Who Is The ‘Bachelorette’ Taylor Frankie Paul? #MomTok And Swinging Scandal Explained

For the first time ever, The Bachelorette has cast a lead star with no prior connection to the franchise. Keep reading to learn about Taylor Frankie Paul, her rise to fame on #MomTok, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and her rocky relationship history, which includes a controversial swinging scandal.

On Wednesday, Sept. 10, Paul was announced on the Call Her Daddy podcast with Alex Cooper as the new Bachelorette for the upcoming season of The Bachelorette. When the 31-year-old Utah native was asked how she was feeling, she responded, “Surreal. It has not hit me right now in this moment. I’m just thinking about it, and it’s not real. And it’s not going to be until I think the limo is pulling up, you know? And meeting the people.”

Paul also expressed reservations about becoming the Bachelorette while juggling her family responsibilities and her role in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. “How do I make this work? I’m a co-parent I have two baby daddies not one, so I’m dealing with two different people, my children, my home base is here. Can I travel that long? Can I be gone that long?” she explained.

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The reality star added that because the other two moms in #MomTok are doing Dancing With the Stars [Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt], and they brought their family out with their kids and husbands, she thought, “Is this possible for me to do as a single mom?”

The news comes after Deadline reported in March 2022 that ABC had paused the popular reality dating show, which had aired for the previous three years in July. While the series wasn’t canceled, it remained unclear when The Bachelorette would return from hiatus.

If you’re unfamiliar with Paul and her history on social media and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, here’s everything to know about ABC’s new bachelorette.

Who Is Taylor Frankie Paul?

Taylor Frankie Paul is a TikTok influencer and reality TV personality. She stars in the first two seasons of Hulu’s reality series, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Though Paul is Mormon, she doesn’t feel pressured by her church, she previously told Decider.

“I’m just going to do what I feel is right for me,” she said regarding her faith. “I don’t take that or the outside world or my family — it’s kind of more like, at the end of the day you gotta do what’s going to make you happy to be your best self, you know.”

What Is MomTok?

Paul rose to fame in 2022 after founding #MomTok, a group of Mormon mothers in Utah who create content together, including dance trends, beauty routines and content that challenges traditional Mormon church norms. They have amassed millions of followers on TikTok and have become the breadwinners in their families thanks to lucrative brand partnerships.

Current and past members of #MomTok include Paul, Whitney Leavitt, Layla Taylor, Demi Engemann, Jessi Ngatikaura, Jen Affleck, Mikayla Matthews, Mayci Neeley and Miranda McWhorter.

What Was Taylor Frankie Paul’s Swinging Scandal?

In 2022, Paul announced her divorce on TikTok and revealed in a video that she and her now ex-husband, Tate Paul, had participated in “soft swinging.” This arrangement between the couple allowed for romantic intimacy with other partners while setting boundaries that stopped short of sex.

“We do this for a while with this couple, cabin parties, making out in the same bed, intercourse in the same bed next to each other, the girls kissing and the husbands touching the other’s wife,” she said on Nick Viall’s The Viall Files podcast in Sept. 2024. She added that as things went on, “you could kind of see people are creating feelings at this point. People are getting jealous and weird.”

During her TikTok live, Paul revealed that soft-swinging involved multiple couples from their friend group, shocking the Mormom community and her followers. “Everyone has hooked up with like everyone,” Taylor admitted in the video. She later said that she told the public about the swinging after there were rumors she cheated on her then-husband with her best friend’s husband.

Paul opened up about the backlash on the first season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which premiered on Hulu in September 2024. The series also highlights other aspects of Paul’s life, including her toxic relationship with her now-ex boyfriend, Dakota, and the status of her friendship with the other #MomTok girls. The second season debuted in March 2025.

What Is Taylor Frankie Paul’s Relationship History?

Taylor was previously married to Tate Paul. They have two children together, Indy and Ocean. The couple divorced in May 2022 following the soft swinging scandal, after Taylor admitted she had fallen in love with one of the husbands in their swinging circle.

In the first season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Paul introduced her new boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. The series documented their tumultuous relationship. In February 2023, a domestic incident between the pair led to Taylor’s arrest. She later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in August 2023, according to ABC7.

Despite their on-again, off-again relationship, Taylor and Dakota welcomed their son Ever in March 2024. However, their relationship deteriorated once Paul found proof that Mortensen was unfaithful early in their relationship and had lied to her for years.

“Right after Ever was born, Dakota and I were living together and in bliss with our new baby, and I was even considering engagement. And then I learned that he was lying this entire time,” she says in the Season 2 premiere. During the show, Taylor receives evidence from Dakota’s former fling Jenna, who reveals text messages proving Dakota had lied about their relationship. In January 2025, Taylor announced she and Dakota had ended their relationship for the second time.

“That’s grief, let it through so it can pass and you can heal,” she wrote while answering questions about the breakup on an Instagram Q&A in January, according to People. “The more you resist the pain coming through, the longer the suffering, learned this the hard way.”

When Is Taylor Frankie Paul’s Season Of The Bachelorette Coming Out?

ABC has not yet announced a release date for Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette. However, the network confirmed that The Bachelorette Season 22 will premiere sometime in 2026. Stay tuned for more updates.