ABC’s newest Bachelorette Taylor Frankie Paul, made headlines for something way outside the usual reality TV drama. Before she ever started looking for love on reality TV, the Utah-based TikTok influencer stunned her followers by sharing some very personal details about her marriage.
Paul admitted to “soft swinging” with her then-husband and other couples in their Mormon social circle. That confession led to the breakdown of her marriage and a very public divorce.
This soft swinging scandal involved couples getting intimate with others, but with some boundaries in place. All of it clashed hard with traditional Mormon values.
The bombshell didn’t end Paul’s public career. If anything, it catapulted her into mainstream fame.
She went on to star in “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and later landed the role as the new Bachelorette. Not exactly your typical casting, but it definitely got people’s attention.
Key Takeaways
- Taylor Frankie Paul’s 2022 soft swinging revelation led to her divorce and made her famous beyond social media.
- The scandal involved multiple Mormon couples and crossed boundaries inside their community.
- Paul turned the controversy into mainstream success with reality TV shows and her Bachelorette role.
Taylor Frankie Paul’s Soft Swinging Scandal
Taylor Frankie Paul’s 2022 swinging scandal shook the #MomTok community when she opened up about her non-monogamous relationship with then-husband Tate Paul. What started out casual eventually turned into emotional affairs that ended their marriage.
How the Soft Swinging Arrangement Began
The whole thing started without any real plan—just social gatherings that got a little out of hand. Taylor said it all began casually when couples were drinking and partying together.
“It wasn’t even a conversation,” Taylor said on The Viall Files podcast. At first, it was just kissing between women, usually at the suggestion of their husbands.
Those “innocent” party games slowly escalated. The group started having cabin parties where boundaries kept shifting.
Taylor described how things progressed: “Making out in the same bed, intercourse in the same bed next to each other, the girls kissing and the husbands touching the other’s wife.”
Rules and Boundaries Set by Taylor and Tate
The couple came up with all sorts of games during these swinging nights. They played party games with blindfolds and even did spin the bottle with other couples.
“We’d get blindfolds and play spin the bottle and everyone would make out with everyone,” Taylor shared. Sometimes, the games included guessing which husband was kissing her.
Childcare arrangements were part of the logistics. Taylor’s kids would either stay at her mom’s or be upstairs with white noise machines running. Not exactly your standard playdate.
At first, everything stayed within their friend group. But when feelings and jealousy crept in, Tate suggested they might be better off swinging with strangers instead of friends.
Key Moments Leading to Scandal
Things really changed when a third couple joined in. Tate had a sudden realization about the risks during one of these encounters.
“I’m with this other man completely naked and we’re about to go full force,” Taylor remembered. Tate started worrying about pregnancy and not knowing who the father might be if something happened.
Emotional complications came up when Taylor caught feelings for one of the men in the group. That led to what she called an “emotional affair,” which broke their rules.
Jealousy and attachment issues started bubbling up. People got invested in ways that went way beyond the physical stuff.
Taylor’s TikTok revelation about the scandal made international news in 2022. That disclosure ended her marriage to Tate Paul in May 2022.
Impact on Relationships and Divorce
The soft-swinging arrangement between Taylor Frankie Paul and her social circle created major emotional complications that blew up several marriages. Taylor broke the agreed boundaries with Tate, which led to their divorce and exposed the group’s activities.
Emotional Fallout and Public Response
Things spiraled when people caught feelings. Taylor said, “you could kind of see people are creating feelings at this point. People are getting jealous and weird.”
The group just wasn’t prepared for the emotional mess that comes with non-monogamy. Taylor compared it to “inexperienced swingers” acting like college freshmen figuring out relationships for the first time.
Once rumors hit Reddit, Taylor got slammed online. Her TikTok comments filled up with accusations of cheating and being a “husband stealer.”
Public Response Timeline:
- Reddit rumors pop up about cheating
- TikTok followers call Taylor a “cheater” and “husband stealer”
- Friends confirm negative rumors online
- Taylor responds with a live video
The Divorce of Taylor and Tate Paul
Taylor and Tate’s marriage ended when she crossed the lines they’d set in their swinging arrangement. She developed an emotional affair with someone else, which broke their agreement.
The couple couldn’t agree on how to pull back from the lifestyle. Taylor said her husband “wanted to share” and “welcomed” the other man into their house at first.
Taylor filed for divorce in 2022 after trust completely fell apart. She announced the divorce in a Facebook Live to her millions of followers—definitely not your average breakup reveal.
The split left Taylor as a single mother to their kids, including son Indy and daughter Ocean.
Involvement of Friends and Other Couples
Multiple couples joined in the soft-swinging arrangement for over a year. There were “cabin parties, making out in the same bed, intercourse in the same bed next to each other, the girls kissing and the husbands touching the other’s wife.”
When Taylor’s marriage problems went public, her friends turned on her. They even liked and confirmed negative comments about her on social media.
Taylor felt betrayed by her friends and decided to just tell her side. “If you’re gonna do that, I’m just gonna go tell my story,” she said.
The revelation tore through the whole friend group. Several marriages and friendships ended as the scandal became public in the Mormon community.
Rise to Reality Stardom
Taylor Frankie Paul went from Mormon mom to reality TV star thanks to a swinging scandal that social media couldn’t stop talking about. Her journey took her from viral TikTok moments to starring on streaming platforms and network TV.
From Soft Swinging Scandal to Viral Fame
Her path to stardom really started in 2022 when she announced her divorce on TikTok. She revealed that she and her ex-husband Tate had been soft swinging with other Mormon couples.
The confession shocked her followers and rattled the Mormon community. Paul explained that the arrangement involved romantic intimacy with other partners, but didn’t always go all the way.
“Everyone has hooked up with like everyone,” she admitted during a live TikTok. The scandal included several couples from their friend group.
Paul created #MomTok, a collective of Mormon moms posting content that pushed back against traditional church norms. The group racked up millions of followers with dance trends and beauty routines.
The swinging bombshell came after rumors that Paul had cheated with her best friend’s husband. She decided it was better to put the truth out there than keep dodging the gossip.
Role on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
Paul became the main character in Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The show debuted in September 2024 and followed the fallout from her swinging scandal.
Season One documented her rocky relationship with boyfriend Dakota Mortensen. The series showed their ups and downs, including the domestic incident that led to her arrest in February 2023.
Paul pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in August 2023. The show also covered her efforts to rebuild her reputation in the #MomTok community.
Season Two dropped in March 2025. It followed Paul as she discovered Dakota had been lying and cheating, leading to their final breakup in January 2025.
The reality star uses the platform to talk about her more progressive take on Mormon beliefs. “I’m just going to do what I feel is right for me,” she told Decider, when asked how she balances faith and personal choices.
Joining The Bachelorette Franchise
Paul was announced as The Bachelorette Season 22 lead on September 10, 2025, during the Call Her Daddy podcast. She became the first lead with zero previous Bachelor franchise experience.
The 31-year-old Utah native admitted the opportunity felt “surreal.” She worried about balancing filming with co-parenting her three kids from two different fathers.
Challenges she mentioned:
- Managing two baby daddy relationships
- Spending extended time away from Utah
- Single parenting while filming
Paul looked to fellow #MomTok members Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt for inspiration. They brought their families along for Dancing With the Stars, and she wondered if something similar could work for a single mom on The Bachelorette.
ABC paused The Bachelorette in March 2022 but never officially pulled the plug. Paul’s season is set to premiere in 2026, marking the show’s comeback after a long break.
Taylor Frankie Paul’s Personal Life After the Scandal
After the 2022 swinging scandal ended her marriage to Tate Paul, Taylor had to figure out co-parenting while raising three kids. She also started dating Dakota Mortensen, but that relationship ended in 2024.
Co-Parenting and Family Dynamics
Taylor and her ex-husband Tate Paul put in the work to rebuild their relationship after their 2022 divorce. The former couple now maintains a friendship while co-parenting their two kids.
“We’ve obviously come a long way to navigate it,” Taylor said about where things stand now. Both parents had to focus on what was truly best for their children.
Her co-parenting with Tate feels totally different from her situation with Dakota Mortensen. Taylor described her friendship with Tate as more solid and relaxed, while things with Dakota are still, well, a bit rocky.
The family dynamic got even more layered when Taylor welcomed her third child in 2024. Now, she’s juggling co-parenting with two different dads.
Relationship with Dakota Mortensen
Taylor started dating Dakota Mortensen after her split from Tate Paul. Their relationship played out on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and, honestly, it had its share of bumps.
They welcomed their son Ever in 2024. But their relationship ended that same year after a string of issues.
Things got messier in 2023 when Taylor ran into legal trouble connected to Dakota. She was arrested for aggravated assault and domestic violence charges after a fight with him.
Taylor pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. The other charges were dropped as part of a plea deal.
By September 2024, Taylor had been single for around a year. She told reporters she wasn’t dating but sometimes wondered if she should try again with Dakota.
Parenting Ever, Indy, and Ocean
Taylor’s now a mom of three, and every kid comes with a different co-parenting setup. She had Indy in 2017 and Ocean in 2020 with Tate Paul.
Her son Ever was born in 2024 with Dakota Mortensen. Suddenly, she found herself managing a pretty complicated family structure.
Co-parenting with Dakota? Way harder than with Tate, she admits. Taylor called it “fresh” and said neither of them really wanted to co-parent, but splitting up was the only option.
They’ve had to figure out how to work together for Ever’s sake. Taylor insists that, despite the drama, both she and Dakota try to put Ever first.
Balancing three kids and two exes has taken over much of Taylor’s life since the scandal. It’s a lot, honestly.
Media Coverage and Online Reactions
Taylor Frankie Paul’s soft swinging confession exploded all over the media. The story started with TikTok confessions and then just snowballed into mainstream news.
The Role of TikTok and #MomTok
She first spilled details about swinging through TikTok live videos in 2022. That’s also where she announced her divorce and revealed that several couples in her friend group were swinging too.
Key TikTok revelations included:
- She admitted “everyone has hooked up with like everyone”
- Shared details about soft swinging rules
- Confirmed that #MomTok members were involved
The videos went viral almost instantly. They shocked the Mormon community and her millions of followers, who were used to the #MomTok group’s squeaky-clean image.
Taylor later said she went public because rumors about her cheating were swirling. She wanted to take control of the story before others did.
Podcast Appearances and Confessions
She didn’t stop at TikTok—Taylor opened up even more in podcast interviews. She went on The Viall Files podcast in September 2024 to explain everything in detail.
On the show, she described how swinging started with “cabin parties” where couples would get together and, well, hook up. It wasn’t just physical—feelings started to develop, and people got jealous and weird.
The podcast gave a lot more context than her TikTok videos ever could. It helped people understand what really happened and why she decided to go public.
Critiques from Bachelor Nation
When ABC announced Taylor as the new Bachelorette, former Bachelor contestants weren’t thrilled. Some questioned whether her past made her a good fit for the show.
Main criticisms included:
- People worried about her messy relationship history
- Some doubted her commitment to monogamy
- Others questioned if she was really ready for marriage
But a lot of fans actually loved the casting. They thought her honesty about relationships would shake up the franchise in a good way.
Some viewers argued her experience with different relationship styles made her more relatable. Honestly, it’s more real than what we usually see on these shows.
This all came after The Bachelorette had taken a break, so Taylor’s unconventional background seemed like a deliberate move to bring back viewers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Taylor Frankie Paul’s confession about soft swinging set off a firestorm of conversation about her private life. The scandal led to divorce, changed her friend group, and still shapes how people see her online.
What does ‘soft swinging’ involve in the context of Taylor Frankie Paul’s situation?
Taylor explained that soft swinging meant hooking up with other people as long as your partner was there. She and Tate Paul had set rules about it.
They didn’t “fully switch” partners, according to Taylor. The agreement allowed some intimacy with others but within clear boundaries.
She broke the rules by sleeping with someone without her husband present. Taylor called it getting “belligerent” and said she acted outside the group’s guidelines.
How has Taylor Frankie Paul addressed the soft swinging allegations?
Taylor openly admitted to soft swinging on Facebook Live in 2022. She didn’t hold back from explaining the arrangement to her millions of followers.
She said she broke the rules by being with someone when Tate wasn’t there. Taylor’s been pretty upfront about the scandal, both online and in interviews.
Her admission came right as she announced her divorce from Tate. She linked breaking the rules directly to the end of their marriage.
Were other notable figures or couples involved in the scandal with Taylor Frankie Paul?
Rumors say Taylor slept with Brayden Rowley, her former friend McKenna Rowley’s ex-husband. Taylor hasn’t actually named names herself.
Brayden Rowley admitted to cheating during the soft swinging era on his OnlyDads podcast. He didn’t mention Taylor by name, though.
Taylor said that other couples who joined in swinging were also heading for divorce. She made it clear most of MomTok wasn’t involved at all.
What impact did the soft swinging revelations have on Taylor Frankie Paul’s personal life?
The scandal led straight to Taylor’s divorce from Tate Paul in 2022. Their marriage didn’t survive the broken agreement.
Many friends turned their backs on her after the news broke. For a while, she was basically iced out of the MomTok group.
After her marriage ended, Taylor started dating Dakota Mortensen. Now, she’s been cast as the new Bachelorette, which kind of signals she’s ready to move forward.
Has Taylor Frankie Paul’s public image or social media presence changed since the soft swinging claims?
She managed to patch things up with most of the MomTok women on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Those friendships have mostly bounced back.
The scandal still follows her, no matter what else she does. It’s just part of her public story now.
Even so, Taylor’s kept moving ahead with her career. She’s landed big TV gigs, including The Bachelorette.
What are the legal implications or outcomes from Taylor Frankie Paul’s soft swinging incident?
From what I can tell, there isn’t any clear info about legal consequences tied directly to the soft swinging incident. The whole thing mostly played out as a personal and social situation, not a legal battle.
If Taylor Frankie Paul dealt with any legal trouble, it doesn’t seem connected to the soft swinging stuff. The fallout mainly touched her personal relationships and led to divorce proceedings.
