Taylor Frankie Paul announced as next Bachelorette

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FILE - Taylor Frankie Paul attends the Los Angeles Premiere and FYC Event of Hulu's "The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives" Season 2 at Paramount Studios on May 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Images)

The "Bachelor" spinoff that has been in limbo for several months has announced its return

"The Bachelorette" has announced its next lead – TikTok star-turned-reality-TV-star, Taylor Frankie Paul. 

‘The Bachelorette’ franchise

The backstory:

"The Bachelorette" franchise was born as a spinoff of ABC’s popular decades-long reality dating show, "The Bachelor." The show often casts one of the still-single fan favorites from ‘The Bachelor’ as the next Bachelorette. 

However:

The show has been on hiatus recently. ABC announced this spring that the show would not be airing in July, as it had for the last several seasons. The reason for the skipped season was never confirmed. 

More context:

One of the franchise’s other spinoffs, "Bachelor in Paradise," just aired its summer finale over Labor Day weekend, and announced the next season of its surprising new hit "The Golden Bachelor" will premiere Sept. 24 on ABC. That lead, Mel Owens, has been under fire after making comments that he’d eliminate any contestant over 60. 

Taylor Frankie Paul

Big picture view:

Taylor Frankie Paul was announced on the latest episode of the Call Her Daddy Podcast as the lead on for the upcoming season of "The Bachelorette," which will be the show’s 22nd season. 

The 31-year-old is a Utah native and mother of three. She is most recently known from "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," which follows a group of Mormon mom influencers. 

In the franchise’s initial seasons, the show would often cast a "stranger" to the series as the bachelor. But for the vast majority of seasons, a participant from a former season would often be cast as the next lead. This is the first time producers have cast a lead from another reality TV show. 

What they're saying:

"Paul is the breakout star of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," captivating millions with her raw, unapologetic storytelling. Off-screen, she's a TikTok powerhouse whose comedic, heartwarming and bitingly honest content has earned her a massive following," ABC said. 

Paul said on the podcast that the feeling is surreal for her. "I’m nervous. How did I get here? In my head, I’m like, how is this happening?" 

Dig deeper:

Paul became known as an influencer in the #MomTok community, a group of women from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sharing their lives on TikTok. She made news when she announced, in 2022, that she had "stepped out" of an agreement with her husband in terms of relationships with other couples involving "soft-swinging" (a form of partner-swapping,) and they were getting divorced.

The following year, Paul was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and other offenses, including domestic violence in the presence of a child, during a dispute with a boyfriend. She pleaded guilty in August 2023 to a misdemeanor charge of aggravated assault; the other charges were dismissed.

Paul told Cooper she didn't know what it would be like dating several people at a time. She said she had asked some men, "How do people do it? ... I've had flings, but this is different."

When to watch:

ABC says her season will premiere in 2026, and the podcast alluded to the fact that the timing of her debut is overriding typically what is the male lead’s season of "The Bachelor." So, that schedule seems to be getting a shake up as well. 

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" returns Nov. 13, 2025.