Taylor Frankie Paul’s potential Bachelorette suitors might have quite the star-studded pasts.
“I think, just based on the articles that have come out, that Lana del Rey’s ex [will] stick around for a minute,” Ashley Iaconetti’s friend, Heather, said on the Tuesday, October 28, episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast about 35-year-old Clayton Johnson. “I don’t know if he’s going to go far, but I think with a celebrity connection, he’s not going to go home in the first couple of weeks.”
ABC revealed a first look at the contestants who could appear on Taylor’s season earlier this month, noting via Facebook that the 26 suitors from the roundup “may be” on season 22.
The “Summertime Sadness” singer, 40, for her part, had dated Clayton for nearly one year in 2021 before she moved on with now-husband Jeremy Dufrene.
“Back in January, Lana and I sat in Nashville free styling songs on an acoustic guitar about imaginary animals and Oliver’s chew toys,” Clayton wrote via Instagram in July 2024, reflecting on their brief romance. “I showed her a few songs I had been working on, and played her a song idea from a different session. She had a vision for it. Her and Jack gave me a call when she got home and asked if we could rework this voice note idea that I sent over for ‘Tough.’ The rest is history.”
While it’s not known whether Lana and Clayton are still in touch or how their romance ended, he thanked her in his social media post for “having the vision” to turn his musical idea into “something special.”
Clayton apparently isn’t the only Bachelorette hopeful with a famous association. Ashley, 37, hinted on Tuesday’s podcast episode that several of the guys have “familiar faces” to Heather, who is a reality TV casting producer for other dating shows.
“I actually have DMs going back to 2023 with Doug [Mason], trying to get him on TV,” Heather claimed. “I hit him up for all dating shows, and he responded to me every time that he was single.”
According to Heather, 28-year-old Doug changed his tune the last few times she reached out.
“He turned me down multiple times because he was focusing on his acting and his modeling career,” Heather recalled. “I don’t know what has changed from 2023 to now that’s no longer [the case]. Maybe he saw the light and realized that going on a dating show does not kill either of these versions of your career?”
Taylor, 31, recently started filming her season of The Bachelorette, though the cast has not been formally announced.
“I’m most looking forward to is meeting a handful of people that are outside my bubble — and even if there’s a couple in there, that’s OK — but I’m just excited to get to know different perspectives and new parts about myself too,” the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star recently told Us Weekly exclusively of starting her journey. “It’s out of my comfort zone, so, obviously, it’s scary. You’re dealing with feelings — and you’re dealing with other people’s feelings — and I don’t really like to hurt other people’s feelings, especially when you’re being vulnerable and open.”
Taylor, who told Us that she’s open to getting engaged on the Bachelor Nation franchise, was previously married to Tate Paul. Taylor and Tate, who has since remarried, now coparent their two children: Indy, 7, and Ocean, 4. Taylor also shares son Ever,17 months, with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
The Bachelorette season 22 premieres on ABC Sunday, March 22, at 9 p.m. ET.
