Taylor Frankie Paul Confirms She Accepted Marriage Proposal on ‘Bachelorette’: ‘Then Dakota Came Over’

“Umm … I think I know how that happened,” Mikayla, 26, quipped.

While Doug’s name is never directly mentioned during the clip, the SLOMW ladies essentially confirm his identity by revealing Taylor’s suitor has the “same initials” as Dakota. Taylor swore she was initially unaware of the many similarities between Doug and Dakota.

“I didn’t start thinking that until people said it around me,” she insisted.

Jessi seemed skeptical, replying, “They have the same initials. They’re both from Idaho. It’s so weird.”

Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette was originally supposed to premiere on ABC in February but was pulled off the lineup three days before its debut. At the time, Taylor and ex Dakota were embroiled in a domestic violence investigation in Utah.

The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office ultimately decided not to press any criminal charges in the case — though Taylor has since been involved in two separate child custody battles with Dakota and her ex-husband, Tate Paul. (Taylor shares Indy May, 8, and Ocean, 6, with Tate while she and Dakota welcomed 2-year-old son Ever True in 2024.)

With the domestic violence case dropped, Taylor signed and promoted a fan petition calling on ABC to air her season of The Bachelorette. The Change.org petition has since gained more than 25,000 signatures of support, as of publication.

“You guys started a petition for the show. I love you all,” she wrote via her Instagram Story in August.

Meanwhile, filming on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was temporarily halted in February though the full cast — sans Taylor — later returned to complete the season. Taylor reportedly shot news scenes for SLOMW’s opening credits but did not take part in any further group segments with the cast.