The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul sent a message of praise to her ex-husband after spending time with her kids while filming The Bachelorette.
Why It Matters
After a hugely successful second season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and a possible manifestation on a podcast, Paul announced she was the next Bachelorette on September 10. Her announcement drew criticism from people who said a mother of three shouldn’t be taking time away from her kids to film a dating show.
However, Paul has shown on social media that she’s finding a way to juggle both being a mom and being on the show.
What To Know
On Saturday, Paul posted a photo to Instagram of her holding her son, Ocean. She shares custody of Ocean, born in 2020, and her daughter, Indy, born in 2017, with her ex-husband, Tate Paul.
“Indy and Ocean have the best daddy. Bringing them out to me,” she posted on Instagram.
She revealed a glimpse of behind-the-scenes filming for The Bachelorette on Sunday, sharing a video of her drawing with Indy and Ocean, captioned, “Nothing better than nights like this.”
Taylor and Tate got married in 2016, welcoming their daughter less than a year later. The two were involved in a soft-swinging scandal that catapulted Taylor to prominence, and she announced their divorce in 2022. Taylor said they decided to separate after she “stepped out” of their soft-swinging agreement and developed feelings for someone else.
The exes still coparent their two kids, and she told People that it’s always been “really good” between them.
“We’ve always been great friends, so it’s been very smooth sailing with him and we’re very flexible with that,” Taylor said.
Just because the two have a good relationship and are effective co-parents, Paul said it isn’t easy and that she cries “almost every time” she has to give the kids back to him.
Paul also shares a son, Ever, with her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, whom she started dating before filming Season 1 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Ahead of the Season 2 premiere, she told People that it was more of a struggle to co-parent with Mortensen because the two still had feelings for each other.
After it was announced that Paul would be the next star of The Bachelorette, Mortensen commented on a TikTok video about it, saying, “Making me wanna go win my baby momma back.”
Paul isn’t the first single parent to be the Bachelorette, but she is the first to not come from within Bachelor Nation. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she acknowledged some of the backlash that came with her casting, but asked that people give her a chance because she thinks she comes off “a little bit differently than people would just assume.”
What They’re Saying
Taylor Frankie Paul told The Hollywood Reporter: “Whatever it is I’m thinking, I’m going to be very honest with them, because I don’t have—I’m a mom of three. I’m not playing any of these games. I’m not going to take my time and wonder [about their intentions] if I can sense it. I’m just going to kind of call it out.”
Liann May, Taylor’s mom, said on the Almost Famous podcast: “With her, probably…She likes them fast. I’m like, ‘Please take your time with these guys.’ We’ll see. She jumps into everything so quickly. I would think that by her age—she’s 31—she would take her time a little bit.”
What Happens Next
Paul is in the middle of filming The Bachelorette, which is expected to be released on March 22, 2026. She has also said she won’t stop filming The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives because of The Bachelorette and plans to continue with both, with the help of her family, production, the networks, and her management.
