Jen Affleck, Whitney Leavitt React to Taylor Frankie Paul on ‘Bachelorette,’ What She ‘Needs’ in a Man (Exclusive)

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt are weighing in on Taylor Frankie Paul’s starring role as the next Bachelorette!

Taylor, 31, was in the audience on Tuesday, September 16, as Jen, 26, and Whitney, 32, performed for the first time on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, and shared their reactions to the big news exclusively with Us Weekly.

“Oh well, she told us before it was out in the media … I’m so happy for her,” Whitney told Us at Tuesday’s live taping. “It is time for her to have some fun.”

Jen, meanwhile, said she has long thought her Mormon Wives costar would be perfect for the reality dating game show.

“Oh, well, I called it,” Jen told Us. “I gave the idea and I said, ‘You would be the best Bachelorette. You could save the franchise.’ And that’s what she’s doing!”

Whitney also shared some advice for Taylor’s potential suitors about what she might be looking for in a man.

“I think she needs a guy to recognize her resilience, her strength, like, who she is, because I feel like people take advantage of that,” the MomTok influencer said. “I want her to find someone that amplifies that and appreciates it.”

Whitney had a strong showing on her first night in the Dancing With the Stars ballroom as she and professional dance partner Mark Ballas scored a strong 15 points for their tango to the hit song “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters. The pair tied Robert Irwin and Witney Carson at the top of the leaderboard.

“I wasn’t expecting that, but I’m very grateful we put a lot of hard work,” Whitney told Us of her performance.

Mark, 39, revealed that the final performance went way better than their dress rehearsal.

“We had a bit of a bumpy dress rehearsal,” he shared, adding that Whitney’s “shoe almost fell off,” but ultimately, “it all came together.”

“I was nervous, forgetting things,” Whitney added of the dress rehearsal.

As for Tuesday’s live performance, Mark praised Whitney for holding her nerve on the dance floor.

“She did great,” the ballroom pro said. “I think we spent time coming in [on] details, working on little nuances that make it flow better [that] I think to the naked eye, aren’t always visible, but these are these little touches that help you glide and move and feel smooth. So I’m glad that those all kind of came together.”

Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.