The Bachelorette Season 22 Sets March 2026 Premiere with New Lead Taylor Frankie Paul

The Bachelorette is set to return for its 22nd season on Sunday, March 22, 2026, marking a significant scheduling shift from its traditional summer slot to a spring premiere on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. The new season will feature Taylor Frankie Paul, a 31-year-old Utah native and star of Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, as the lead, making her the first influencer and reality TV personality outside the franchise family to take on the role. Taylor rose to fame through her viral TikTok presence in the Mormon "MomTok" community and her candid storytelling about her life as a single mother of three, bringing a fresh and unapologetic perspective to Bachelor Nation. ABC has announced her 26 suitors, who are generally older than typical contestants to match Taylor's age, and the show is expected to attract both new and existing fans due to her established reality TV background. This return follows a period where the show was paused from the 2025 schedule but never canceled, and it comes as other Bachelor Nation spinoffs like Bachelor in Paradise and The Golden Bachelor continue to air. The move to Sunday nights and spring aims to capitalize on primetime ratings after the NFL and awards season, signaling ABC's confidence in the franchise's evolving appeal.