Greg Grippo: From ‘Bachelor’ Star to Mental Health Advocate

Greg Grippo is not the soft-spoken, tortured guy you thought he was when you first met him on The Bachelorette. No, the real Greg—the one who showed up on Amanda Hirsch’s Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast—is a lot more layered, self-aware, and dare I say it, inspiring. Turns out, reality TV heartbreak was nothing compared to the real challenges life threw at him. And somehow, he came out the other side not just surviving but thriving—and helping others do the same.

Greg Grippo: From ‘Bachelor’ Star to Mental Health Advocate

From Bullied Kid to Bachelor Nation

“I got my ass whooped almost every other day,” Greg, 31, shared candidly on the podcast, diving into his childhood like he was mid-therapy session—which, honestly, he kind of was. As a small, shy kid in fifth grade, he was an easy target after switching schools. “They’d choke me in the locker room until I cried,” he admitted. And no, he never told his parents. They thought he was the cool kid. “I didn’t want to let them down.”

Fast forward to The Bachelorette, and it’s no wonder Greg came off as the guy carrying the weight of the world. He was. When his father passed away in 2019, everything shifted. Greg went to therapy for the first time, finding solace in grief counseling. But even that journey wasn’t without heartbreak—his first therapist became a close confidant before passing away from cancer. “I was devastated. He was 87, sharp as hell, and got me like no one else did,” Greg said.

For Greg,  Bachelorette drama was nothing. “All that… it was child’s play compared to real life,” he reflected. The “sad boy” label? He didn’t mind it, not if it meant something good could come from it.

Why He Kept Saying No to Reality TV

Surprise, surprise: Greg didn’t actually want to be on The Bachelorette at first. His sister, Samantha, submitted him without his knowledge while he was studying acting at the William Esper Studio—yes, the “Meryl Streep of acting schools,” as Amanda quipped. When the call came, he hung up, thinking it was a prank. “I was 24, had zero interest in getting engaged on TV. I emailed back like, ‘Hard pass.'”

They kept calling—for Clare Crawley’s season, no less. But Greg, then 26, took one look at the casting news and thought, “She’s 40, I’m a literal child, she’s not gonna like me.” COVID canceled everything anyway, but fate (or, if you believe Greg’s mom’s medium, destiny) intervened. The producers called again on the anniversary of his father’s passing. Spooky? Yes. Effective? Also yes. “My mom saw a medium the next week, and she mentioned the exact name of the producer who called me. I was like, okay, universe, I get it.”

And so, Greg went on The Bachelorette, where he quickly became the guy everyone either loved or loved to hate.

Finding Himself—On and Off Camera

Post-show, Greg Grippo could’ve leaned into influencer life and milked his 15 minutes. Instead, he leaned into therapy. “I’ve been through a lot of therapy,” he told Amanda, laughing. “I stopped after my first round, went on the show, and then went right back after.”

Today, Greg’s thriving. His TikTok presence is—as Amanda put it—”scary good.” He doesn’t take himself seriously, which is why it works. “If you care too much, people smell it. I’m just doing my thing,” he shrugged. And the internet eats it up. The man’s jeans alone have their own fanbase.

But more than TikTok thirst traps, Greg’s using his platform to normalize mental health conversations. He openly shares his therapy journey, the struggles of grief, and how he’s finally learning to love his own company. “This is the first year I’ve ever been fully single. I’m not chasing a relationship. I’m working on me.”

What You Can Take Away From Greg’s Journey

Look, not everyone’s going to get a cosmic sign on the anniversary of a loved one’s death telling them to make a life-changing decision. But Greg’s story still offers some solid, real-world takeaways:

• Therapy isn’t just for crisis mode. Greg started therapy after losing his dad but stuck with it long after. As he put it, “I’m always trying to understand why I am the way I am.”
• Boundaries are self-care. When producers asked him to do Bachelor in Paradise, he declined. “I wasn’t ready. I didn’t feel stable enough. And I’m glad I waited.”
• Don’t let social media define your worth. The comments—good or bad—used to get to him. Not anymore. “I try not to take stake in either. You can’t rely on likes for serotonin.”
• It’s okay to enjoy your own company. After years of jumping from one relationship to the next, Greg’s embracing solitude. “I’m not looking—the right person will come.”
• Gratitude changes everything. He doesn’t journal, but he does whisper thank-yous to the universe every morning. “It sounds cheesy, but it works.”

Greg Grippo, Mental Health Hero

Greg Grippo might’ve been Bachelor Nation’s sad boy, but he’s emerged as something far more impressive—a guy who’s done the work, faced the hard stuff, and come out with wisdom to share. And if his TikTok thirst traps happen to brighten your feed in the process, well, that’s just a bonus.

As Amanda said at the end of the pod, “Look at you now.” Indeed, Greg. Look at you now.