Amid demand for more racial diversity in the entertainment industry as well as in all other job sectors, it was announced that there is finally going to be a black Bachelor! Matt James is set to be the franchise’s first ever black male lead after Rachel Lindsey previously made history as the first black Bachelorette!
The great news was shared earlier today on Good Morning America and it’s definitely a huge reason to celebrate since Matt is the first black Bachelor in the show’s 18-year history!
The announcement comes amid Black Lives Matter protests happening in all 50 States but also outside America.
ABC, the network airing the Bachelor and the Bachelorette , released a statement reading: ‘We know that we have a responsibility to ensure the love stories we are seeing on screen are representative of the world that we live in, and we’re proudly in service to our audience. This is just the beginning, and we’ll continue to take action in regard to diversity issues on our franchise. We feel very privileged to have Matt as our first Black Bachelor and we can’t wait to embark on this journey with him.’
Initially, the new Bachelor, James, 28, was actually supposed to be just another contestant on the Bachelorette, during Clare Crawley’s season.
As you know, her season was put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic back in March and that was before she even got to meet the men competing for her heart.
As a result, it was not difficult at all to transfer James to the male equivalent series that would have women compete for his heart!
FIRST ON @GMA: The new @BachelorABC is Matt James.
Season 25 of “The Bachelor” is scheduled to premiere in 2021. https://t.co/c1NVcVkkpS #TheBachelor #BachelorNation pic.twitter.com/VEpDJMIlR2
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 12, 2020
The 28 year old admitted that he was a bit disappointed that he would no longer get to meet Clare but is, of course, excited to make history as the first black Bachelor!
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‘It’s an honor. I’m going to lean into myself and how my mom raised me, and hopefully, when people invite me into their homes Monday night, they see that I’m no different from them and that diverse love stories are beautiful,’ James stated.
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