Mike Fleiss, the creator of ABC’s long-running reality franchise The Bachelor , is facing some serious allegations. In court documents obtained by The Blast , Laura Fleiss, the estranged, pregnant wife of the showrunner and TV producer, claims he violently attacked her at the couple’s home in Hawaii after demanding she get an abortion. Laura, who is 10 weeks pregnant, also claims the attack was caught on security cameras.
Laura Fleiss filed an emergency domestic violence restraining order which detailed the incident which allegedly occurred on July 6.
“While we were at our house in Kauai, Mike demanded that I get an abortion. Our son Ben was in the house, seated in another room nearby. Mike told me, ‘If you have an abortion, then we can just go back to the way we were.’”
In the legal documents, Laura went on to detail a history of verbal abuse from The Bachelor creator, which included a history of repeated verbal and emotional abuse in front of friends and family members. Fleiss’ wife claims her husband became “enraged” by her pregnancy because he had previously stated he did not want a second child after agreeing to have one child with his wife, who was only 26-years-old when they married. Fleiss is now 55-years-old and his wife is 31.
Ladies and gentleman, the creator of the “Bachelor.” Good. Lord. AND it was caught by their security cameras? Good luck, buddy. https://t.co/R4CWE8TKyA
— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) July 16, 2019
Fleiss’ wife claims that after she found out she was pregnant with their second baby, her angry husband threatened to cut her off financially if she did not agree to have an abortion. The former pageant queen alleged that Fleiss told her to abort the baby or else he’d divorce her.
“Next time I see you, I don’t want to see your stomach… You have a choice, you can choose. Have an abortion or go back to Wisconsin.”
Laura also claims Fleiss demanded to see bank statements showing she paid for an abortion. In the violent alleged altercation in July, Laura also claims Mike took her cell phone away from her and as she tried to get it back he grabbed her and threatened to “punch [her] face in.” The court documents also state that Fleiss forcefully shoved Laura off of the running board of his truck and tore off with her cell phone in his possession. Laura Fleiss later filed a police report and sought shelter at a hotel.
Laura’s court claim included photos of her injuries and footage of the moment The Bachelor showrunner allegedly struck her, which was recorded by a security camera. Fleiss’ wife says her injuries include “bruises on the inside of my arm, a scratch on my neck, and a large tear” in her dress.
In the court documents, Laura requested that Mike stay 100 yards away from her and is asking for custody of their son Ben, the family dog, Nina, and for possession of the couple’s home in Hanalei, Hawaii, explaining that she has been “hiding in a hotel” for days with her son for fear of Mike returning to the house. Laura is also asking the court to “immediately” issue a Temporary Domestic Violence Restraining Order against Mike and she wants a judge to force The Bachelor creator to enroll in a “batterer intervention program.”
Bachelor fans took to social media to demand that ABC fire Mike Fleiss.
This is disgusting. Curious to see what @ABC @BachelorABC @BacheloretteABC does about this. Claiming to be a show about love and respect, but sweeping this under the rug is not an option. Creator or not, he needs to be gone. #FireFleiss https://t.co/jwR7ipPWuD
— Rebecca Germain (@rkgermain) July 16, 2019
Mike Fleiss filed for divorce last week in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences. In response to Laura’s allegations, Fleiss filed separate documents in court, The Blast reports. According to Fleiss’ documents, he claims that he and Laura had agreed not to have a second child due to Laura’s issues with “emotional stability” and that she told him she was on birth control. Fleiss claims that on Father’s Day, Laura told him she was pregnant and that he found out she lied and was never on birth control.
Fleiss claims that on July 6 he asked to see Laura’s phone because he was concerned that she could be lying about the paternity of the baby. He added that Laura would not hand over the phone, so he took it from her and that it was she who attacked him.
“[Laura was] pounding on me with her fists, jumping on my back, and trying to get the phone back.”
Fleiss, who returned to Los Angles for work, says he was in communication with Laura after the argument but that he has not heard from her since July 9 and has no idea where she is staying with their son.
“Due to Laura’s historical emotional instability. I am concerned about her and our son while in her care. I want to make sure they are safe.”
Mike Fleiss is the creator of the popular reality shows The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Who Wants To Marry a Millionaire . His 24-year marriage to his high school sweetheart ended in 2012, the same year his future wife Laura Kaeppeler was crowned Miss America.