The Bachelor franchise has made a historic and shocking decision, naming Taylor Frankie Paul as the next star of The Bachelorette. The announcement sent waves through the reality TV world because, for the first time ever, the show has chosen a lead who has never appeared on a previous season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette.
Paul, a viral TikTok star and the breakout personality from Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, is known for her unfiltered honesty and a past filled with headline-grabbing drama. Here’s a complete breakdown of her journey to becoming the Bachelorette.
From #MomTok Founder to Reality TV Star
Taylor Frankie Paul first gained widespread fame during the pandemic as one of the creators of #MomTok, a group of Mormon content creators on TikTok. The women became social media influencers known for their dance videos and for showcasing a modern, younger side of Mormon life that balanced traditional values with a contemporary worldview.
The „Swinging Scandal“ That Ignited a Firestorm
Paul catapulted herself from a TikTok personality to a national headline when she went on a now-infamous TikTok Live and revealed she and her then-husband were involved in „soft swinging.“ She admitted they had an open relationship agreement with other couples in their friend group, though she clarified that most of the #MomTok women were not involved. The scandal went viral and directly led to the creation of the Hulu reality series, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
A Tumultuous On-Screen Journey
Paul’s time on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was defined by raw, unfiltered drama. Her main storylines included:
Why She’s the Perfect Unconventional ‚Bachelorette‘
Despite—or perhaps because of—her tumultuous past, many see Paul as an electrifying choice for The Bachelorette. She is known for being brutally honest and candid, never shying away from sharing the messy details of her life with the cameras.
Her journey to the role was as unconventional as her casting. In an interview on the popular Call Her Daddy podcast, Paul revealed that a joke video she posted on TikTok „auditioning“ for the show actually caught the attention of ABC producers. Her boldness and proven ability to create compelling reality television make her uniquely suited for a show where dozens of men will be competing for her affection.
As Paul enters this new chapter, Bachelor Nation is bracing for what is sure to be one of the most dramatic and unpredictable seasons in the show’s history.
