Goodbye #MomTok, and hello The Bachelorette: ABC has announced Taylor Frankie Paul as the next lead of its reality dating franchise.
A cast member on Hulu’s Emmy-nominated series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Paul will serve as the next Bachelorette for season 22, marking a shocking, franchise-crossing move.
The news was announced on a Wednesday episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy, arriving on the heels of The Bachelor spinoff taking a notable season off. Jen Tran was the last lead, and her season wrapped in the early fall of 2024. Season 22 of The Bachelorette, starring Paul, will arrive in 2026.
A single mother of three, Paul is no stranger to the spotlight and has amassed a large online following tied to #MomTok, a group of Mormon mom-influencers. Their social media presence sparked the creation of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives after Paul exposed a “soft swinging” scandal involving herself and other members of the influencer group.
A breakout on the show, much of the Hulu series’ storylines have centered around Paul and her romantic relationships. At the beginning of season two, she learned her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, whom she just had a child with, had blurred lines with another woman at the start of their romance.
The women of #MomTok have been in high demand, and Paul’s leading Bachelorette status further signifies that. While she gears up to lead season 22 of the reality dating show, her co-stars Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt will be competing on the 34th season of Dancing with the Stars. Plus, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives recently earned its first Emmy nod.
Aside from leading season 22 of The Bachelorette, Paul is gearing up for the release of season three of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which will arrive on the ABC-backed streamer on Nov. 13.
The Bachelorette is produced by Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, a Warner Bros. Television Group company. Scott Teti, the new Bachelor showrunner and executive producer, serves as EP.
