After skipping a year, “The Bachelorette” is set to return for its 22nd season on ABC with a new lead from outside the franchise. And she has already stirred up a lot of talk.
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The star of the show this season is Taylor Frankie Paul, the Utah native who ignited #MomTok and went viral for “exposing” Salt Lake City’s soft-swinging scene in Hulu’s Emmy Award-nominated series “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” Paul, a divorcee and mother of three, makes history as the first lead of “The Bachelorette” who didn’t first appear on “The Bachelor.”
This season, 22 men will vie for the 31-year-old’s heart. The show kicks off March 22, roughly 10 days after the season 4 premiere of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
Here’s everything you need to know about “The Bachelorette” Season 22 premiere, including the date, start time, and how to watch.
How to watch and stream ‘The Bachelorette’ season 22 premiere
The show premieres on March 22, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. After the premiere, “The Bachelorette” airs Sunday nights. Episodes will be available to stream on Hulu the next day. Anyone with a streaming service with live TV can also stream it live.
A subscription to Hulu costs $11.99 a month (or $119.99/year) for the ad-supported plan. Students can get Hulu with ads for $1.99 a month, and Hulu with no ads costs $18.99 a month.
How many episodes of ‘The Bachelorette’ will there be in season 22?
ABC has yet to release the official schedule. However, based on previous seasons, we can likely expect 11-12 episodes, including a “Hometown” and “Fantasy Suite” episode.
Who is Taylor Frankie Paul?
Taylor Frankie Paul has not shied away from the spotlight with her #MomTok fame. Now, she’s looking for love as the next star of “The Bachelorette.”
The social media influencer and star of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” a reality show that follows a group of TikTok influencer moms and their Mormon friend group, was announced as the leading lady for “The Bachelorette” Season 22 on Sept. 10.
Paul is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, during an interview on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast, she said she isn’t restricting her “Bachelorette” dating pool to Mormon men.
“I’d be open to Mormons. I still am obviously ’cause I’m Mormon, but he doesn’t have to be,” she said.
Has Taylor Frankie Paul been married before?
Taylor Frankie Paul was married to Tate Paul from 2016 to 2022. She and her husband split after she said she “stepped out” of their soft-swinging agreement.
They share two children, 8-year-old Indy and 5-year-old Ocean.
After her divorce, Paul was in an on-and-off relationship with Dakota Mortensen, who has been featured on “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” The pair have a daughter, Ever, who was born in 2024.
Taylor Frankie Paul is being investigated ahead of ‘The Bachelorette’
The Draper City Police Department in Northern Utah confirmed to People magazine that there is an ongoing “domestic assault investigation” involving Paul and Mortensen, who have both reportedly leveled allegations. Law enforcement made contact with the parties on Feb. 24 and 25, the spokesperson told the outlet.
When reached by USA TODAY, the Draper Police Department issued a statement saying it “respects the rights and privacy of all citizens.”
It continued, “without an immediate impact to public safety, it is the practice of the department not to release details related to active investigations.”
TMZ was first to report the news of an incident involving Paul and Mortensen, which the outlet said caused a pause in production on season 5 of “Mormon Wives.”
USA TODAY, an Enquirer sister publication, has reached out to representatives for “Mormon Wives” for comment.
Will ‘The Bachelorette’ be canceled amid the investigation?
It appears the premiere is still on schedule.
The Enquirer reached out to “The Bachelorette” to confirm the investigation won’t affect the upcoming season.
