Author: Sarah Hearon

It’s been two months since Litia Garr made waves on the season 29 finale of The Bachelor — something that had a bigger effect on her than she expected.“It has definitely been a whirlwind with everyone’s opinions on all the stuff that has happened,” Litia, 31, recently told Us Weekly during an exclusive interview. “I grew up watching reality TV. You just assume that everyone [on the show has] moved past it, but it is crazy how many emotions come up while you’re watching it [air]. Things are kind of reignited. [You’re thinking], ‘I didn’t know they said that, or I don’t know if I really like how that conversation went.’ You see everyone’s talking heads and you don’t know how much of it is editing and how much of it they really felt in the moment. Stuff got dug up and dredged up … that part was the most surprising.”
Earlier this year, Bachelor Nation watched Grant Ellis develop connections with both Litia and Juliana Pasquarosa during his weeks-long journey. During the March 24 finale, he broke things off with Litia — after allegedly assuring her the night before that they were going to get engaged — and proposed to Juliana, 29. Litia confronted Grant about seemingly leading her on during the live portion of the finale.
“I was very excited for it to be out there and for it to be over. I was obviously very nervous because it was live and I didn’t know how everyone was gonna respond to it,” Litia told Us. “I hadn’t seen our breakup yet, so I didn’t really know how that was gonna go. But I had closure the day that we broke up. Our conversation was 45 minutes long, and I said everything I needed to say on that day — and really everything I said was things that had happened throughout the course of the season.”

Litia explained that her comments to Grant during the live show were largely things she said during their breakup that didn’t make the cut.
“They can’t include a 45-minute conversation in a three-hour finale, so I just knew that I was gonna have to give everyone context for my reaction,” she said. “I’m not mad anymore. It’s disappointing and I desire accountability — I think that is all I really cared about. I wasn’t trying to hold anyone’s feet to the fire or anything. I was just like, ‘This is context for my reaction and every happiness to everybody else.’”
“That’s what I’m responsible for at the end of the day — saying my piece,” she continued. “So if it looks like I’m only focusing on myself, that’s correct, that’s the story that I’m responsible for telling.”
One of Litia’s comments that garnered a lot of attention was noting that Juliana should “have a lot of questions,” given the previous promises Grant had made to her. Juliana has since stated her feelings were hurt by how things went down.

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“I don’t really have anything to say to Grant. I have said it several times, but to Juliana, I hope that she’s happy. I know there’s been some bumpiness between us, like, publicly, but I don’t have any hostility or anything for her,” Litia told Us. “I wish her happiness and I hope everything’s going well.” While Litia said she hasn’t spoken to them, she added, “If I were to see them, it would be very civil.”
Acknowledging that dating on TV is “so different” than dating in “real life,” Litia said that feelings and whether you “have chemistry” is real. She also noted that she will take lessons she learned from the show into the IRL dating scene.
“Pretty early on in the season, he said something to me that kind of threw me off a little bit. I addressed it and I think he handled it perfectly, but it was something that in past relationships, I would’ve been so petrified to bring up because it seems a little too deep. Like, ‘Well we’ve been together total for 20 minutes and you’re gonna call out a random comment that I said?’” she explained. “[But] you can do it in a respectful, nice way if something pops up — a red flag or just even, like, a yellow flag, it’s OK to address it and not waste your time.”
In addition to getting love from fans for holding Grant accountable, Litia’s openness about dating as biracial Mormon woman resonated with viewers.

“I think it makes me rare. It makes me unique,” Litia said with a smile. “It’s definitely isolating at times because I don’t know anyone that’s dealing with the exact same set of circumstances, but I think that feeling alone or feeling isolated — especially in dating — is not unique. … I think all women do that, [ask], ‘Is it because my hair’s too short? Is it because I gained 10 pounds? Is it because I have this job?’ We all kind of question ourselves and pick ourselves apart on behalf of the people that we’re dating when it’s so unnecessary.”
Litia said it’s “a test of knowing your value and knowing what you bring to the table” to come into to every new interaction or relationship [with the attitude of], ‘I know all the things that are positive that I bring, so I’m not gonna pick myself apart before the other person picks me apart.’”
When it comes to her religion, Litia said there are “so many” misconceptions about dating someone who is a Mormon.
“One misconception was, ‘Litia wants to have kids because she’s been conditioned and she’s been this, this and this.’ I’m like, if I was subscribing to every stereotype that exists about my religion, I would’ve been married at 20, I’d have four kids. I never would’ve done so many other things,” she explained. “They just kind of assume that I’m not capable of critical thinking because I subscribe to organized religion and ’cause I’m a Christian and all of that.”
Other than opting for an outing for a soda instead of heading to a bar for a drink, Litia said “there are good guys and bad guys” within the Mormon dating scene just like there would be within any group of men.

Us couldn’t talk about being a Mormon without bringing up season 2 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which, luckily, Litia is very well-versed on.
“One thing that I really like about both [The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and Mormon Wives] is that it portrays every woman as a real person who’s dynamic and nuanced,” she said. “Everyone has layers. And like, yes, you may be a part of a certain religion, but you’re also a woman and you’re also a mom and a wife, or you’re single or everyone is going through these things that are actually shared experiences. We are more similar to everyone else than we are dissimilar.”
Litia noted that there is a lot of “speculation about specific choices people make in their sex lives” or how to handle other topics that aren’t “in line with our religion.”
“I can only speak for myself and my own experience, but church is for people who want peace,” she continued. “Religion is for people who are seeking a greater purpose and who want to feel connected to a community and who wanna feel supported. And that is especially for people that made mistakes or that made choices that they regretted, they absolutely need peace. It’s not for perfect people.”
Litia gives credit to Taylor Frankie Paul, specifically, for being a “great example” of that.
“She made choices that she didn’t like and has found a way to make the church or to make our religion something that enriches her life and that she knows that it’s for her — it’s for everyone who wants it,” Litia said. “And if you don’t want it — that’s the other thing too — we’re not pushing it on anyone. It is something that brings me peace. It’s something that brings me joy. That’s why it’s a part of my life.”
When it comes to reality TV, Litia hasn’t just interacted with the stars from her couch. She met Kendall Jenner (and Hailey Bieber) at Coachella — and they were all-in on The Bachelor.
“Kendall and Hailey both watched the season,” she said. “Kendall walked up to me and was so friendly and so kind. It was the most surreal thing just because they’re icons in fashion, obviously. But at that time there was a lot of discourse with Grant and Juliana, and I was like, ‘How do you guys deal with hate?’ Especially Hailey was going through all of that at that point. And so it was so interesting to talk to them about that.”

Jenner and Bieber’s pro advice? “They both said the same thing: ‘Don’t look at it. But obviously, like, we still see it, but don’t look at it,’” she said. “It’s good advice.”
Litia also takes style cues from Jenner and Bieber. She often posts about fashion and beauty on social media.

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“I love chunky jewelry [and] funky, beaded things. I think that quiet luxury has been such a dominant movement in fashion lately. I am excited this summer to see something a little bit more funky,” Litia said. “I wanna get a little bit crazy … and be fun and funky and mix and match. I want it to be more exciting — patterns, prints and bright colors.”
She isn’t limiting herself to just style or reality TV, though.
“I met a creator recently that was like, ‘Oh, what kind of content do you make?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know yet.’ I’m figuring it out,” she said. “Today, I made an outfit video. Tomorrow, I’m probably gonna talk about my feelings. I try to just post whatever I am feeling in the moment. I definitely am in my head a lot because of the show and, like, all the negative things that can come with it. But the content that I like and the creators that I follow and I enjoy following are people that are just posting whatever they’re thinking about.”

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