Reality TV Star Taylor Frankie Paul Set to Shake Up ‘The Bachelorette’ as Its Next Lead

I’m Sage Matthews, a cynical observer who’s seen it all, and I’m here to break down the latest news: another day, another reality TV star getting thrust into the spotlight. In a move that’s left many scratching their heads, Taylor Frankie Paul, the star of Hulu’s ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,’ has been named the lead of Season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette.’ This historic announcement marks the first time a Bachelorette has been chosen from a season of ‘The Bachelor,’ a departure from the usual formula.

Paul, 31, shared the surreal news on Alex Cooper’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast, admitting she was in shock when she received the invitation. “It has not hit me right now in this moment,” she explained. “I’m just thinking about it, and it’s not real. And it’s not going to be until I think the limo is pulling up, you know? And meeting the people.” Her reaction is understandable, given her tumultuous past. Paul became notorious in 2022 when she revealed her involvement in a Mormon soft-swinging circle, which led to her divorce from her first husband, Tate Paul.

The revelation was a bombshell, especially considering her newfound fame on ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,’ a show that follows a group of Mormon mom influencers, known as #MomTok, in the aftermath of the sex scandal that rocked their community. Paul stars alongside Mayci Neeley, Jennifer Affleck, Demi Engemann, Whitney Leavitt, Mikayla Matthews, Jessi Ngatikaura, and Layla Taylor, with Miranda McWhorter joining the cast in Season 2. The show’s popularity has led to some of its stars, including Affleck and Leavitt, competing on ‘Dancing With the Stars.’

On ‘Call Her Daddy,’ Paul revealed that she gave her ‘SLOMW’ co-stars a heads-up about her ‘Bachelorette’ casting. “I think most of them are going to be happy for me and support me,” she said. “I can’t speak for everyone and what they actually truly think, you know never really know. But I think we’re all kind of doing our own thing so everyone is getting their own shots, it’s not just about her her her.” This sense of camaraderie is likely to be put to the test as Paul navigates the challenges of ‘The Bachelorette.’

Paul’s personal life is complicated, to say the least. She shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with her ex-husband Tate, and son Ever True, 1, with her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. The reality star and Mortensen broke up in late 2024, and their relationship struggles have played out on the Hulu show. In February 2023, Paul and Mortensen got into a fight that led to Paul’s arrest. She allegedly threw a phone, a wooden play set, and “heavy metal chairs” at Mortensen, and one of the chairs apparently hit one of her children. Paul was charged with aggravated assault but avoided jail time after taking a plea deal.

Despite these challenges, Paul is determined to make ‘The Bachelorette’ work. She admitted that she hesitated at first, worrying about how to balance her family life with the demands of the show. “How do I make this work? I’m a co-parent, I have two baby daddies not one, so I’m dealing with two different people, my children, my home base is here. Can I travel that long? Can I be gone that long?” she explained. “But then I’m also thinking on the side, the other two moms that are in my group are doing ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and they brought their family out, but also they have their husbands, so for me I’m like, is this possible for me to do as a single mom?”

As Paul prepares to embark on this new journey, fans are eager to see how her complicated past will impact her experience on ‘The Bachelorette.’ Will she find love, or will her personal demons get in the way? One thing is certain: this season is shaping up to be one of the most dramatic yet.

Anyway, can’t wait to see how this gets worse.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed