'Bachelorette' Fans Were Surprised To Learn About Grant Ellis As the Next 'Bachelor' Lead

Almost as fast as Jenn Tran dismissed Grant Ellis ahead of Hometown dates on The Bachelorette, he was announced by ABC as the next Bachelor lead. But, because there are other men from Jenn's season who could do the job just as well, there are a lot of different reactions to the news of Grant as The Bachelor in 2025. Some fans are in full support of him getting his chance at love, while others don't understand why the announcement about who the next Bachelor is came so much earlier than usual.

Before Jenn sent Grant home on The Bachelorette, he shared some strong feelings for her. While some fans might have thought that was a no-no for a guy who hadn't even made it to Hometown dates yet, others commended him for opening up so much. And that could be one of the factors in producers choosing him over some of the other men from Jenn's season who were also sent home earlier than expected.

In the past, Bachelor and Bachelorette leads have been announced at the Men Tell All or Women Tell All events. Or, they were announced on-stage at any given finale special for the shows. But for Jenn's season of The Bachelorette, Grant was almost quietly announced as the next Bachelor after the Aug. 12 episode aired. And, while surprise and confusion are among some of the feelings of fans, there's also excitement and a bit of shadiness thrown in there too.

One fan tweeted, "I'm so sad Grant went home but OMG!!! He is gorgeous!!! I am so excited for his season! #TheBachelor #TheBachelorette."

Another shared their excitement and tweeted, "Missed last night's episode...GRANT IS THE BACHELOR!?!??! They got it right this time! #TheBachelor #TheBachelorette."

Other Bachelorette fans aren't so sure about this choice in the next Bachelor. Because, let's face it, until the Aug. 12 episode, when he was eliminated, Grant hadn't gotten much screen time. He also wasn't part of the drama that surrounded some of the guys, though.

Does the lack of screen time mean he's a bad choice for The Bachelor? Not necessarily. However, Grant as the producers' top choice does raise some questions with fans, and since he was in the background of some dates, you can't really blame those fans for having questions.

On a reddit thread about Grant being chosen as The Bachelor lead for 2025, someone commented, "I didn't even know this guy's name…such a random choice." Another user commented, "He's super hot but I can't remember anything about him for some reason."

Of course, in due time, everyone will know Grant's name as he leads The Bachelor as the second Black Bachelor in the show's history. And, as an unproblematic cast member from Jenn's season, it's hard not to root for him. Even if some fans aren't quite sure who he is right now.

On the flip side, as soon as Grant was sent home on The Bachelorette, some fans took to social media to call for him to be named the next Bachelor. Did they manifest this into reality? Probably not. They are, however, part of the growing number of fans who are excited to see Grant lead his own season and journey to finding love.

And to be fair, Grant's emotional goodbye with Jenn does speak to how ready he might be to be the next Bachelor lead. But there's definitely a lot that viewers still don't know about him that they'd like to learn before he starts handing out roses.

After the Aug. 12 episode of The Bachelorette aired, Grant was announced as the next Bachelor. And, while some fans were clearly excited about the pick after his tearful goodbye with Jenn and some of the other guys, it was unclear why the announcement came so early. Some viewers hadn't even caught the episode yet when Grant was announced.

But some believe The Bachelor announcement for 2025 happened earlier than usual to avoid any fan backlash if viewers became divided on who they wanted to lead the season, as they did with Daisy Kent and Maria Georgas from Joey Graziadei's season of The Bachelor.

Robert Mills, senior vice president of Unscripted & Alternative Entertainment at Disney, tweeted the reason shortly after the announcement was made. "We are announcing Grant so quickly so people can still apply to be on his season," he tweeted. "If you think Grant is potentially the man of your dreams or you know someone who is, apply ASAP!!! #TheBachelor."

Watch The Bachelor on Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC and the next day on Hulu.