The Bachelor’s Big Changes
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After a serious call to arms in Bachelor Nation, Matt James will be the first-ever black Bachelor! The 28-year-old was named the lead after a campaign launched by the franchise’s first-ever black lead in 2017, Rachel Lindsay.
In a statement, producers said: “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.”
A Change.org petition calling for diversity went viral, as the entire nation grappled with the need for more diversity in all industries. Before being named the new Bachelor, James was cast in the next Bachelorette series starring Clare Crawley.
Fans were thrilled for the most part. One summarized their glee at the campaign to cast a black Bachelor thusly: “woke up to see that we bullied ABC into giving us a black bachelor and its tyler cameron’s bestie”.
