ABC has cast its first black “Bachelor” in franchise history following demands from viewers for the show to include more diversity.
Matt James, who was set to appear on Clare Crawley’s season of “The Bachelorette,” was announced as the next male lead Friday by ABC.
“It’s official…your next Bachelor is @mattjames919!” ABC captioned a photo of James.
The move comes after a Change.org petition urging the franchise to acknowledge the lack of diversity in its casting. Out of all 40 leads that have been cast, there has only ever been one black lead, Rachel Lindsay.
“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,” ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke said in a statement, CNN reported. (RELATED: Former ‘Bachelor’ Contestant Victoria F. Addresses Involvement In ‘White Lives Matter’ Photo Shoot)
I think this is a great move for “The Bachelor.” It’s nice of them to own up to the face that they haven’t been fully inclusive in the past and actually make moves to change that going forward. I hope they continue to cast leads that are a great fit for the show.
James should be awesome. He hasn’t been on the show before, so we don’t know what to expect and he’s a friend of Tyler C.’s so we already know “Bachelor” Nation is going to love him.
I’m pumped for this season. We just have to see if coronavirus is going to let us actually have a season.