Grant Ellis' romantic journey on the current season of “The Bachelorette” didn't have a happy ending. But instead of healing a broken heart, he's starting over and landing a breakthrough role as the next star of “The Bachelor.”
The self-proclaimed mama's boy and former professional basketball player who now works as a day trader will become the second Black lead on the series, which launched in 2002. The news followed Monday's episode of “The Bachelorette,” after Ellis was eliminated from the group of suitors courting star Jenn Tran.
Ellis’ casting for season 29 comes just over four years after Matt James was named the first Black Bachelor. James’ season, which premiered in 2021, was marred by controversy and turmoil and has been characterized as a defining chapter in the franchise’s decades-long history of racism and cultural insensitivity.
Ellis' stint will be a key test of executive producers Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner's declaration that they are committed to moving past toxicity and in a more inclusive direction.
“The core value of this show is that everyone deserves to find love, regardless of their race, ethnicity, background or faith,” Freeland said in a recent interview with The Times. “The only way to do that in a truly fulfilling way is to have people on the show who reflect the country we live in.”
Graebner added: “We have a long way to go, but we are committed to achieving it.”
Current star Jenn Tran on a date with Grant Ellis on ABC's “The Bachelorette.”
(John Fleenor / Disney)
In addition to having a predominantly white cast, the lack of black leads has been one of the harshest criticisms leveled at “The Bachelor” franchise. Bennett and Graebner said that casting a black actor as the lead was “a priority,” but did not specify at the time of the interview when that would happen.
Graebner said there are now production resources available that weren't present during James' season, “which went wrong on so many levels.”
James’ quest to find true love in 2021 was derailed after photographs surfaced of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell at a Southern, antebellum-themed party. Then-host Chris Harrison defended Kirkconnell in a combative interview with former “Bachelorette” star Rachel Lindsay on “Extra,” where she was a correspondent, further fueling controversy and ultimately leading to her exit from the franchise after nearly 20 years. (James chose Kirkconnell in the season finale.)
In an interview for his memoir in 2022, James, who is still in a relationship with Kirkconnell, accused producers of betraying their promise to show him as a successful black man who had overcome many personal and professional challenges. Graebner said in an interview with The Times that they “let Matt down.”
Although producers say they have taken several steps to correct mistakes and that casts have become more culturally diverse, progress has been bumpy.
Some members of the Bachelor Nation fanbase have been aggressive in harassing contestants of color online. And the current season of “The Bachelorette,” starring Tran, the franchise’s first Asian lead, has been criticized due to the lack of Asian representation in its dating pool.
Additionally, ABC and Warner Bros. Television, which produces “The Bachelor,” declined to comment on the status of Jodi Baskerville, who became the franchise’s first Black executive producer in 2021, following James’ season. She has been absent from the end credits since the season premiere of “The Bachelorette.”
