In fall 2024, one question was on every reality fan's mind: "How will #MomTok survive this?" On September 6, 2024, Hulu premiered The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, a new reality show that chronicles the lives of eight Mormon moms and TikTok stars, despite the societal confines of the Church of Latter-day Saints. While the cast boasts hundreds of thousands of TikTok followers, Taylor Frankie Paul was the most well-known before and after the series dropped.
Taylor first transitioned from online to mainstream notoriety in 2022, when she revealed that she was part of a Mormon soft-swinging circle that resulted in a divorce from her first husband. After two seasons and a reunion, millions of Mormon Wives viewers have become mesmerized by Taylor's life, which is put on full display on one of Hulu's most-watched unscripted series. Season 3 is already on the way, but today Taylor made a surprise announcement that will take her stardom to the next level. Below, read on for everything you need to know about Taylor Frankie Paul and her complicated romantic history.
Taylor Frankie Paul will be the next 'Bachelorette.'
In her September 10 appearance on the podcast "Call Your Daddy," Taylor Frankie Paul revealed that she will be the first-ever star of The Bachelorette not to hail from the Bachelor franchise. Don't worry, Mormon Wives fans: She also confirmed that she will be doing double-duty with both shows.
While the casting is unprecedented for Bachelor Nation, the women of #MomTok have been slowly branching out into other Hulu shows. In addition to the eventful Mormon Wives/Vanderpump Villa crossover, Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt are competing on Dancing with the Stars this year.
In the episode, Taylor and podcast host Alex Cooper discussed the TikToker's concerns about appearing on the show as a single mom and co-parent, and how the new role could affect her family and friendships. According to PEOPLE, Taylor also admitted that she did not give her ex, Dakota Mortensen, a heads-up before the announcement, telling Cooper, "He’ll know Wednesday."
As for her ideal guy, Taylor said that her age range is between 27 and 43. She's willing to date fellow influencers and Mormons (though she added "preferably not" for both categories), and her eventual fiancé would have to move to Utah. However, she noted that she would only get engaged at the end if she met the right person.
Taylor Frankie Paul is a TikToker who focuses on lifestyle and mom content.
Taylor Frankie Paul, 31, is a full-time content creator based in Utah who's best known for her TikTok, which currently boasts 5.1 million followers. She posts a mix of lifestyle and parenting content, and her children often appear in her videos. Before her soft-swinging scandal and Mormon Wives, she became well known for originating #MomTok content.
Taylor Frankie Paul is a mother of three, and co-parents with her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.
According to Parade, Paul was previously married to her ex-husband, Tate Paul, from 2016 to 2022, and they share two children, Indy (born in 2017) and Ocean (born in 2020). Following their separation, Taylor met Dakota Mortensen, a real estate agent and recovered addict, on Instagram. A large part of their contentious relationship was seen in Mormon Wives, as they often fought and had trust issues. Taylor also revealed on the show how she was arrested in February 2023 due to an altercation with Dakota, and that she subsequently stopped drinking. The pair welcomed their child, a baby boy named Ever, in March 2024.
At the time of Mormon Wives season 1's premiere, Taylor and Dakota were still in a relationship, and she told TODAY that they were doing couples therapy and improving. However, by the time season 2 began filming a month later, Paul and Mortensen went through a rough patch as she discovered he was not faithful and lied to her at the start of their relationship.
Though Paul previously described her relationship with Mortensen as "never say never," she confirmed during her Bachelorette announcement that they are done for good, saying, "It's over. And we'll see that play out."
"If I'm being honest, I did wanna end up with him. That was no secret to anybody," she explained. "It still wasn't a secret, and I'll always admit that to whoever asked me, Did I love him? Absolutely. I had a baby with him. I wanted to be with him. But it just did not work out. There were certain things that were forever closing for me."
She added of the split, "It was really hard to let go. That was a hard pill to swallow that I can't be with you now. And, like, there was no pain like it. I will say, this last summer was one of the hardest summers I ever had because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, Taylor, you have to accept that you're not ending up with him.’ And to walk away from someone you initially wanted is a pain that I can't describe to anybody unless someone's done it."
Taylor Frankie Paul was part of a Mormon swinging scandal that took over the Internet.
In 2022, the self-proclaimed founder of #MomTok became infamous nationwide when she revealed on TikTok Live that she and her husband, Tate Paul, were getting a divorce. During the video, Taylor explained that she, Tate, and other Mormon couples had been practicing non-monogamy and soft swinging, a.k.a. switching partners with the stipulation that no one would "go all the way" unless their spouses were in the room. According to The Cut, Taylor added that she had been having an emotional affair with one of the husbands in the group and that they eventually "stepped out" of the group's agreement not to "go all the way," leading to Tate and Taylor getting divorced.
Following Mormon Wives's first season, Salon reported that Camille Munday and Miranda McWhorter, fellow Mormon TikTok moms who used to make videos with Taylor before the scandal, were rumored to have been the other women involved in the swinging. At the time, they denied their involvement. Following Mormon Wives season 1, Taylor also revealed that all couples involved in the swinging have since gotten divorced.
During her September 2024 appearance on the podcast "The Viall Files," Taylor explained that she revealed the swinging secret to set the record straight as rumors began circulating online that she cheated on her then-husband, Tate, with her best friend Miranda's husband.
"I don't know who did it, but it ended up hitting the internet. All my TikToks were like, 'Cheater, husband stealer.' And the girls were liking it, confirming it, my friends. So I was like okay, well if you're gonna do that, I'm just gonna go tell my story," she told host Nick Viall.
"So I got online, not thinking at all, but like, 'Hey yes, I did do this, but we were also all hooking up just the other night.' It just didn't feel like it was fair," she added. "There was a lot more to the story than just I am some sort of home wrecker."
Taylor Frankie Paul reconciles with Miranda McWhorter on 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' season 2.
In spring 2025, Miranda was announced as a new cast member of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives ahead of season 2, surprising fans. Despite her initial denials, she admits to being part of the swinging in the season 2 premiere, explaining that she "wasn't ready to own anything" when the scandal broke, but now feels comfortable returning to #MomTok since her marriage is over. Miranda announced her divorce from Chase McWhorter, who also briefly appears on Mormon Wives, in August 2024.
As of Mormon Wives season 2's release, Miranda seems to be an official member of #MomTok again, with her and Taylor resuming their friendship. Speaking to PEOPLE, Miranda discussed their reconciliation.
"I can't speak for [Taylor], but I feel like me finally addressing that, and also her addressing the hurt aside from the swinging thing, was probably very validating for us both," she told the outlet.
Taylor Frankie Paul almost joined another Utah-based reality show.
It turns out that Taylor may have been destined to become a reality TV star. During her appearance on the podcast "Scheananigans," per Us Weekly, Taylor revealed to host Scheana Shay that the TikTok star was approached for Real Housewives of Salt Lake City before she ended up on Mormon Wives.
"I actually did get interviewed for the [The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City]. I had an interview I think a few months prior [to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives], maybe a little longer," Taylor said. "And basically…a little birdie told me, ‘You didn’t have enough drama in your life.'"
Taylor then admitted that she had not divulged the intimate details of her life, a.k.a. the tea that would eventually become the swinging scandal. "I was obviously not admitting to what we were up to," she added.
