The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Breaking News - Bachelorette Breaking The Mold

Episode Date: February 9, 2026

Our first official look at Taylor Frankie Paul as our leading Bachelorette has been released! Ashley is breaking down the announcement image and first teaser trailer for the upcoming season!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to if you can hear me. on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Over the last couple years, didn't we learn that the folding chair was invented by black people because of what happened in Alabama? This Black History Month,

the podcast, Selective Ignorance with Mandy B, unpacked black history and culture with comedy, clarity, and conversations that shake the status quo. The Crown Act in New York was signed in July of 2019, and that is a bill that was passed to prohibit discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race. To hear this,

and more. Listen to Selective Ignorance with Mandy B from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious.

Mind Games, a new podcast exploring NLP, aka neurolinguistic programming. Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to Mind Games on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the unpurposed podcast. On a recent episode, I sat down with Nick Jonas, singer, songwriter, actor, and global superstar. I went blank. I hit a bad note, then I couldn't kind of recover. And I had built up this idea that music and being musician was my whole identity. I had to sort of relearn who I was if you took this thing away. Who am I? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Chetty on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcast with IHart Radio. Hey guys, welcome to the Almost Famous Podcast. It is actually. Ashley and producer Heather here. We are breaking down something that was a release just within the hour. It is Taylor Frankie Paul's Bachelorette teaser and her official Bachelorette promo photo, the one that we'll probably see on all the billboards out in L.A. It's a good one a couple of weeks ago.

She came onto Instagram after like an AI one was mocked up by a fan and she said, oh wait to see the real one because it's going to be. like, you know, making tongues, tongues wag more than even this. And it is so good. It's perfect. Let's talk about the picture first, Heather. I do want to say that when I saw it, I was like, she was not lying. Like, this is better than what the fan had made up.

The fake one. The fan had made that comment. The mock up was about her wearing the guards, the garments. Yeah. The garments at home. And some people. we had messages about the garments and such. People are trying to say, like, you know,

next time you talk about Mormonism, how it was on, we'll talk about, you know, exactly how it is in our culture today. But that aside, this tagline reads, if you don't fit the mold,

break it. And it's her in a Barbie box. She is wearing a beautiful red dress. And she's stepping out of that Barbie box. She breaks the, you know, the plastic packaging, taking the step out.

And the greatest thing, things are her accessories in the background are what if Taylor was a Barbie, what would be included in her package. And my favorite two things that just hit right off the bat are the book of more men. So that is absolutely hilarious. The spin on more men. The book of more men hilarious. Because we also know that she's been, I mean, she's the bachelorette. So she's going to get more men. She's known for her relationship with Swithman. Hilarious. And then we also have a ring light and a cell phone, some crocs, and a tumbler, because this is just

like her comfy lifestyle. She's very well known about how she likes to just be cozy. She very rarely will dress up. She likes to look cute in her sweatsuits. What else are you seeing her? Do you have comments on? I see the purse and the red coat and then the little red heels. and sunglasses.

It makes me wonder if there's going to be some sort of incognito or something kind of date on the show because those are not the kinds of things that Taylor wears or if they're just like, oh, we're doing a Barbie reference. So we need to give like an alternative outfit change in this box. I don't know. Two lives maybe? Two lives. Yeah.

I mean, we do, we have seen, right, like clips of her while filming that she did have to do some like different kind of outfits than she normally. wears. I'm thinking right off the bat of like a cardigan and collared shirt outfit that she wore, but maybe it's a deeper tease than we know. But I love it. I love it. She looks absolutely stunning in this picture. She looks so good. There's blocks that raid out mom and there's a little toy truck. And this is very, very heavily read Valentine's Day themed, which is why I think it's being released now Monday, February 9th. I think it's more on the nose with like the red Valentine's Day theme than any past

release. I think it also like is tying in right with that bachelorette um reunion where they're all wearing red. Oh, that's right. So I think that's just part of like the overarching colors that they're pushing with this. Yeah. You are absolutely correct. Um, all right. So now the teaser, it was fun. It doesn't show any clips from this season. And so it's not like we're getting a preview of the season. It's more of like a hype video for Taylor being the Bachelorette. It starts out by saying, people think that I want all the attention, something like that.

I thought she was going to say like that line from Taylor, in that Taylor Swift line where it's like, it's not always about me, but what if it is? And I thought that maybe she'd be like, they say that I want all the attention and like, maybe I do. But she doesn't end up saying that. It's like an accusation about her is that she wants all the attention. What I think is interesting, obviously, is this promo starts with her walking down a hall of cell phones.

Very reminiscent, right, of Taylor Swift and her eras to her, you know. This is as reputation plays. As reputation is playing, yes. And we get to see different clips and things of Taylor through this. So we start with, you know, headlines. We see TikToks. We see her clip from her on call her daddy. We see obviously her incredible viral TikTok moment where she sat down and announced the soft swinging scandal, which is what started this all.

And so I think that it's a really interesting way not showing clips of the show, but highlighting who our lead is going to be and kind of seeing this range. Like we see her, I think there's one clip of her like crying and like making food at the same time. So we're just kind of seeing a wide range of like what she's been through and parts of her personality from dancing and having fun to having this more serious, you know, moments. Yeah. It's fun that they get to use clips from another show to promote the Bachelorette. Yeah. She says in it millions of likes and I didn't like my. myself. Then she talks about cheating, being cheated on. She talks about whether or not she feels worthy of love, but she wants to better herself for her kids. And that she's ready to get back

into it. You see that in a clip of an interview that she did on Call Her Daddy. And it's just like builds up the fact that she is a public figure already, the entire trailer. And I feel like it gives like a little bit of more weight to the kind of Bachelor at lead she's going to be. And at the end she adds this cute little line. She's like, you just have to have a little faith as if it's an ironic statement. And then she steps out of the cell phone. She's in that a similar red dress as she is throughout, you know, this clip like she is in the photo. She's wearing like a red gown heels. And then at the very end, she steps out of the cell phone and is wearing like sweats and red crocs. Love it. So it's all intertwined.

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I'm Ben Higgins, and if you can hear me, is where culture meets the soul, a place for real conversation. Each episode, I sit down with people from all walks of life, celebrities, thinkers, and everyday folks, and we go deeper than the polished story. We talk about what drives us, what shapes us, and what gives us hope.

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What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious.

NLP, aka neurolinguistic programming, is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics, and psychology. Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain. It's about engineering consciousness. Mind Games is the story of NLP. It's crazy cast of disciples and the fake doctor who invented it at a new age commune and sold it to guys in suits. He stood trial for murder and got acquitted. The biggest mind game of all, NLP might actually work.

This is wild. Listen to Mind Games on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Any other messages in there that you think are lingering? I will say we got a lot of shots of her. We didn't see too many shots of like her family or her with her kids, which we actually, if you watch the show, you don't see her two children from her marriage. They are not part of the show, but we do. Oh, really?

Yeah, we don't ever see. So that's like something that he doesn't want them to be on camera. Or maybe a decision they both made. I don't know, but we do see ever her baby with deco. Cota on the show here and there because we see them like, you know, doing co-parenting together and whatnot. So yes. But no, none of her children, as far as I saw appear in this.

And neither her mom, too. I would have thought we would maybe see a family member in there, but we don't. And I'm just excited. Like I just, I watch this and it's just getting me more and more. pumped for this season. Like, I really do think that they're doing something different in putting her in this role. And I think just her stepping out in her own outfit is just further proof that this is going to be a very different season than we've ever had before. Yeah, I totally agree. It's like they're having fun again. It feels like they're excited to put this content out. And it's not like a run of the mill,

like, oh, here we go again type thing. They know this is interesting. They're having fun with all the And yeah, I just wanted to talk about how this step out of the breaking of the camera and how she's literally in, she's not in sweatpants, but she is in a far more casual outfit than you would typically see from a bachelorette. And I think that that is one of the ways that she's like, hey, I'm breaking the mold here. I'm not going to be wearing a ball gown every night. Yeah, and I like it. I just feel like there's so many times where I've watched a season of The Bachelorette and I've known like a little factor of that lead just from being on whatever previous season they were on. But I feel like I'm going in like knowing so much about her and knowing so much about the journey to get to this point that it is like creating a different level of connection that I have with a lead than I think I ever have. yeah definitely i think that you speak for most a lot of people when you say that all right guys well

until we get a final a final tease that's what we got right now and we are like five weeks away from the premiere pretty close so i'm sure we'll be getting a tease within the next month um that shows more of the guys and we can of course overanalyze them as well until next time that's what we've got for you we love you we are so great for to be having this fantastic Bachelorette season ahead to recap with you. And we'll see you next time. Until then, I've been Ashley.

I've been Heather. Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcasts on IHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. You can scroll the headlines all day and still feel empty. I'm Ben Higgins and if you can hear me

is where culture meets the soul. Honest conversations about identity, loss, purpose, peace, faith and everything in between. Celebrities, thinkers, everyday people, some have answers. Most are still figuring it out. And if you've ever felt like there has to be more to the story, this show is for you. Listen to if you can hear me on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Over the last couple years, didn't we learn that the folding chair was invented by black people because of what happened in Alabama? This Black History Month, the podcast, Selective Ignorance with Mandy B, unpacks black history and culture with comedy, clarity, and conversations that shake the status quo. The Crown Act in New York was signed in July of 2019, and that is a bill that was passed to prohibit discrimination based on hair styles associated with race. To hear this and more, listen to Selective Ignorance with Mandy B from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to.

buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. Mind Games, a new podcast exploring NLP, aka Neurilingualistic Programming. Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to Mind Games on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. On a recent episode, I sat down with Nick Jonas, singer, songwriter, actor, and global superstar. I went blank. I hit a bad note, and I couldn't kind of recover. And I built up this idea that music and being musician was my whole identity. I had to sort of relearn who I was if you took this thing away. Who am I? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the IHeart Radio app.

podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.