Lisa Barlow, a cast member of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, on Wednesday applauded Taylor Frankie Paul after the reality star announced she will lead The Bachelorette's 22nd season, calling Paul a "very raw" and "very real" presence who will provide an unfiltered view of the dating series.
Paul, best known for her role on Bravo's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and for building a profile on social media as an "OG" MomTok creator, announced on the Call Her Daddy podcast that she will headline the ABC franchise when the new season airs sometime in 2026. Barlow, who said she learned of the news moments before speaking to Decider, said she expects viewers to see an unvarnished version of Paul on the show.
"Taylor's very interesting to watch for me. I think she's so raw. She's so real," Barlow said during the interview. She added that Paul's openness about personal matters could make close relationships difficult, saying it would be "hard to be in a relationship or close friends with her because of the way she values private information about herself and how she talks about it." Barlow predicted the season would deliver "the raw, raw, raw version of everything happening."
Paul, 31, gained widespread attention in 2022 after disclosing on TikTok that she and her then-husband had engaged in soft-swinging with other Mormon friends. The revelation led to public scrutiny and was chronicled on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which followed Paul through the end of her marriage and subsequent relationships. Paul has been candid about her divorce, which she has said followed an affair with another participant in the couple's social circle. She began dating Dakota Mortensen not long afterward; the pair welcomed a child in March 2024, making Paul a mother of three.
If Paul remains the lead as announced, she would be the first person with a prior celebrity profile to headline The Bachelorette, a development that has prompted speculation among fans about whether ABC will cast a pool of non-entertainment contestants or mix in other reality personalities. ABC has not released casting details or confirmed how producers will structure the upcoming season.
Barlow noted personal connections to Paul’s Utah circle, saying she is friendly with Paul’s former co-star Demi Engemann and Engemann’s husband, Bret Engemann. "Utah is small, and the Mormon community is even smaller," Barlow said, underscoring the overlapping social networks that have followed both The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Paul's announcement adds a new dimension to the franchise, which has historically cast women without prior television celebrity as leads. Producers have occasionally included contestants with existing public profiles, but a lead with a documented reality-TV and social-media history is a notable first for the series. ABC has not commented on the selection or on a production timeline beyond a tentative 2026 air date.
Fans and industry observers will watch for further casting announcements and how producers integrate Paul's background into the season's narrative. Barlow said she is eager to watch and suggested the show will present a candid portrait of Paul as she pursues a new relationship on national television.