Bachelor’ Grant Ellis Slams Taylor Frankie Paul, Says Litia Garr Should’ve Been ‘The Bachelorette’
Key takeaways:
- Former Bachelor Grant Ellis criticizes the choice of Taylor Frankie Paul as the next Bachelorette, suggesting Litia Garr should have been chosen instead.
- Ellis previously made negative comments about Paul on Instagram, prompting a response from Paul defending herself as a kind lead.
- Paul’s season of The Bachelorette was canceled by ABC after a video surfaced showing her allegedly assaulting her ex-boyfriend, leading to domestic violence investigations that did not result in charges.
Former BachelorGrant Ellis is sharing his unfiltered thoughts on Taylor Frankie Paul.
In an Instagram post shared on Friday, May 8, the most recent Bachelor Nation lead said choosing The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star as the next Bachelorette was a mistake.
“Chat let’s be real, Litia [Garr] shoulda been Bachelorette,” Ellis wrote.
“2 back to back POC woulda been the move 🤷🏾♂️,” he captioned the post, referencing the fact that he and Garr, who was the runner-up on his season of The Bachelor, are both people of color.
Garr, a Utah native, has also made several guest appearances on Mormon Wives as a friend of Paul’s co-star Miranda McWhorter.
Friday’s post was not the first time Ellis has attacked Paul online either. On Wednesday, May 6, Ellis wrote on Instagram, “Let me get some felonies and become a Mormon so I can get cool with Bachelor Nation.”
While Ellis didn’t use Paul’s name, fans were quick to point out she was who he appeared to be referencing—and it didn’t take long for her to respond.
“Yes I’m FAR from a perfect princess bachelorette,” Paul wrote in an Instagram comment on Thursday, May 7. “Feel free to tell him I was also told I was one of the kindest leads they’ve had to both cast and crew ❤️that’s how.”
Paul’s season of The Bachelorette was scheduled to premiere on Mar. 22. On Mar. 19, ABC pulled the plug after TMZ released a never-before-seen video that appeared to show Paul assaulting her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen in 2023.
In a statement to TMZ, a Disney Entertainment spokesperson said, “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.”
The Draper and West Jordan police departments in Utah also opened separate domestic violence investigations regarding alleged altercations between Paul and Mortensen that occurred in February 2026.
In April, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announced they declined to file charges against Paul for the alleged incidents.
