Bachelor Nation
Who Is ‘The Bachelor’ Star Grant Ellis’ Dad? Inside Their Relationship & More to Know
The Bachelor Season 29 star Grant Ellis is close with his family, which consists of his mom, dad, and sister. However, his relationship with his father, Robert Ellis, was complicated in the past.
Grant has been open about the struggles his father dealt with over the years and how it affected their father/son relationship. On Season 21 of The Bachelorette, he told Jenn Tran about their history and then further opened up about his dad’s past in a podcast interview, as well as on The Bachelor.
Scroll down for everything we know about Grant’s father.
The Bachelor star Grant Ellis’ dad’s addiction
Grant told Tran that his dad struggled with addiction for 30 years. “Addiction is a hard thing because, you know, growing up, my pops was everything. Like, he was my superhero,” he shared. “He used to take me to the park, and he always used to be inebriated or, like, intoxicated under the substance. The worst thing is … I didn’t know.”
As Grant got older, he started realizing that there was more going on. “When you’re a child, you believe everything, and the one person I trusted most was always lying. So that was something. In my eyes, I’m like, ‘You’re a man. Why can’t you do what you have to do?'” he recalled.
The thing getting him through the tough times was basketball. He told ESPN, “Growing up, I had a lot of issues in my family. My father had a little bit of a troubled past. So, in order for me to get away from the influences that came in the outside world, I would play basketball.”
He further continued that besides his challenges at home, he was also positively guided by basketball from outside sources. “A lot of times coming up, I was protected because I could hoop,” Grant stated. “It was a thing where I would go outside and people would be doing stuff and they’d be like, ‘Nah, he’s a ball player,’ or, ‘He’s a hooper.’ So it was a good way for me to really stay focused and prioritize my wellbeing.”
Grant Ellis’ dad is sober
After years of addiction struggles, Grant’s father got sober in 2024, shortly before the former basketball star appeared on The Bachelorette.
“[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 told Tran. “So I’m, like, really leaning into that. So now, he’s, like, a little under two months sober, so, you know, I hope he holds strong. And it’s his first time living, too.”
Grant Ellis’ relationship with his dad
Despite hardships in the past, Grant and his dad have an extremely close relationship today. Things took a positive turn after his father lost his job and wouldn’t take accountability, according to Grant. The New Jersey native recalled telling his father, “I don’t f**king care,” which led to his dad calling him to apologize.
Today, their relationship is “great,” Grant revealed on an August 2024 episode of The Viall Files, adding, “I’m super proud of him for the progress he’s made, where he’s come from, and what he’s doing now. I just want him to know that he did a good job.”
He also told host Nick Viall, “I love my father to death, man, and he did the best that he could. It’s his first time living too, and he has this trauma, and he just took a certain route, and I don’t want him to ever think that I’m, like, bashing him or putting him out there, but you know, this is, it’s my life story.”
This is a new perspective that the day trader has, though. “Growing up, sometimes you may harbor resentment, but then when you’re in the position where you’re letting somebody down, then you realize that you could be trying your hardest and sometimes you’re gonna make mistakes,” he admitted. “Looking back at it, I can’t hold myself to a different standard than somebody that’s let me down. … So it’s like, I can’t really be mad at my pops for that, I gotta just kind of let that go and just roll with the punches and just try to help him along his journey.”
Opening up to ESPN, Ellis shared that he and his dad bonded over their joint passion for basketball when he was a kid. “My dad was the one who used to take me to Jersey City and Newark and drop me off at the park and, like, have me play against the older kids. And he was the one that would be at the games arguing with the other dads,” Ellis reminisced. “He was the one that was the basketball guy. My mom was just supportive in anything I did.”
In the sneak peek for The Bachelor finale, Grant’s dad has an emotional moment with his son. Talking to him, he said, “I love you. I love the men you have become. You are a gem. You deserve to be happy. You will make the right choice.” The two also shared a loving embrace.
The Bachelor, Season 29 finale, Monday, March 24, 8/7c, ABC
