How 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Season 4 Sets Up Taylor Frankie Paul on 'The Bachelorette'

When Taylor Frankie Paul was announced as the next Bachelorette on ABC’s long-running franchise in fall 2025, it was a casting choice that felt both random…but also totally obvious. For some members of Bachelor Nation, who aren’t familiar with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, she may have seemed like a surprising—perhaps even controversial, given her “soft swinging” scandal—decision. But for fans of the hit Hulu reality show who have watched the #MomTok influencer struggle, blossom, cry, and push through the highest highs and the lowest lows for four seasons, it feels like an organic growth—a true IYKYK moment.

For a leading lady with plenty of chutzpah to spare and who’s spent the last few installments of SLOMW trying to shake herself out of the vicious cycle of her toxic ex, what better way to move on than starring on a show where you date 30 other guys? But how exactly did we get to this reality television multiverse? And what does it mean for the ABC reality dating franchise?

As SLOMW season 4 debuts on Hulu on March 12 and The Bachelorette season 22 is set to premiere soon, below, we’re breaking down how the shows connect and what to know about Taylor’s journey going into the dating show.

Why was Taylor Frankie Paul selected as the next Bachelorette?

The Bachelor and Bachelorette franchise famously selects from within its own roster of previous “Bachelor Nation” contestants to lead the forthcoming season. It keeps viewers tuned in—and also stirs drama, with contestants frequently questioning whether their costars are there for reasons other than the heart of the current Bachelor or Bachelorette. The only exception to this casting practice was in 2021, with season 25 lead, Matt James. (He was originally cast as a contestant for Clare Crawley’s Bachelorette season, but before filming began, he was plucked from the lineup and promoted to lead the next installment of The Bachelor.)

While Taylor wasn’t a part of Bachelor Nation, she did previously express her interest in crossing over in June 2025. When asked by Variety what she thinks of fans saying she’d make a great Bachelorette, she said she’d “absolutely” be interested. It’s hard to know exactly what transpired for her to secure the spot—but the team behind SLOMW has been particularly strategic in turning its influencer ensemble into bona fide stars, and it’s worth noting that ABC and Hulu are both owned by the same parent company, The Walt Disney Company. On top of that, one can assume that, as The Bachelor franchise experiences an identity crisis, it has an incentive to cast a new lead with an established audience to attract new viewers. That’s not to mention that there’s already drama to start the season, with Taylor’s on-and-off relationship with her ex/the husband of her children, Dakota Mortensen, and her unabashed willingness to wear her emotions on her sleeve and speak her mind, no matter the consequences. Basically, you’ve got yourself a lead that’s sure to make for a must-watch season of The Bachelorette.

When was 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' season 4 film?

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 4 covers most of fall 2025, leading up to Taylor flying out to L.A. to start filming The Bachelorette. Audiences see the moment the world learns of Taylor’s Bachelorette casting in episode 2, and witness how that announcement sends ripples among #MomTok. While Taylor’s journey to The Bachelorette certainly isn’t the only major storyline of this season, it does loom over each episode.

A tracker counting down the days, hours, and minutes until Taylor leaves for Bachelor Mansion frequently flashes across the screen, reminding viewers of the dwindling time until Taylor steps into her latest leading role. It lends an ominous weight to many decisions she must make, including what to do about her relationship with her ex, Dakota, and how she wants to “heal” herself by dating 30 different men.

When was the Taylor Frankie Paul season of 'The Bachelorette' filmed?

While Hulu and ABC have not confirmed, longtime reality TV aficionado Reality Steve reported that The Bachelorette began filming on October 26. That makes sense, considering SLOMW season 4 ends with Jessi and Jordan’s Halloween party. It’s been confirmed that she filmed during the last few months of 2025 and wrapped sometime in December. At the time, she commemorated the end of filming on Instagram.

“Never experienced anything like this. Can’t wait to talk all about it, share it, show it,” she wrote in the caption, paired with a series of photos of her from throughout production. “This will be worth the wait, stay tuned coming in March.”

What is Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen's relationship status going into her season of 'The Bachelorette?'

Taylor has a few romantic interests in SLOMW season 4: At the start of the season, she divulges her crush on fellow TikToker, Ben Lambert (going so far as to hang out with him when he visits Utah), and fancies a brief dalliance with another reality star, Harry Jowsey. However, Taylor’s ex and baby daddy, Dakota Mortensen, remains at the center of Taylor’s orbit for much of this season. It seems last season’s revelation that Dakota was texting inappropriately with a close family friend of Taylor’s during her pregnancy was the “point of no return” for Taylor and her family. It showed there was no hope for the two to ever be in a happy relationship in the wake of all of Dakota’s transgressions, thus pushing Taylor into the arms of The Bachelorette.

Many people, including Taylor, admit throughout this season that the only way for her to move on from Dakota is to go on The Bachelorette—and yet they can’t seem to let each other go. It’s a tumultuous, Sisyphean season for the two. The countdown to Taylor leaving for The Bachelorette doesn’t seem to register as an expiration date for them, as they continue to fight, make up, re-couple, and then try to break away from each other. Just when you think it’s finally over, they tumble back into each other again, or another one of Dakota’s wrongdoings is revealed (like how he hooked up one of Miranda McWhorter’s friends) and breaks Taylor’s heart—sending them both rolling back to square one.

This continues until hours before Taylor leaves to film The Bachelorette. Dakota goes to Taylor’s house to drop off their son, Ever, the night before Taylor’s due to fly out, saying it might be the last time they see each other for two months. We see Dakota the next morning, walking out of Taylor’s house. When asked by producers what happened, Dakota smirks. The coupling clearly sends Taylor spiraling enough that she doesn’t board her morning flight to L.A. with her mom and sister, telling her mother she feels sick.

Taylor ultimately gets on a later flight, finally jetting off to film The Bachelorette—but Dakota’s still able to make one final attempt for her attention right before producers take her phone for filming. In a FaceTime with Taylor, Dakota apologizes for hooking up with Miranda’s friend. “All I’m gonna say is, save a rose for me,” he tells Taylor. Hours later, at Jessi and Jordan Ngatikaura’s Halloween party, we see Dakota seemingly flirting with Miranda’s friend.

The season ends with a bombshell from Dakota to Jessi and Jordan that Taylor hasn’t had her period yet. “Is she going to be a pregnant Bachelorette?” Jessi asks in disbelief.

When does the Taylor Frankie Paul season of 'The Bachelorette' come out?

Despite the season 4 cliffhanger, we know Taylor filmed her season of The Bachelorette, which will premiere on March 22, almost two years after the last season of the show. (ABC skipped their 2025 season of The Bachelorette.) There’s yet to be any confirmation of the pregnancy rumor Dakota started in the finale…but we might be able to expect more to be revealed regarding where Taylor and her ex stand as she embarks on dating 30 other men.