New The Bachelorette star Taylor Frankie Paul has addressed criticism of her casting on the ABC reality series' upcoming season.
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Taylor's casting has proven to be a polarizing choice on ABC's part. While Taylor has a huge number of supporters, many people are furious at ABC for choosing a woman who has "two baby daddies" and admitted to soft-swinging in her marriage.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star opened up to Bachelor Nation about her casting -- and the backlash -- in an Instagram video she posted this past weekend.
"I can't even process what is going on. I am the Bachelorette guys, that's wild! I don't want to get emotional, because I'm always emotional, but these are good emotions," Taylor said.
"When they flew to town to ask me [to be the Bachelorette], my first thoughts were, 'Why me?' It goes without saying that I come with a lot and I was just like, 'Who is going to want me?!'"
Taylor, however, said she couldn't reveal any additional details about the casting process.
"To those of you asking that question [of why me?] trust me, I was right along there with you," Taylor admitted.
"All I can say is that I am beyond grateful for this opportunity. I think everything happens for a reason. I am someone who can handle criticism and backlash, trust me. If anyone can handle it, I'm one of them."
Taylor said, based on the comments she's been reading online, she feels for people who are in similar situations.
"Past single parents who are reading, you know, those things, like, 'Is that how people view us as single parents or someone with not a pretty past?' It made me feel for them," Taylor explained.
"And I'm here to say that we are human, we make mistakes, and how we move forward is what really matters. And there is no timeline on that either, like, have I made lots of mistakes since? Yes. Am I going to make future mistakes? Yes."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWRELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star suggested that nobody is perfect.
"You learn from it and try to be better. You get up again. If you've messed up in life and you feel like some type of failure, just know that you're not," Taylor insisted.
"The only person that's going to stop me is myself, and that is it! With all that being said, I am beyond grateful. Me being even an option, a choice, and the decision."
Taylor teased how viewers are "in for a treat" when The Bachelorette returns next year.
"Or am I in for a treat?" she quipped. "None of us know, I don't even know. That's the fun part."
The bubbly influencer went on to say, "We're doing the damn thing and we're going to make it work. We'll get on the same team."
Taylor also confirmed that she's "able to do both" in terms of starring on The Bachelorette and being a mother.
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"Thank you all for the overwhelming support. I see you; I hear you. And thank you to the haters as well. You guys are honestly the biggest supporters," she concluded.
Taylor was married to Tate Paul from 2016 to 2022. When they were together, they welcomed two children: daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Taylor previously admitted to violating the rules of the couple's soft-swinging arrangement by becoming more intimate with another man in their friend group, which led to their separation and eventual May 2022 divorce.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which premiered in 2023 on Hulu, featured the cheating scandal.
The show has also documented Taylor's first post-divorce relationship with Dakota Mortensen.
Taylor and Dakota made their romance public in July 2022, and then they welcomed a son together, Ever True, in March 2024.
While The Bachelorette won't be returning until next year, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is set to release new episodes on November 13 on Hulu.
Two other stars from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck, are currently competing on Dancing with the Stars' 34th season on ABC and Disney+.
When Dancing with the Stars premiered its new season on September 16, Taylor was in the audience supporting her friends and co-stars.
The Bachelorette's official premiere date and cast of bachelors for Season 22 will be announced at a later date.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
