Love isn’t off the table for Taylor Frankie Paul. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives breakout and viral MomTok personality has officially been announced as the lead of Season 22 of ABC’s The Bachelorette and the casting is already sparking intense conversation online.

Paul, 31, was revealed as the new leading lady during the Sept. 10 episode of Call Her Daddy, where host Alex Cooper broke the news live on air. “Surreal. It has not hit me right now in this moment,” Paul admitted after the announcement. “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.”

From MomTok to Bachelor Nation

Taylor Frankie Paul first gained attention in the MomTok community on TikTok, where she cultivated a loyal following with her candid storytelling and glamorous family-focused content. But in 2022, her life took a turn when she revealed her divorce from husband Tate Paul and admitted to being part of a so-called “soft-swinging” group among her circle of Utah friends.

The fallout became the centerpiece of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Hulu’s docu-reality series that follows Paul and her friends navigating faith, motherhood, and scandal. Fans have since watched Paul juggle co-parenting, her headline-making romance with Dakota Mortensen (father of her youngest son, Ever), and her quest to find independence.

With Mortensen and Paul calling it quits earlier this year, the mother of three now heads into rose ceremonies with a fresh start.

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Breaking Franchise Tradition

Paul’s casting makes history in more ways than one. She is the first Bachelorette to have never appeared in a previous season of The Bachelor or any of its spinoffs. The only precedent for such a move came when Matt James was announced as Bachelor without prior franchise ties.

ABC’s gamble signals a fresh direction for the series. According to her official bio, Paul is stepping into the role with “humor, resilience, and fearless openness” and hopes to inspire others to “embrace life’s chaos and own their story.”

Disney Darling Crossover

Interestingly, Paul is not the only Mormon Wives star expanding into the Disney reality ecosystem. Her castmates Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt have been tapped for Dancing with the Stars Season 34, making this the third crossover from Hulu’s docu-series to ABC primetime.

That means this year, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — once considered a niche offshoot — has officially become part of Disney’s more expansive reality TV universe.

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Fan Reaction: Excitement, Shock, and Skepticism

As with any major Bachelor Nation reveal, fan reactions were immediate and divided. Many viewers expressed excitement, seeing Paul as exactly the jolt of energy the series needed.

“This is probably the only way I was ever going to watch the franchise again 🌹 ahhh I’m excited,” one fan wrote on Instagram. Another chimed in, “This will be the best season ever no doubt 🔥.”

But others were quick to criticize, raising concerns about Paul’s controversial past. In 2023, she was arrested after a domestic altercation with Mortensen, where she allegedly threw objects — including a metal chair that struck one of her children. Paul was later sentenced to probation and has since called the incident the “worst night” of her life, saying it ultimately pushed her to make changes.

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Skeptical viewers flooded comment sections with disapproval: “Are we going to ignore her domestic violence arrest???? Not ok,” one wrote, while another added, “We’ve officially lost the plot… this show has truly gone downhill.”

The backlash has even sparked debates over the franchise’s direction, with some longtime fans calling her casting “a joke” and suggesting the show has “jumped the shark.”

Still, the polarized response all but guarantees that Paul’s season will be one of the most talked-about in Bachelorette history.

The Franchise Shuffle

Paul’s season arrives amid a period of musical chairs for ABC’s dating empire. With The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette now part of the lineup, ABC has been rotating formats rather than airing all spinoffs each year.

That’s why The Bachelorette Season 22 will air in early 2026, effectively replacing The Bachelor. The plan is for Paul’s journey to segue directly into a new season of Bachelor in Paradise, while the flagship Bachelor series is expected to return in 2027 for its 25th anniversary.

Behind the scenes, Scott Teti — previously showrunner of Bachelor in Paradise — has been tapped as executive producer for The Bachelorette, a move insiders believe will give the franchise a much-needed creative refresh.

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A Season Unlike Any Other

Paul herself has acknowledged that taking on the lead role as a single mom will come with unique challenges. “How do I make this work? I have two baby daddies, I’m a co-parent, and my home base is here,” she shared. “But I realized if you really want something, you make it work — and I can ask for help more.”

That raw honesty, combined with her tabloid-worthy past, has already made her one of the most polarizing leads in the show’s history. But whether fans are rooting for her or tuning in to hate-watch, one thing is certain: Season 22 will not go unnoticed.

Photo Credit: Michael Kirchoff/Disney