Bachelor in Paradise star John Paul Jones may have a way with words, but his new girlfriend, Tayshia Adams, put her foot in her mouth with a bizarre observation after he swept her off her feet with a Shakespearian poem he recited for her. While JPJ forgot a lot of the lines from the Romeo and Juliet verse, Tayshia liked his delivery enough to kiss him.
As she gushed over JPJ and his intellectual surfer vibe, Tayshia noted that “usually guys like him that talk like him don’t have a brain like him,” and that it’s “a big turn on,” per Bustle . But Tayshia then said that JPJ looks like “a really hot version of Heath Ledger.” That comment sent fans of the late actor into a rage.
On social media, Ledger’s fans questioned Tayshia’s comparison to the Australian actor, who passed away in 2008 after an accidental prescription drug overdose. The movie star, who was just 28-years-old at the time, was immortalized in a posthumous role as the Joker in the Batman film, The Dark Knight .
After Tayshia’s Bachelor in Paradise comment that compared John Paul Jones to a “hotter” Heath Ledger, the late actor’s fans fired back on Twitter.
“Let me remind you all in no way JPJ is hotter than the late great Heath Ledger!!! I am mad at Tayshia for saying it and I am mad at every producer that let her say it,” one fan tweeted .
Another Twitter user directed a comment at Tayshia herself.
“Hey Tayshia, you know who’s a hot version of Heath Ledger? HEATH LEDGER!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B014ULdAf93/
Several other Bachelor in Paradise viewers called out Tayshia for disrespecting the late actor, as can be seen by the social media reaction below.
https://twitter.com/TaylorLondagin/status/1161499650697891840
Tayshia, I’m sorry but JPJ is definitely NOT a hot version of Heath Ledger. How dare you insult my man like that! #ripheathledger @BachParadise
— Carly Hobbs (@carly_hobbs28) August 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/wucandoit/status/1161455440233992193
Did Tayshia just say JPJ is a hotter version of Heath Ledger…. why would she speak ill of the dead?? Why?? ? #bachelorinpadadise
— Kara (@k_wasie) August 14, 2019
Heath Ledger died on January 22, 2008, leaving behind a film career that included roles in 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot and Brokeback Mountain, as well as the posthumous films The Dark Knight and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus .
As for Tayshia Adams, she made it to the Fantasy Suite dates during Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor , but just after their date, the former NFL player abandoned her for Cassie Randolph. Tayshia’s Bachelor heartbreak scored her an invite to Paradise , where she was wooed early on by Blake Horstmann. No wonder John Paul Jones is a breath of fresh air for the Bachelor beauty. Just don’t compare him to Heath Ledger and it’s all good.
Bachelor in Paradise airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
