Taylor Frankie Paul Named Lead for The Bachelorette Season 22 as ABC Reorders Bachelor Lineup

Lead: Taylor Frankie Paul, the breakout star of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, has been tapped as the lead for Season 22 of ABC’s The Bachelorette. The announcement arrives as ABC adjusts its Bachelor franchise schedule — with network sources indicating Season 22 will effectively replace The Bachelor in early 2026. Paul, a single mother of three and a MomTok personality, comes to the franchise after a publicized relationship ending that viewers may see addressed on the upcoming third season of Mormon Wives, which premieres November 13, 2025.

Key Takeaways

• Taylor Frankie Paul, known from Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, is confirmed as The Bachelorette Season 22 lead on ABC.
• Season 22 is expected to air in early 2026 and will effectively replace The Bachelor’s usual early-year slot, per industry reporting.
• Paul is a single mother of three; her on-screen relationship with Dakota Mortensen ended after Mormon Wives Season 2.
• Season 3 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premieres November 13, 2025, which may update audiences on Paul’s breakup timeline.
• This is the first time a Bachelorette lead was not previously part of the franchise; Matt James (Season 25 of The Bachelor) established a similar precedent.
• Scott Teti, formerly showrunner of Bachelor in Paradise, is listed as executive producer for the upcoming Bachelorette; Warner Horizon Unscripted Television produces the series.
• ABC continues a rotation among franchise iterations (including Golden Bachelor/Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise) to manage multiple formats across years.

Background

The Bachelor franchise has expanded beyond its original flagship to include spinoffs such as Bachelor in Paradise, The Golden Bachelor/Bachelorette and age- or theme-based iterations. ABC and Warner Horizon have experimented with a rotating schedule to keep several versions active without overloading a single broadcast year. That strategy has created openings for nontraditional casting choices as producers seek fresh audiences and publicity moments.

Taylor Frankie Paul first became widely known through Hulu’s documentary series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which followed intimate aspects of her life as a single parent and her romantic relationship with Dakota Mortensen. The series’ popularity on streaming and social platforms, especially MomTok, raised Paul’s profile outside traditional reality-TV pipelines and positioned her as an unconventional but high-visibility candidate for a franchise lead.

Main Event

ABC announced that Paul will lead Season 22 of The Bachelorette, marking a departure from the franchise’s usual practice of promoting internal alumni to lead roles. Network materials describe Paul as bringing humor, resilience and openness to the role; producers hope that candid storytelling will resonate with viewers looking for authenticity. Industry reporting indicates the season will air in early 2026 rather than the network’s typical schedule for The Bachelor flagship.

Paul’s recent personal history is likely to be part of the narrative arc: her pairing with Dakota Mortensen was a central storyline in Season 2 of Mormon Wives, but the couple split shortly after that season premiered in May 2025. With Mormon Wives Season 3 arriving November 13, 2025, many viewers will encounter an updated timeline of her private life before or while The Bachelorette is in production or promotion.

Production leadership includes Scott Teti as executive producer for The Bachelorette; Teti previously served as showrunner for Bachelor in Paradise and remains a visible creative force on the franchise. Warner Horizon Unscripted Television continues as production company, maintaining continuity with prior seasons even as the network experiments with new leads and rotating formats.

Analysis & Implications

Choosing a lead from outside the franchise signals ABC’s appetite for cross-platform casting. Paul’s streaming visibility and social-media following offer built-in audience interest, which can be especially valuable as the franchise navigates fragmented viewing habits. This approach mirrors the Matt James precedent, where an outsider lead generated sizable attention and helped diversify the pipeline of personalities featured on the franchise.

From a scheduling perspective, rotating flagship and spinoff seasons helps ABC stagger production and marketing resources, but it also introduces risk. Replacing The Bachelor in early 2026 with The Bachelorette Season 22 means advertisers and affiliates must adjust expectations for demographic reach. If early returns are strong, the network could continue to use high-profile outsiders to refresh the brand; if not, it may revert to alumni-led casting that relies on existing franchise loyalties.

For Paul personally, the role amplifies her public platform but also increases scrutiny. Her narrative as a single mother and reality-TV alum could broaden representation on mainstream broadcast reality TV — yet it also raises questions about how networks balance personal vulnerability with entertainment. The overlap between her Hulu storyline and the Bachelorette arc will be watched closely by both audiences and industry analysts.

Comparison & Data

These scheduling moves reflect ABC’s strategy to alternate franchise iterations across years so that five active formats can be rotated without overlapping heavy production and broadcast windows.

Reactions & Quotes

“She plans to lead with humor, resilience and a fearless openness to inspire others to embrace life’s chaos and own their story.”

ABC (official season bio)

“Deadline reports the upcoming Bachelorette season will essentially replace The Bachelor in the network’s early-2026 schedule.”

Deadline (industry report)

“Scott Teti, who served as showrunner on Bachelor in Paradise, will now serve as executive producer of The Bachelorette.”

Deadline (production details)

Unconfirmed

• The exact premiere date for The Bachelorette Season 22 has not been announced by ABC and remains unconfirmed.
• It is not yet confirmed how much of Paul’s recent breakup will be shown during The Bachelorette versus being addressed on Mormon Wives Season 3.
• Plans for The Bachelor’s return in 2026 versus a 2027 comeback remain projections based on industry reporting and could change.

Bottom Line

ABC’s choice of Taylor Frankie Paul as Season 22 lead is a strategic bid to inject fresh visibility into a long-running franchise. Her streaming success and social-media profile create a publicity moment that could attract viewers beyond the franchise’s core audience, while ABC’s rotating schedule allows the network to highlight different franchise formats without airdate conflicts.

For viewers and industry watchers, the key things to monitor are ratings response, advertiser engagement, and how producers integrate Paul’s existing narrative from Hulu. If the season performs well, expect more cross-platform casting; if not, ABC may recalibrate toward franchise alumni and established formats. Either way, Season 22 marks a notable inflection in how mainstream broadcast reality TV sources on-screen personalities.

Sources

• Deadline (industry reporting)
• ABC — The Bachelorette official site (network official)
• Hulu — The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (streaming platform)