Taylor Frankie Paul Named Bachelorette for Season 22

Lead: Taylor Frankie Paul, a 31-year-old reality personality known for Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, was announced on Sept. 10, 2025 as the lead for season 22 of ABC’s The Bachelorette, set to premiere in 2026. The mother of three revealed her decision during an interview on Alex Cooper’s podcast Call Her Daddy. Paul rose to prominence on TikTok as part of the MomTok cohort and will bring that profile to the mainstream dating franchise. The announcement ties a streaming breakout to one of network television’s longest-running reality formats.

Key Takeaways

• Taylor Frankie Paul, 31, was named the Bachelorette on Sept. 10, 2025; season 22 will premiere in 2026 on ABC’s franchise platform.
• Paul became known through Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and as a member of the MomTok group of creators.
• The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives earned its first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program in July 2025.
• Season three of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was announced in late August 2025 and is scheduled to debut Nov. 13, 2025 with 10 episodes released at once.
• On the Hulu series, Paul’s relationship with Dakota Mortensen, a miscarriage, and the birth of her son Ever True in March 2024 were documented.
• Season two of the Hulu series chronicled Paul’s breakup with Mortensen and subsequent co-parenting arrangements.
• The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC News and Hulu, linking the streaming series and network announcement under one corporate umbrella.

Background

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is a Hulu documentary-style series that follows a group of women whose lives intersect through family, faith and social media. The show gained international attention after reporting on a swinging-related scandal involving members of the community, which heightened public interest and wider media coverage. The cast, including Paul and several co-stars from the MomTok community, built a large social-media following that translated into broader streaming viewership.

Paul first reached large audiences via TikTok as part of a cohort of mothers who discussed family life, relationships and faith. That visibility led to the Hulu series, where the production explored intimate topics such as miscarriage, parenting and relationship breakdowns. The documentary format and the cast’s social-media presence helped the show earn industry recognition, culminating in the series’ first Emmy nomination in July 2025.

Main Event

On Sept. 10, 2025, ABC announced that Taylor Frankie Paul will front season 22 of The Bachelorette, a move that bridges streaming documentary notoriety with mainstream network reality TV. Paul disclosed her decision during an interview on Call Her Daddy, describing her choice to pursue romantic partnership through the structured format of the franchise. The Bachelorette’s production and marketing teams are positioning her as a lead who brings candid personal history and a ready audience from social platforms.

The timing aligns with sustained attention on Paul’s personal narrative after the Hulu series documented both her relationship with Dakota Mortensen and the couple’s subsequent split. The Hulu series’ third season — slated for Nov. 13, 2025 — will continue to follow members of that social circle, even as Paul transitions to ABC’s dating format in 2026. Producers face the task of balancing viewers’ familiarity with Paul’s past coverage against the expectation of new, network-driven storytelling.

Network executives and franchise producers have increasingly cast leads with existing social followings to maximize early engagement and cross-platform promotion. Paul’s MomTok roots and Hulu exposure give ABC promotional leverage: clips, interviews and social-media tie-ins can drive tune-in across both broadcast and streaming audiences. The parent-company link to The Walt Disney Company simplifies cross-promotion between Hulu properties and ABC’s broadcast slot.

Analysis & Implications

Bringing a streaming documentary star into a legacy reality franchise reflects a broader industry pattern: broadcasters are recruiting personalities with prebuilt digital audiences to offset fragmented viewership. For ABC, Paul’s casting may attract younger viewers who follow her on TikTok while also retaining the franchise’s established TV audience. This dual reach could influence ad pricing, sponsor interest and multi-platform engagement strategies for season 22.

For Paul, the move represents both opportunity and risk. The Bachelorette format places a lead under intense public scrutiny and subjects past personal history to renewed commentary. Given the public documentation of her relationship and family events on Hulu, producers and Paul will likely need to navigate privacy, consent and narrative control carefully, especially around sensitive topics previously aired, such as miscarriage and co-parenting.

Industry observers will watch how producers integrate Paul’s established storyline into The Bachelorette arc without re-traumatizing subjects or appearing to exploit prior documentary coverage. If handled responsibly, the crossover could become a case study in cross-platform talent transition; if mishandled, it may provoke backlash from audiences sensitive to perceived sensationalism.

Comparison & Data

The table places Paul’s trajectory across streaming and network platforms in context: Hulu’s documentary provided narrative depth and awards attention, while ABC’s franchise offers a broad linear audience and advertiser model. The cross-platform connection is facilitated by corporate parentage under The Walt Disney Company, which streamlines marketing and licensing choices.

Reactions & Quotes

Taylor Frankie Paul is the star of season 22 of ABC’s “The Bachelorette.”

ABC News (announcement)

This succinct network announcement framed the casting as an established fact and served as the basis for subsequent interviews and promotional clips leading into the 2026 season.

The series, which airs on Hulu, follows the group as they navigate the complexities of their personal lives following a swinging sex scandal that made international headlines.

ABC News (show description)

That description explains why the cast has drawn sustained media attention and why Paul’s profile carries particular narrative weight heading into a mainstream dating series.

Unconfirmed

• The exact premiere date and episode schedule for The Bachelorette season 22 in 2026 have not been released publicly as of this writing.
• Details of how much footage from Paul’s Hulu series will be referenced or reused in ABC marketing remain unspecified.
• Any internal casting deliberations or network negotiations behind the selection have not been disclosed by the parties involved.

Bottom Line

Taylor Frankie Paul’s move from a high-profile Hulu documentary into ABC’s The Bachelorette exemplifies a media trend: streamers and networks leveraging cross-platform visibility to attract viewers. Her documented personal history gives producers narrative material but also raises ethical considerations about re-examining intimate life events on a larger stage.

Observers should watch how network producers manage sensitive topics, how audiences respond across platforms, and whether this casting choice changes the franchise’s demographic composition or advertising strategies. The announcement is confirmed; specifics about production, episode structure and the 2026 premiere window will emerge as ABC releases further details.

Sources

• ABC News — Announcement and reporting (major news outlet)
• The Walt Disney Company — Corporate site (official parent company)