The Bachelor: Matt James Announced as First Black Bachelor for the Show’s 25th Season
The next suitor for ABC’s The Bachelor has been revealed. Today on Good Morning America, Matt James announced that he would be the suitor for the show’s 25th season. James will be the first Black Bachelor on the popular reality series.
While much of Bachelor Nation is already familiar with James, many will meet him for the first time. James is a 28-year-old real estate broker, entrepreneur, and community organization founder.
The North Carolina native went to Wake Forest University, where he majored in economics and played wide receiver for the football team. He went on to play professional football, before moving to New York City, where he now resides.
MATT JAMES
“Matt has been on our radar since February, when producers first approached him to join Bachelor Nation, as part of Clare’s season,” said Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment, in a statement. “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.”
“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,” Burke said.
The news of the new bachelor comes not long after The Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay said she’d quit the franchise if it didn’t address its lack of diversity.
She stated the following in a recent blog post: “I knew that I wanted to present myself to an audience that had not seen a lead of color in this role. I knew that I wanted to be a trailblazer in this franchise to diversify the lead role, to diversify the contestants trying out and casted for the show, and to diversify the audience watching this show. Well, I am sad to say that after almost four years in this franchise, we still don’t have the diversity that this show needs, and that our audience deserves.”
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The Bachelor Season 25 is scheduled to premiere in 2021.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.