Why did Taylor Frankie Paul get divorced? MomTok’s swinging scandal explored as influencer is set to lead the upcoming season of ‘The Bachelorette’

Taylor Frankie, a familiar name in the #MomTok circles, is poised to take center stage as the lead of ABC’s upcoming season of The Bachelorette. The 31-year-old influencer and mother of three is no stranger to controversy. Her divorce in mid-2022 was large on social media and followed a public revelation of a “soft-swinging” arrangement among friends in the MomTok community. 

Now, more than three years later, she is stepping away from the scandal’s shadow to embrace a new chapter in the reality dating stage. As she prepares to lead this season, we look back at the events that shaped her journey - from her role in the swinging scandal to her emergence as a reality-TV figure.

Why did Taylor Frankie get divorced? Decoding the MomTok swinging scandal

The end of Taylor Frankie’s marriage to Tate Paul came into focus in June 2022 when she went live on TikTok to disclose that the couple had been part of a “soft-swinging” dynamic with close friends from the MomTok community. Paul explained that although she and Tate had an agreement that intimacy outside the marriage would remain limited, she eventually “stepped out of that agreement” and developed feelings for one of the other husbands involved. Her admission ignited the scandal and online accusations branding her a “cheater” and “husband-stealer” which resulted in her speaking out and offering her version of events on social media and in Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

As the fallout intensified, Paul positioned herself not just as the scandal’s subject, but as someone seeking clarity. She described the group as “inexperienced swingers,” likening their behavior to “college students learning to manage their sexual lives for the first time”. The disclosures broke apart friendships, upended trust and ultimately contributed to Taylor Frankie’s very public divorce.

Her story took another dramatic twist in the Hulu docuseries The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which premiered in 2024. The series chronicles how Taylor and her MomTok peers navigate the emotional wreckage, societal scrutiny and personal consequences of the scandal. It explores co-parenting struggles and legal issues, including a 2023 assault case resulting in a plea deal and aggravated assault conviction.

Now, Taylor is stepping into a new role as the lead of The Bachelorette’s 22nd season, which is slated to premiere in 2026. She becomes the first lead chosen outside of the traditional Bachelor franchise and offers a fresh and unconventional face to the show. While announcing the casting, she acknowledged the logistical and emotional hurdles of participating as a single mother, yet described the opportunity as something that began as a joke on TikTok and eventually "became real".