Disney executive Rob Mills met with Taylor Frankie Paul in Utah before she was offered the opportunity to be the next Bachelorette.
“It was not, ‘Oh, this is somebody who’s going to be absolutely crazy,’ or, ‘This is going to be the wildest season of The Bachelorette ever,’” Mills recalled to Vulture in a Wednesday, May 6, profile. “[She] very honestly spelled out, ‘I have three children by two different men, it’s hard and I need a partner.’”
Taylor, 31, shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul, as well as son Ever, 2, with ex Dakota Mortensen. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star was named the season 22 Bachelorette lead in fall 2025.
“It does raise the stakes when we have a single parent,” Mills told the outlet. “They are thinking of children as well as themselves.”
‘Bachelorette’ Producers Were Concerned About Taylor Frankie Paul’s Decisions
Taylor wasn’t the first single parent to join the Bachelor franchise. Jason Mesnick and Emily Maynards were leads of their respective seasons after welcoming kids. Multiple other single moms and dads have been contestants on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise through the years.
Taylor went to film her season shortly after one of her breakups from Dakota, 33, late last year, speaking candidly with her suitors about her relationship history and motherhood journey.
“I feel like I was very open with them, especially those that asked,” Taylor exclusively told Us Weekly in March. “I really told everyone as a whole if there’s anything you want to know, please let me know, because I wasn’t trying to shove everything down their throat of that in my life.”
She continued, “I wanted to tell them what they wanted to know, like, ‘Please ask anything. I am [a] very open book.’ Especially the ones toward the end, I was open with the situation. So yeah, I was very honest, I feel like.”
Taylor Frankie Paul Did ‘Bachelorette’ to Break Free of Toxic Relationship
Taylor’s season was scheduled to premiere on March 22, though ABC pulled the episode days in advance after footage resurfaced from the MomTok influencer’s 2023 arrest. (Taylor pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in February 2023 after an alleged altercation with Dakota and was remanded to probation.)
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” a spokesperson for the reality TV star told Us in a statement at the time. “After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.”
ABC has not yet revealed whether Taylor’s season will ever air. Mills noted to Vulture that the decision to pull the premiere was “quick” once the network saw the 2023 video.
“I love the season, and if people who enjoy the show — Bachelor Nation — get to see it, I think they will love it as well,” Mills continued. “Obviously, I would love for people to experience it.”
