. She was described as “imparied” and “not in any kind of condition to appraise the benefits and risks of the situation she was in.”
Taylor was verbally abusive to the officers, according to KBTX-TV, an affiliate of CBS. According to the news outlet, Taylor called the officers “idiots” and threatened to get them fired.