Utah influencer Taylor Frankie Paul, best known for her roles in #MomTok and “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” will star as the next “Bachelorette.”
Paul broke the news during a Wednesday appearance on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast. She told the podcaster being cast on the reality dating series still feels “surreal.”
“It has not hit me,” Paul continued. “Right now, in this moment, I’m just thinking about it, and it’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not going to be until the limo’s pulling up, and I’m meeting the people.”
ABC confirmed the news in a statement, praising the single mother of three for her “unfiltered candor” and “fearless openness.”
Naming Paul as the Season 22 lead is a historic move for the ABC franchise. She is the first-ever “Bachelorette” lead who has not previously appeared in “The Bachelor” franchise. Paul is also the first leading woman in the franchise from Utah.
During her podcast appearance, Paul told Cooper she was hesitant to take on the role as Bachelorette due to logistical concerns over how to co-parent her three young children while filming the reality dating series.
“My home base is here. Can I travel that long? Can I be gone that long?” Paul recalled asking herself before accepting the role. “Is this possible for me to do as a single mom? Can I make it work, realistically, no matter how much I want this?”
She decided she could juggle her parenting duties while participating on the show. “I was just like, I will make it work. If I want to, I can ... I can ask for help.”
Paul became an influencer as a member of the viral #MomTok community on TikTok, a group of women from Utah who share clips of their lives online.
She also starred in two seasons of the Hulu reality show “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” which is filmed in Utah. Paul confirmed she will return for a third season of “Secret Lives” this fall, despite also starring on “The Bachelorette.”
Paul’s announcement comes just a week before her two of her fellow #MomTok and “Secret Lives” stars, Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck, will make their debut as guests on “Dancing With the Stars,” along with five pro dancers from Utah — pointing to Utah influencers’ growing presence in the reality TV scene.
“I don’t have notes for how this works,” Paul told Cooper, adding that she does not identify as “a reality TV girl.”
When does ‘The Bachelorette’ with Taylor Frankie Paul come out?
Season 22 of “The Bachelorette,” starring Taylor Frankie Paul, is set to premiere in 2026. An official release date has not been announced.