Joy Behar Shares Her Thoughts on Taylor Frankie Paul Joining The Bachelorette
Joy Behar delivered a humorous take on the announcement that Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul will be the next Bachelorette.
“She has three children and two baby daddies. So will these Bachelors be lining up to be baby daddy No. 3?” joked Joy, 82, on The View on Friday, September 12, after airing an interview clip where Taylor talks about her “two baby daddies” on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
During a discussion on ABC’s announcement made on Wednesday, September 10, regarding the selection of the 31-year-old Hulu reality star for season 22 of The Bachelorette, the panel learned that Taylor shares daughter Indy May, 8, and son Ocean Paul, 5, with her ex-husband Tate Paul, along with son Ever True, 17 months, with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
In the segment, Behar quipped: “Isn’t that the premise of the show? To find your soulmate and get married? … OK, she comes with a bit of baggage.”
New Bachelorette Taylor Frankie Paul is eager to embark on her fresh journey. Following the announcement on Wednesday, September 10, that the 31-year-old star of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives will be featured in season 22 of The Bachelorette, Us Weekly conducted an exclusive interview with Taylor. “What I’m most excited about […]
Behar’s cohost Sara Haines commended Taylor’s appointment as “A-level synergy” between ABC and Hulu, following the casting of Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt from Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Dancing With the Stars season 34.
“They should come and promote it on The View for a true crossover,” panelist Alyssa Farah Griffin teased.
However, Griffin, 36, expressed her inner conflict regarding ABC’s decision to choose someone outside of Bachelor Nation for the upcoming season of The Bachelorette.
“My mom texted me with strong opinions about it,” Griffin mentioned to her View cohosts. “It’s always been someone within the Bachelor franchise. … This is someone from outside the franchise. [Taylor] has had an intriguing past.”
She continued, “I don’t judge women for having children with different fathers. She’s faced significant challenges, and if you’ve seen Mormon Wives, you get an insight into her family dynamics. They have to navigate a very restrictive religion. She’s distanced herself from that faith and is now on a journey of self-discovery.”
Despite her doubts about the casting, Griffin ultimately anticipated that Taylor would be “excellent” on The Bachelorette due to her “super authentic and wonderfully chaotic” nature.
“Those traits are ideal for reality TV,” Griffin declared, eliciting chuckles from the panel and audience.
When Sunny Hostin questioned how Taylor could participate in a dating show like The Bachelorette, given her family’s faith, Haines and Behar reminded her that the Mormon Wives star is no longer a practicing Mormon.
Behar and Haines also noted that Taylor had previously appeared on The View to discuss her friend group’s practice of “soft swinging.” (Taylor mentioned on “The Viall Files” podcast in September 2024 that she and her ex-husband Tate began casually exploring other partners prior to their divorce.)
Taylor Frankie Paul, the new leading lady of The Bachelorette, is no stranger to reality television. She made her debut with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which launched in 2024 and follows the lives of eight influencers in Utah. The show began filming in the wake of a 2022 soft-swinging sex scandal involving Taylor […]
“Not all Mormons are alike,” Behar remarked. “[Next], you’ll hear about [former Utah Senator] Mitt Romney soft swinging.”
Romney’s friend and former advisor Ana Navarro joked: “I don’t want to visualize Mitt Romney swinging on anything!”
Upon announcing Taylor’s casting on Wednesday, ABC indicated that the “31-year-old Utah native [was] prepared to swap headline-making heartbreak for hometown dates as she begins her journey in Bachelor Nation.”
“[Taylor] has become the breakout star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, captivating viewers with her raw and candid storytelling. Offscreen, she’s a TikTok sensation whose comedic, heartfelt, and brutally honest content has garnered her a huge following,” ABC noted. “As a single mother of three, [Taylor] shares the ups and downs of her life with absolute sincerity. With humor, resilience, and an open heart, she inspires others to embrace the chaos of life and take ownership of their narratives.”
The star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Taylor Frankie Paul, takes center stage in the lead role for the upcoming season — and reactions from Bachelor Nation are pouring in. “So thrilled about this! Rooting for you @taylorfrankiepaul ❤️,” commented season 15 Bachelorette Hannah Brown on Taylor’s Instagram announcement.
Taylor shared exclusively with Us Weekly on Wednesday about how The Bachelorette might impact her ex-boyfriend Mortensen, from whom she separated in late 2024.
“I can’t predict how he’ll respond or feel, but he does know we opened the door to dating other people,” she shared with Us. “[He’ll] likely be sad. I assume it’ll be like, ‘Whoa, she’s dating a lot of people, and I have to see it’—that probably won’t be easy for him to watch.”
She added, “I can’t speak for him, but I imagine this may not be the best news for him today.”
Taylor also confirmed to Us that she didn’t inform Mortensen about her casting on The Bachelorette before the news became public.
“There have been so many unexpected turns today, and each time I am reminded that nothing matters more than God and family ❤️,” Mortensen, 32, shared via Instagram Stories following the announcement. “Life is too short.”
The Bachelorette is set to return on ABC in 2026, while The Golden Bachelor begins with Mel Owens searching for love on Wednesday, September 24, at 8 p.m. ET.
