The Bachelorette alum Kaitlyn Bristowe has gushed about Taylor Frankie Paul's casting on Season 22 and how she'll be a "refreshing" lead.
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Taylor, a 31-year-old divorced mother of three kids and star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, will be handing out roses on The Bachelorette's 22nd season when it premieres in 2026.
Taylor's casting has proven to be a polarizing choice on ABC's part. While Taylor has a huge number of reality TV fans and TikTok followers, many people are angry at ABC for choosing a woman who has "two baby daddies" and admitted to soft-swinging in her marriage.
"She is not pretending to be anything else but herself and I think that's so refreshing, especially on reality TV," Kaitlyn said.
Taylor -- who created the viral sensation #MomTok and began starring on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives in 2024 -- was announced as the The Bachelorette's Season 22 lead in September.
"I think now I won't be the only messy Bachelorette, and I am here for that because I'm like, I just want to encourage her," Kaitlyn shared.
Kaitlyn, who starred on The Bachelorette's eleventh season in 2015, was referring to how she was sex-shamed by the public for having sex with Nick Viall before Fantasy Suites and choosing a different guy, Shawn Booth, as her winner during the finale.
After ending her engagement to Shawn in late 2018, Kaitlyn moved on with The Bachelorette 14 alum Jason Tartick.
Kaitlyn and Jason got engaged in May 2021, but they announced their split in August 2023.
But Kaitlyn acknowledged of Taylor -- who is known for being unapologetically herself -- during her chat with People, "I don't think she needs encouragement actually. I think she knows how to be herself, and that's the beauty of Taylor."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWKaitlyn just hopes Taylor will be able to "surrender to the process," because, as a reality TV star, Taylor already knows how production works and what fans want to see.
Kaitlyn pointed out that "when you see how the sausage is made, you overthink things."
Kaitlyn, however, has no doubt that Taylor will be authentic and sincere, especially since she's already famous and boasts over seven million followers across her TikTok and Instagram accounts.
"I actually think this is so beautiful because so many people are going on this show to get an Instagram following," Kaitlyn said, knowing that Taylor doesn't need the help.
"She has set it up like, 'What you see is what you get,'" The Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars alum explained.
"You're walking into my faith or my three children and this life that I live that's fully on camera, and I think the guys are going to go in with a little more intention than they would on other seasons."
Kaitlyn also apparently believes Taylor will give viewers a more realistic look into dating, rather than the fantasy feel The Bachelor franchise has curated since 2002.
"I think we all watched The Bachelor for the fantasy of it, but now we've seen that for so long and the format got a little stale and we know what's coming -- we know the drama is coming, people aren't here for the right reasons, we're not here to make friends," Kaitlyn said.
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Kaitlyn also anticipates Taylor won't be heavily influenced by the producers.
"[She'll] have the backbone also to say what she wants with producers -- instead of being like, 'Well, I've never done this before,' she could be like, 'I know what I'm doing and this is what I want,'" Kaitlyn noted.
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Another former The Bachelorette star, Rachel Lindsay -- who hasn't been closely connected to The Bachelor franchise in recent years -- said she's "thrilled" about Taylor's casting.
"I'm a fan of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. And I've been saying there needs to be change. I've been asking for change in a particular way. It has happened, but not fully," Rachel, 40, told People.
"But I think that this is the show trying to step into 2025. They've been stuck in 2002 for the longest time, and this is a really beautiful way, I think, for them to do it."
Rachel added, "And I'm very excited for what's to come, and I think it's a new day."
Tsylor recently shared on social media how she's "beyond grateful" for the opportunity to star on The Bachelorette and she believes she'll handle criticism and backlash with no problem.
Taylor also insisted she's learned from her mistakes, such as her cheating scandal with ex-husband Tate Paul, and she's not looking to repeat them.
Taylor previously admitted to violating the rules of her and Tate'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.
Taylor also publicly dated Dakota Mortensen. They began dating in Summer 2022 and broke up in 2024, although Taylor didn't announce their split until May of this year.
Taylor welcomed two kids, daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with Tate. She later gave birth to Dakota's son, Ever True, in March 2024.
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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
