Former Bachelorette contestant James Taylor called out for attending Capitol riots

Former Bachelorette contestant James Taylor is called out by producer Mike Fleiss for attending Capitol riots.

James Taylor was first introduced to Bachelor Nation during JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette back in season 12. He was eliminated during week 7, and just like many before and after him, we thought that was the end of his five seconds of fame in the world of Bachelor Nation.

However, earlier this week, James Taylor caused quite a ruckus when he admitted to attending the Capitol riots in Washington D.C. last week. Since then he has faced backlash for attending the riots and claiming to have the support of ABC and the producers of Bachelor Nation.

Putting an end to those rumors was showrunner and creator of The Bachelor franchise himself, Mike Fleiss, who has basically exiled Taylor from Bachelor Nation after learning he attended the riots.

At first, Fleiss wasn’t aware of which former cast member it was, but fans of the franchise quickly informed him that it was in fact, James Taylor.

Even former Bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay, voiced her anger over Taylor attending the riots. She has been a long time advocate of better casting and more diversity within The Bachelor franchise and stated situations like these are precisely why there should be a better system in place for casting leads and contestants.

On January 6th, many identifying as supporters of Trump, ambushed the Capitol and broke in through windows and locked doors during a meeting to certify the electoral college votes. The riots resulted in five deaths, including one Capitol police officer.

Taylor tweeted to his followers in the days leading up to the rally to join him in Washington D.C. and went as far as asking folks to message him if they need a plane ticket. Given the horrific and devastating result of the riots, it comes as no surprise that his vocal support for it has turned many against him, including Mike Fleiss himself.