Taylor Frankie Paul named Bachelorette: outsider pick shakes up Season 22

The pick that breaks the playbook

Taylor Frankie Paul says she’s stepping into the lead role for Bachelorette Season 22, and that alone is a shake-up. She didn’t come up through The Bachelor or a past Bachelorette season, which is how the show has usually found its leads in the modern era. She announced it on the Sept. 10, 2025 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, calling the moment surreal and hinting it won’t feel real until the limos pull up.

Paul is 31, based in Salt Lake City, and a single mother of three. She said any serious suitor should be ready to move to Utah, but there’s no requirement to be Mormon. That one-two—an outsider lead and a relocation ask—signals a season that could look and feel different from the standard formula.

If you’re wondering how the cast of Hulu’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is taking it, there’s no clear answer yet. As of publication, there aren’t public, on-the-record reactions from Paul’s fellow cast members to her Bachelorette news. The spotlight, for now, sits squarely on Paul and what her casting means for the franchise.

Her rise to national attention wasn’t quiet. She gained a large following online, then drew even more scrutiny after talking about “soft swinging,” a revelation that came before her divorce and helped fuel interest in Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu. The Bachelorette move arrives roughly a year after that series surged in popularity, linking two TV worlds that don’t usually overlap.

For the franchise, bringing in a lead who hasn’t already built a Bachelor Nation arc is rare these days. The early seasons sometimes introduced relative unknowns, but in the last decade the show has preferred familiar faces. Choosing Paul suggests producers are betting on a crossover moment—someone with a social following, a cable/streaming footprint, and a personal story that could widen the audience.

There’s also the single-mom factor. The franchise has done it before—Emily Maynard led The Bachelorette in 2012—but it’s still not common. Paul’s life with three kids raises practical questions that the show will have to answer on-screen: schedules, hometown dynamics, and how much family life becomes part of the story. If handled well, it could add stakes and sincerity. If mishandled, it could feel performative.

Then there’s Utah. The show travels, sure, but casting a lead who openly says suitors should be prepared to relocate is unusual. On past seasons, the big move usually happens off-camera after the final rose. Building that expectation into the season could change how contestants approach the process. Men unwilling to uproot will self-select out early, and that could streamline the endgame—less “can we make this work?” and more “are you ready to say yes to this specific life?”

Religion will hover in the background whether the show wants it to or not. Paul made a point to say suitors don’t need to be Mormon. That matters for audience expectations and for potential contestants who may be curious about Utah culture but wary of being boxed in by labels. The show has often danced around real-life differences—politics, faith, parenting—because they complicate the fantasy. This season may lean into them because that’s the story.

Her announcement also tugs at the broader TV economy. Secret Lives of Mormon Wives helped make Paul a known face, and her Bachelorette turn sends that audience into a legacy dating format. It’s not a formal crossover, but it is a pipeline: social media to streaming docu-series to network juggernaut. If the ratings pop, expect more casting swings like this across reality TV.

What we know so far

Here are the firm details Paul has shared and what typically happens behind the scenes:

• Announcement: She revealed the news on the Sept. 10, 2025 episode of Call Her Daddy.
• Timing: Her season is slated to air in 2026, pointing to filming likely taking place in late 2025 or early 2026.
• Background: Paul is a 31-year-old influencer and reality TV personality from Salt Lake City.
• Family: She’s a single mother of three, which will shape filming logistics and storylines.
• Location ask: She wants suitors open to relocating to Utah.
• Faith: Contestants don’t need to be Mormon.
• Franchise status: She hasn’t appeared on previous Bachelor/Bachelorette seasons, which is a departure from recent tradition.

Production usually runs six to nine weeks, with a hometown stretch, a few international stops, and an endgame that’s either a proposal or a decision to keep dating. Paul’s move-to-Utah preference could affect travel, pacing, and the mix of contestants. Expect casting to lean into men who already have flexibility in their careers or who see Utah as a practical option.

What we still don’t know is just as interesting: Will the show adjust the format around parenting, with more daytime dates or family-included moments? Will it address Paul’s past openly, or treat it as backstory and push ahead? And how much of Salt Lake City itself will become a character in the season—beyond postcard views and winter dates in the mountains?

On the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives front, producers will be watching to see if the Hulu audience follows Paul into the Bachelor universe. Reality TV loves a shared ecosystem, even if networks don’t share credits. If fans tune in to see how she handles a house full of suitors versus a house full of friends and rivals, that’s a win for both brands.

For contestants, the calculation is clearer than usual. Dating a lead with three children is a lifestyle decision as much as a romantic one. Men who are serious about marriage and ready for family life will have an edge. Those chasing screen time might find the environment tougher, especially if the season leans away from manufactured chaos and toward compatibility.

And about those missing reactions: silence from the Secret Lives cast doesn’t mean disapproval; it likely means timing. Contracts, PR windows, and shooting schedules can slow down public commentary. When the reactions do land, they’ll add useful texture, especially from people who know Paul off-camera.

Until then, the headline is simple: a high-profile outsider is taking the helm of a flagship dating show, and the season is built around a real-life move to Utah. That’s a clear premise, strong stakes, and a big bet that viewers want something a little messier—and more grounded—than a rose ceremony fairy tale.