Miranda Hope McWhorter had her doubts about Taylor Frankie Paul leading The Bachelorette.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, 27, opened up about feeling worried for Taylor’s journey to find love on her season 22 of The Bachelorette while chatting with Bachelor Nation’s Kaitlyn Bristowe during a Thursday, March 19, episode of her “Off the Vine” podcast.
“She’s not only breaking that mold, but she’s burning it down,” Bristowe, 40, said of Taylor, 31, being authentically herself on The Bachelorette. “But I’m also worried. Did you feel worried about her doing that — in the headspace she was?”
Miranda replied, “Oh, 100 percent. That’s the thing, it’s such a great thing that Taylor is as self-aware as she is, but at the same time, it’s hard because we’re like, ‘You know what you need to do. Come on!’ Miranda added that she wanted to “shake” her friend and tell her to “wake up” without making her feel “shame.”
She added, “It does get to a point too where we’re tired, you’re tired. We all know how to solve this situation. There’s one route [and] you’re not taking it.”
“It gets exhausting,” she noted. “It’s hard as a friend knowing there’s not really anything you can do.”
Miranda made sure to say that Taylor was still “a great pick” as the Bachelorette because she breaks the mold.
Taylor’s journey to star on The Bachelorette comes amid an alleged domestic violence dispute between her and ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen this month.
The influencer opened up to Us Weekly about the situation on Tuesday, March 17, sharing that there’s “more context” to the alleged incident.
“It’s been hard. And it sucks to be in this position,” she told Us. “And the mother that I am, that is something I will always stand my ground on. I believe that I am a good mother and I have always treated my kids very well. So the headlines that are out right now are very hard to see, because that’s not the truth of it. I have always treated my children with respect and I’ve never touched them. So it’s been really hard.”
Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette is set to air at 8 p.m. ET on ABC on Sunday, March 22.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
