Friday, March 29, 2024

Finally! Matt James is the First Black Male Lead in ‘The Bachelor’ Franchise History

Matt James is new new bachelor

*It took a while, but in the age of George Floyd, it finally happened. Friday morning, ‘The Bachelor” named Matt James its first black bachelor.

James, a New Yorker who works for the real estate group CBRE, was cast for the upcoming 25th season of the show following a recent fan-generated petition urging producers to increase diversity, as well as strong messages from past cast members.

James, 28, was originally scheduled to appear as a contestant on Clare Crawley’s season of “The Bachelorette,” which halted production earlier this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Matt has been on our radar since February, when producers first approached him to join Bachelor Nation, as part of Clare’s season. When filming couldn’t move forward as planned, we were given the benefit of time to get to know Matt and all agreed he would make a perfect Bachelor,” ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said in a statement, according to Entertainment Weekly.

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You can probably thank Rachel Lindsay ’cause the move comes in the wake the first black “Bachelorette” Rachel Lindsay criticizing the franchise for a lack of diversity. Heck, sista girl even threatened to disassociate herself if a black “Bachelor” wasn’t cast in an interview with AfterBuzz last Friday, TheWrap noted.

A passionate Lindsay even referred to the long-running franchise as “whitewashed.” But she didn’t stop there.

“I think that they have to, at this point, give us a black ‘Bachelor’ for Season 25. You have to. I don’t know how you don’t. And it’s been asked of me, will I continue in this franchise if it continues in this way? I can’t,” she answered. “I have to see some type of change. It’s ridiculous. It’s embarrassing. At this point, it’s embarrassing to be affiliated with it.”

On top of being vocal, Lindsay, 35, and other show alum promoted a fan-based petition urging the series to cast its first black “Bachelor.” As of Friday, over 85,000 fans had signed the petition.

Those familiar with “The Bachelor” franchise know that James first appeared on Hannah Brown’s season of “The Bachelorette.” He is best friends with Tyler Cameron, who competed for her heart.

During an appearance Friday on “Good Morning America,” James called his casting “a step in the right direction.”

“When Rachel speaks, we listen. She has a very important voice in all of this, being the first black woman, person of color to have a lead. I think we’re all following suit in that conversation, and this is hopefully, this is the first of many black men to be in the position that I’m in now,” James said.

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