The Bachelorette star Taylor Frankie Paul has admitted she doesn't care if people are questioning her intentions for starring on Season 22.
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Given Taylor has also been through a divorce as well as a highly-publicized breakup with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, many fans have been questioning her motivation for taking on The Bachelorette role.
"I don't really care," Taylor told Us Weekly in a new cover-story interview.
Taylor, who wrapped filming The Bachelorette late last year, continued, "I didn't have to do this... There was no other reason for me to do this other than I wanted to get outside of Utah and the toxicity that I'm in and venture off and really do something for myself."
Taylor insisted starring on The Bachelorette wasn't about skyrocketing her fame, gaining more followers, or even getting engaged again.
"Who gets this opportunity as a single mom to just purely focus on dating and love and yourself? It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Taylor shared.
"That is why I was there. And anyone that doesn't want to believe that, that's their own issue."
Taylor is known for being unapologetically herself, sharing her mistakes and the messy parts of her life.
Taylor often opens up about her mental health, and she's a huge advocate of being one's authentic and genuine self.
After ABC selected Taylor to star on The Bachelorette's 22nd season in September 2025, the network described her as "raw" in her storytelling, which provides fans with "comedic, heartwarming and bitingly-honest content."
"[Taylor] shares the highs and lows of her life with unfiltered candor," ABC said. "With humor, resilience and a fearless openness, she inspires others to embrace life's chaos and own their story."
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)
But Taylor's casting has also been met with backlash, as she's not ABC's typical cookie-cutter Bachelorette.
Taylor was famously wrapped up in a soft-swinging scandal with her ex-husband Tate Paul in which she admitted to breaking the couple's rules by being more intimate with a man in their Mormon social circle.
Following Taylor's May 2022 divorce from Tate -- with whom she shares daughter, Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5 -- she began dating Dakota.
Taylor publicly confirmed her romance with Dakota in July 2022, and then in 2023, she was arrested for assault and other charges stemming from a fight with him.
Taylor and Dakota eventually welcomed son Ever True in March 2024, but they broke up before the end of that year.
Taylor didn't publicly confirm her split from Dakota until early 2025; however, she admitted on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast that she hooked up with Dakota following their split.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' third season showed Dakota and Taylor contemplating a reconciliation last year, but allegations Dakota had sexted Taylor's family friend ruined any chance of that happening.
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A teaser for The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' fourth season shows Taylor in bed with Dakota shortly before leaving to film The Bachelorette's 22nd season.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
While some viewers -- and maybe even some of Taylor's 22 bachelors -- didn't think Taylor was ready for The Bachelorette, Taylor said "it was a choice" to move on from Dakota.
"Ready, at the end of the day, is a decision," Taylor told Us.
"So I made the decision to leave for two months and try. I reassured them that was why I was here."
Dakota, for his part, revealed earlier this year that he just wants the best for Taylor and was seeing someone new.
Taylor also shared that there was something "freeing" about her 22 bachelors being aware of her messy past, even though it meant she didn't always "look the best."
Despite going through two very public and highly-scrutinized breakups, Taylor said she still believes in love, whether marriage is in the cards for her again or not.
Taylor concluded that she's "happy" after filming The Bachelorette, which is set to premiere on Sunday, March 22 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
