Matt James has been named the first black “Bachelor” in the series’ nearly two-decade history.
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.
The 28-year-old was originally slated 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.
“We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we’re seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in and we are proudly in service to our audience. This is just the beginning and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise. We feel so privileged to have Matt as our first Black Bachelor and we cannot wait to embark on this journey with him,” the statement continued.
In “The Bachelor” franchise’s 18-year, 40-season history, Rachel Lindsay has been the only black lead, starring as “The Bachelorette” in 2017.
Earlier this week, Lindsay, 35, and other show alums voiced support for the fan-based petition urging the series to cast its first black “Bachelor,” among other suggestions. As of Friday, over 85,000 fans had signed the petition.
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.
When asked if the move to cast James seemed “too little, too late,” he replied: “My opinion, I don’t think it’s ever the wrong time to do the right thing.”
Season 25 is expected to air next year.