Bachelor Nation
‘The Bachelorette’ Season 22 Lead Revealed as ‘Mormon Wives’ Breakout Taylor Frankie Paul
Will MomTok survive THIS? In a surprise twist, The Bachelorette will return for Season 22 in 2026 with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul hoping to find true love as the lead.
Paul was announced as The Bachelorette Season 22 lead on September 10 on Alex Cooper‘s Call Her Daddy podcast. Cooper teased the announcement in the days leading up to the big reveal.
The 31-year-old rose to fame on TikTok and was involved in the soft-swinging scandal that nearly destroyed MomTok. Paul has been one of the breakout stars of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives for the past two seasons. Season 3 is set to premiere on November 13.
Paul is a single mom to three kids. She was previously married to Tate Paul, who was also involved in the soft-swinging scandal. They share two kids, Indy and Ocean. Paul had a tumultuous relationship with Dakota Mortensen, and their breakup was chronicled throughout Season 2 of Mormon Wives. Paul and Mortensen have a son named Ever.
In The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 2 reunion special, which was filmed in June, Paul and Mortensen were still hooking up. However, she was unsure whether Mortensen could ever be a faithful partner to her. (He had previously lied to Paul about sleeping with other women when they were in an early stage of their relationship.)
The reality star is a Utah native and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With Season 3 of Mormon Wives airing before The Bachelorette Season 22, it’s safe to say Paul and Mortensen do not get back together.
Paul will be the first Mormon lead of a Bachelor Nation show. Her casting marks the latest crossover for Hulu and ABC. Paul’s Mormon Wives costars, Whitney Leavitt and Jennifer Affleck, are both competing on Dancing With the Stars Season 34.
By the time The Bachelorette Season 22 premieres, it will have been a year and a half since the last season, which starred Jenn Tran. The Bachelorette took a year off in 2025 but will make its triumphant return in 2026! As for The Bachelor, the show was renewed for Season 30 and many expected the flagship series to premiere in January. Talk about a dramatic twist with The Bachelorette switch-up!
The Bachelorette, Season 22, 2026, ABC
