Matt James Makes History as ABC’s First Black Bachelor

Matt James is set to become the first black Bachelor cast for the famous ABC show.

Per THR, the 28-year-old is a real estate broker, entrepreneur and community organization founder. He has been tapped as the season 25 lead following days of renewed pressure about the franchise’s lack of diversity.

It is worthy to note that he was previously set to be a contestant on Clare Crawley’s forthcoming season of The Bachelorette before production was shutdown in March and postponed indefinitely amid the coronavirus pandemic. James is also the best friend, roommate and business partner to fan-favorite Tyler Cameron; the two have spent the majority of the pandemic quarantined together in Florida, along with former Bachelorette Hannah Brown.

About their decision to cast James, ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said in a statement:

“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. 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.”