Trista Sutter and Ashley I. Address Grant Ellis’ ‘Shocking’ and ‘Cold’ Comments About Julianna Split

UPDATE — 6/25/25 at 8:37 p.m. ET: – Grant Ellis had some of his own thoughts in response to fellow members of Bachelor Nation commenting on his split from Juliana Pasquarosa.

After Ashley Iaconetti and Trista Sutter candidly shared their mixed feelings about how Ellis has handled the breakup during the Tuesday, June 24, episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast, Grant took to the podcast’s social media page to respond.

“Everyone is criticizing and I get that. I did everything I could to make the relationship work,” Grant wrote in a since-deleted comment, which was then read on a special breaking episode of “Almost Famous” by Ashley’s cohost, Ben Higgins. “So did Juliana. I am able to distance my feelings when something isn’t for me. The lesson learned over heartbreak any day.”

Ben then gave his “personal opinion” to Ellis’ remark, saying “it comes across a little cold.”

“We are watching, not even a few months ago, we were watching them come out publicly. They were asking for the public’s support of their relationship. They were talking about their future together,” Ben explained. “They were talking about moving in together. They were claiming the  reason we didn’t see them together was because of the distance but that was going to be a solution here soon.”

Ben pointed out that Ashley “made the assumption things weren’t good” between Grant and Juliana long before the breakup was announced, which was met with “criticism” from the public” even though “she was right.”

“But I don’t think it’s an unfair comment for [Grant] to make,” Ben continued. “Again, I think he’s in a season of protection. He’s trying to move on past this to try and figure out what life looks like beyond the relationship and beyond the Bachelor. He is trying to get back out into the world and date while his fire is still burning from the show.”

Original story below:

Bachelor Nation alums Trista Sutter and Ashley Iaconetti have some thoughts on how Grant Ellis is conducting himself following his split from Juliana Pasquarosa.

Trista, 52, and Ashley, 37, broke down Grant’s recent Instagram Live during a Tuesday, June 24, episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast. The former Bachelor women couldn’t get over the most recent lead revealing he was “not heartbroken” after his breakup from Juliana.

“The not heartbroken thing. I’m sorry. You were engaged,” Trista said. “That’s shocking to me.”

Ashley chimed in, adding, “That’s cold.” Trista agreed.

“Even if it was a mutual split, you say you’re heartbroken because you should be sad about the ending of something that could have ended up in — that should have ended up in marriage,” Ashley continued. “That was the intention.”

Trista added, “If you’re not heartbroken, was your heart ever in it? Were you in love? Like didn’t you tell her that you loved her and you’re not heartbroken? That literally is the meaning of the word heartbroken.”

Trista noted that when she was the Bachelorette, she felt “heartbroken” on the first night in the Bachelor Mansion after she sent people home.

“Maybe his definition of heartbreak is just different than ours,” she added. “I don’t know.”

Ashley was trying to see both sides of the situation and openly wondered if Grant was really telling the truth or was, instead, “on the defense” after the breakup.

“It didn’t work out, and now he’s like, ‘Oh, don’t care about her. I’m moving on. It’s not going to be a problem for me to move on,’” she speculated. “Just trying to look like he’s not affected.”

Trista, meanwhile, wished Grant would “be honest” with his followers about his feelings going forward.

“Be authentic with the fact that you were just engaged to someone and you obviously cared about her,” she said. “Can you not admit that, you know, it’s sad to be ending a relationship that you thought was your future?”

Grant proposed to Juliana during the finale of his Bachelor season, which aired in March. They announced their split nearly three months later. Us Weekly has confirmed that Grant and Juliana have both unfollowed each other on Instagram.

In the aftermath of their split, Grant went live on Instagram and answered fan questions about his failed engagement.

“Why did I break up with Juliana? I didn’t break up with anybody,” he said on Sunday, June 22, adding that “life goes on” after their “mutual” split. While he is now officially single, fans shouldn’t expect him to rekindle things with any of his other former Bachelor contestants.

“I don’t rekindle. I move forward,” Grant said. “I would not get back with anybody from my past. Life is best when you move forward, not backward.”