From an arrest to a "soft swinging" scandal, 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 31-year-old social media influencer, who is known for starring on Hulu's "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," was announced as the leading lady for "The Bachelorette" Season 22 on Sept. 10.

In an interview on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast, Paul said being "The Bachelorette" is "surreal."

"It has not hit me," Paul said. "Like right now in this moment, I'm just thinking about it and it's like, it's not real. It's not real. It's not going to be until, I think, the limo's pulling up."

Paul, a divorcee and mother of three, makes history as the first lead of "The Bachelorette" who didn't first appear on "The Bachelor."

ABC halted production of the female-led dating show, which has aired in the summertime in recent seasons, earlier this year, and at the time, it was not clear how long the hiatus would last. The new season of "The Bachelorette" will debut in 2026.

Meanwhile, Paul will still star on the upcoming third season of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," which will premiere on Nov. 13. Two of her costars — Jennifer Affleck and Whitney Leavitt — are also appearing on Season 34 of "Dancing with the Stars," which premieres Sept. 16.

Who is Taylor Frankie Paul? Is she Mormon?

Taylor Frankie Paul is a content creator 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.

The first season aired in 2024 and the second aired earlier this year. A third season will premiere in November.

The show initially followed the group of women in their twenties and thirties as they reeled from a scandal around "soft swinging" − couples sharing partners with limited sexual contact.

In 2022, Paul revealed on a TikTok live that she and her then-husband Tate Paul were involved in "soft swinging" with other couples from MomTok.

Paul is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, she told Cooper that 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.

While Paul and Mortensen's romance has had its ups and downs, she said they are officially calling it quits with the news of her "Bachelorette" casting, she told Cooper.

When asked how she thinks Mortensen will react to the news, Paul said, "I think probably sad."

How old is Taylor Frankie Paul?

Taylor Frankie Paul is 31. Her birthday is May 23, 1994.

Why was Taylor Frankie Paul arrested?

The new "Bachelorette" star has a criminal record.

Paul was arrested in 2023 on misdemeanor charges of assault, criminal mischief and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child, according to police.

As shown on "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," the incident stemmed from an argument with Mortensen. The charges were dropped and Paul served no jail time.

She said on the show that the arrest was "the worst night of my life." In her "Call Her Daddy" interview, Paul got emotional talking about the incident.

"I think I was being very selfish and I've accepted that I was selfish at that time, but I've learned from it and I've been trying to make up for it," she said on the podcast.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Taylor Frankie Paul? Next 'Bachelorette' is already a reality TV star

Reporting by Melina Khan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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