Bachelor Star Grant Opens Up About Family Struggles and Sobriety Journey

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Grant, the newly announced star of *The Bachelor* season 29, is opening up about his family’s struggles with addiction and his hopes for finding love on the hit reality show. The 28-year-old contestant, who first appeared on *The Bachelorette* season 28 in summer 2024, shared intimate details about his father’s battle with substance abuse and his family’s unwavering support during an exclusive interview with *Us Weekly*.

“They’re really supportive,” Grant said of his parents and sister ahead of the show’s premiere in January 2025. “My family has been through a lot together, and it’s really crazy that we still support each other in the ways that we do, even though we’re all at different points of our life.”

Grant, who was eliminated from *The Bachelorette* after vying for Jenn Tran’s heart, revealed his desire to start a family of his own. “I want a family. I want to be happy, I want a wife, I want to be in love,” he said in a confessional during the show. “I want to give everything to somebody, and I want them to give me everything in return.”

During an August 2024 episode of *The Bachelorette*, Grant opened up about his father’s 30-year struggle with addiction. “My father has been an addict for, like, 30 years. Addiction is a hard thing because, you know, growing up, my pops was everything, like, he was my superhero,” he said. “He used to take me to the park, and he always used to be inebriated or intoxicated under the substance. The worst thing is, I didn’t know.”

Grant recalled a pivotal moment when his father checked into rehab after losing his job. “[He] checked into rehab, and ever since that, we had a talk, and he was like, ‘Listen, son. This is the first time that you know the real me when I’m not intoxicated,’” Grant shared. “So now, he’s, like, a little under two months sober. I hope he holds strong.”

On the podcast *The Viall Files*, Grant expressed pride in his father’s progress. “I’m super proud of him for the progress he’s made, where he’s come from, and what he’s doing now,” he said. “I just want him to know that he did a good job.”

Grant also revealed that his mother played a key role in his journey to *The Bachelor*. “I remember she literally called me, I’m in the middle of my trading routine in the morning, and she called me, she’s like, ‘Oh, by the way, I signed you up for *The Bachelorette*,’” he recalled. “And I’m like, ‘Are you serious?’ So, they ended up calling me, and then, things just progressed.”

Grant’s sister, Taylor Ellis, a model who has appeared in *Marie Claire* and *InStyle*, also plays a significant role in his life. “For a long time, me and my sister weren’t super tight,” Grant admitted during the podcast. “But we’ve grown closer over the years.”

As Grant prepares to embark on his journey as *The Bachelor*, he remains hopeful about finding love. “Hopefully, grandma and everyone watches the season with you,” he told his mother during a phone call announcing his casting. With his family’s support and his father’s sobriety journey as a backdrop, Grant’s season promises to be one of the most heartfelt in the show’s history.