Matt James is the new lead of the milestone 25th season of ABC’s ‘The Bachelor!’ Matt becomes the series first Black lead, following calls from a bevy of fans and Bachelor Nation alum for diversity in the long-running franchise.
We’re ready to accept this rose, because ABC has announced the next Bachelor! On the morning of June 12, Good Morning America revealed that Matt James, 28, is the next lead of The Bachelor. Matt will be the series first Black lead, following calls from fans and Bachelor Nation alum like former Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay to be more inclusive when it comes to the cast and the lead of the series. In fact, a petition circulated online calling for ABC executives and series producer Mike Fleiss to cast more people of color on the show — the petition garnered over 85,000 signatures as of June 12.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” Matt shared with GMA co-hosts. “Hopefully this is the first of many Black men to be in the position that I am now.” Matt will lead the milestone 25th season of The Bachelor when the series returns — as of publishing, an official date has yet to be announced due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and production on the franchises adjacent shows such as The Bachelorette, Bachelor In Paradise are on hold. Until then, here are five things to know about Matt James!
Matt James on becoming the @BachelorABC’s first-ever black leading man: “I think it's a step in the right direction.” https://t.co/NNfmVuXLKI #TheBachelor #BachelorNation pic.twitter.com/dvP5Qr3gfH
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 12, 2020
1) He was initially going to be a contestant on Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette. Prior to earning the coveted position on The Bachelor, Matt had actually signed up to be on the upcoming season of The Bachelorette with Clare Crawley. Before the season was put on hiatus, Matt shared EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife that he had his sites set on the new Bachelorette. “I have my eyes set on somebody right now and she’s in Sacramento and hopefully when all this stuff settles down, I’ll be able to meet her,” he gushed back in April.
2) Matt was seemingly called out by Clare on social media. The new Bachelorette seemingly shaded Matt on social media for giving interviews and signing up for the app Cameo to send messages to fans at a specific price. “If you are doing interviews and creating Cameo accounts before you are even on my season…You are in it for the wrong reasons,” Clare subtly blasted her potential suitor. She also added the hashtag “don’t waste your time,” followed by, “respect the opportunity you’ve been given. Respect the rules. Respect me.” Clare never called out Matt by name, but it was definitely a stern message to him and the rest of the men cast on the show.
[ABC/Craig Sjodin]3) Matt is good friends with another Bachelor Nation alum! Matt is very close with Tyler Cameron, who appeared on Hannah Brown‘s season of The Bachelorette in 2019. Tyler and Matt live together in New York City and co-run the non-profit ABC Food Tours together. They met while playing football together in college!
4) He didn’t tell his mom that he was going to be the next Bachelor! Talk about keeping a secret — Matt held his cards so close to the chest and kept everything so “tight” around his upcoming gig that he didn’t even tell his mom. In fact, she found out while watching GMA like everyone else! “She’s going to be excited,” he shared with the GMA co-hosts. “I’m sorry, mom, but it’s hard for her to keep a secret,” he admitted. “She’s just finding out which is a fun way for everyone to participate.”
5) Matt works as a real estate agent in Los Angeles. Matt has worked for CBRE realtors since October 2017, according to his LinkedIn page. Prior to working at the real estate company, Matt was a media planner at Mic, and a corporate and institutional bank analyst for PNC. He graduated from Wake Forest University in North Carolina in 2015 with a degree in Economics.
Sourse: hollywoodlife.com
