The Bachelorette season 22 has found its lead with one of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ stars. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ cast features a group of women based in Utah who first rose to social media fame thanks to their “soft-swinging” scandal. Their reality show features its stars grappling with the perils of social media and reality show fame while coping with interpersonal conflicts.
Easily one of the most successful reality shows of all time, The Bachelorette‘s stars allow viewers to watch them trying to find love while choosing from a pool of potential suitors. Since the show premiered in 2003, the popularity of individual seasons has often depended on who was chosen to be the woman at the center of it all.
On September 10, 2025, ABC announced that The Bachelorette season 22 will star The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’s Taylor Frankie Paul. Already the breakout star of one reality show, Paul will headline ABC’s dating show when it returns in 2026. Paul will also star in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 3 when it premieres on November 13, 2025.
The Bachelorette’s next star was married when she first rose to fame thanks to “MomTok” going viral. Taylor Frankie Paul and Tate Paul got separated in May 2022, and they have since divorced, with him later getting remarried. She is a mother of three who has a daughter named Indy and a son named Ocean with her ex-husband. She also has a son named Ever from a different relationship.
What This Means For The Bachelorette
Since Paul has risen to fame, she has faced several scandals. For example, on top of the “soft-swinging” scandal that made her famous, it has also been revealed that Paul was once arrested following a domestic violence investigation.
Due to Paul’s past, her Bachelorette casting is controversial. However, those same scandals could also have a positive effect on the upcoming season of The Bachelorette. Since she has experienced the pressure of being at the center of media whirlwinds, Paul seems perfectly positioned to make the most out of starring in the dating reality show.
Our Take On Taylor Frankie Paul Becoming The Bachelorette
Casting Paul as the next star of The Bachelorette seems like a brilliant move for ABC and the show’s producers for several reasons. One of those reasons is that it makes the dating show’s next season and the upcoming installment of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives de facto promotional material for each other.
Another reason her casting may benefit the show is that Paul has more than 5.7 million TikTok followers and more than 1.7 million followers on Instagram. With that many people paying attention to Paul, many of them will likely feel compelled to watch her on The Bachelorette to see if things go right, or wrong for her.