The New Bachelorette Is Mormon Wives Star Taylor Frankie Paul

Bachelor Nation, meet #MomTok.

The next Bachelorette for 2026 is Taylor Frankie Paul, star of Hulu’s hit reality series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. ABC announced the casting on Sept. 10, with some help from Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper. The podcaster first teased a shake-up on Sept. 9, sharing a video in which she cut a cake with “Season 30” in blue icing — a nod to the upcoming milestone season of The Bachelor — but found pink filling inside. The post was captioned, “Change of plans” with a rose.

Cooper teased the twist further in a follow-up video, staging a phone call with ABC. “You want Call Her Daddy to announce the next Bachelor? What do you mean it’s the next Bachelorette? Shut up, how did you get her to say yes? But she’s never even been a part of The Bachelor. This is gonna be great for ratings. But what about the other show she’s on?”

While Cooper didn’t share Taylor’s name, fans correctly predicted that all clues pointed to Taylor. Here’s what to know about the new Season 22 lead and her reality journey so far.

A Twist On Tradition

Taylor’s casting marks the first time a Bachelorette lead has been appointed from outside the franchise. But of course, she’s no reality newbie. Mormon Wives documents her life as a single mom to three children — Indy and Ocean, whom she shares with her ex-husband, and Ever, the son she welcomed with Dakota Mortensen. Their tumultuous relationship is one of the main storylines on the Hulu series, which was the streamer’s biggest unscripted premiere of 2024. Disney shared that viewership was even higher on Season 2, per Deadline.

All this to say, following a Bachelorette break and behind-the-scenes leadership changes, it makes sense that the franchise would capitalize on the bona fide phenomenon that is Mormon Wives. Fellow ABC series Dancing with the Stars has, too, with two stars (Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt) competing on Season 34.

When Taylor’s Bachelorette Begins

Wondering what to expect from Taylor’s journey? There aren’t any specifics on her cast or filming just yet, but ABC confirmed that The Bachelorette Season 22 would premiere in 2026. “The 31-year-old Utah native is ready to trade headline-making heartbreak for hometown dates as she begins making her mark on Bachelor Nation,” the network wrote in a press release.

If the show is indeed taking the usual spot of The Bachelor, then you can likely expect filming to begin soon and a premiere date in the new year. In the meantime, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives returns on Nov. 13.