Bachelor Nation hasn’t been shy about sharing their advice — and criticism — for Taylor Frankie Paul ahead of her Bachelorette season.
Taylor, 31, was announced as ABC’s season 22 Bachelorette lead in September 2025. Now that Taylor is facing controversy days before her Sunday, March 22, premiere, some alums have changed their tune, while others continue to back the Hulu star.
News broke on Monday, March 16, that Taylor and on-again, off-again boyfriend Dakota Mortensen were involved in an alleged domestic dispute, which led to a halt in production on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 5.
The Draper City Police Department in Utah confirmed to Us Weekly that there was an open “domestic assault investigation” into Taylor and Dakota. Authorities said that allegations were “made in both directions.” (Taylor and Dakota share 23-month-old son Ever. She is also the mother of Indy, 8, and Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul.)
Taylor broke her silence on the alleged incident during an exclusive interview with Us on Tuesday, March 17. She explained that there’s more “context” to the situation, calling the entire ordeal “unfortunate.”
“It’s been hard. And it sucks to be in this position. And the mother that I am, that is something I will always stand my ground on,” Taylor said. “I believe that I am a good mother and I have always treated my kids very well.”
Bachelor Nation Alums Share Advice for Season 22 Lead Taylor Frankie Paul
She added, “The headlines that are out right now are very hard to see, because that’s not the truth of it. I have always treated my children with respect and I’ve never touched them. So it’s been really hard.”
Keep scrolling to see what Bachelor Nation members have said — and who offered up some advice — to Taylor ahead of The Bachelorette season 22:
Tayshia Adams
Tayshia told Us exclusively that Taylor “has it in the bag” at the HGTV’s Bachelor Mansion Makeover event on March 12.
“She’s, like, very used to being in the camera and being herself, which I think is gonna be the biggest one-up that she has in comparison to, honestly, all of us,” she explained. “So I think she’s gonna be a great watch.”
Tyler Cameron
The former Bachelorette contestant also said Taylor was going to “rock” her season during the same March 12 event.
“She’s going to break so many barriers for the Bachelor Nation,” he added. “I’m just excited to see her just crush this and just bring what Taylor Frankie Paul does, just crazy fun energy.”
Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson
The couple — a product of The Bachelor — didn’t think that Taylor needed any advice ahead of her season.
“I’m gonna be honest. She is her own person. Everyone knows that,” Joey said on March 12. “I think she’s gonna do an amazing job. We’re excited to watch it.”
Kelsey added, “I feel like she’s just iconic as who she is.”
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Gabby Windey
Ahead of Taylor’s Bachelorette season, several former leads got together for The Bachelorette: Before the First Rose. Gabby was missing from the special but reacted to the “genius” casting move on March 15.
“I think she’ll crush,” Gabby told Entertainment Tonight.
Sydney Warner
The former Bachelor contestant had a strong reaction to Taylor’s upcoming Bachelorette season in a March 15 Instagram Story after watching season 4 of Mormon Wives. (Dakota claimed he slept with Taylor the night before she left to film The Bachelorette.)
Sydney claimed being the lead of the franchise is “life changing” and argued its stars should be held to a certain “standard.”
Charity Lawson
“This is not shade, but rather a psa,” Charity captioned a TikTok video on March 17 in which she explained why “dating shows are not for you to find healing.” Several commenters wondered whether this was a message to Taylor ahead of her season.
“This is for whoever — I’m speaking from a mental health standpoint and let’s be very clear in this day, I’m going to advocate for the well being of cast members whoever they are if I see a noticeable problem,” Charity wrote in the comments section. “Mental health is not a joke and should be taken seriously.”
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Ben Higgins
Ben spoke about the decision to cast Taylor after her alleged domestic dispute.
“The show doesn’t have the best track record right now of casting people or doing background checks on people,” he said during the March 17 episode of his “Almost Famous” podcast. “There’s forgiveness and there’s grace … but it doesn’t mean you come on a reality show looking to find your partner in the front of all of us and make yourself susceptible to the criticisms and the praise that come with this show. That, mentally, is taxing in itself.”
Amanda Stanton
Amanda said it was “fun” that ABC was “switching it up” with Taylor as the lead during a March 18 appearance on the “Between Us Moms” podcast. (The episode was recorded before the domestic dispute allegations.)
“I thought it was an interesting choice,” Amanda said. “I was so happy that they chose her … so happy to see that they picked someone who wasn’t that exact fit that they’ve gone with for so many years.”
