BACHELOR BOMBSHELL
Who is new Bachelor star Matt James?
MATT JAMES was announced as the first-ever black Bachelor on the hit ABC show back in June.
It's the first time a black male lead has been chosen for the show in 40 seasons.
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The new season of The Bachelor, starring , will air after ' season of The Bachelorette.
His journey to find love will begin on January 4.
Who is Matt James?
James, 28, is a hailing from North Carolina.
was initially meant to appear on Clare Crawley's season of the Bachelorette before he got the call for the Bachelor slot.
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"It’s an honor," James recently said of being chosen.
"I’m just going to lean into myself and how my mom raised me and hopefully when people invite me into their homes on Monday night they’re going to see that I’m not much different from them and they see that diverse love stories are beautiful."
How do Matt James and former Bachelorette contestant Tyler Cameron know each other?
James and ex-Bachelorette contestant Tyler Cameron are lifelong best friends and roommates.
Cameron captivated audience hearts after he appeared on Hannah Brown's Season of The Bachelorette.
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The two live together in New York City and run ABC Food Tours, an initiative that aims to “feed, educate and give back” to kids in low-income communities.
They frequently appear in each other's Instagram posts, which has led James to collect prior to his season's debut.
Cameron, Matt, and other friends of the pair are currently quarantining in Tyler's home in Jupiter, Florida.
Why did soon-to-be Bachelorette Clare Crawley slam Matt James?
Former Bachelorette for his behavior prior to her season.
At the time James was still set to appear as a contestant on The Bachelorette and the New Yorker was conducting interviews and charging fans for personalized video messages on .
Crawley took to Twitter to express her anger, indirectly slamming James for his what he was doing.
"If you are doing interviews and creating Cameo accounts before you are even on my season...you are in it for the wrong reasons...#dontwasteyourtime," she said.
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"Respect the opportunity you've been given. Respect the rules. Respect me."
Nicole Lopez-Alvar - previous contender on Colton Underwood’s season - voiced her support to the new leading lady.
She responded on Twitter: “Omg this is 100% about we know WHO and I couldn’t agree more. Get ‘em out!”
Warner Bros. Television Group released a statement on March 13 announcing that Crawley's season would be postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
What is Matt James' relationship with Hannah B?
James and former Bachelorette Hannah Brown eventually came to be friends after squashing months of beef they had with each other following her season last year.
James, a loyal friend to finalist Tyler Cameron, posted multiple making digs at the Bachelorette after Hannah asked Cameron out on a date when things didn't work out between her and the contestant she chose over Cameron, Jed Wyatt.
Since then, James and Hannah have reconciled.
She came under fire for using the n-word whilst singing the words to a song she was .
The Alabama native was quickly called out by her fans who spotted her mouthing the racial slur.
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"Initially I didn’t even know it was happening and I know it is wrong to say the n-word in a song, and I couldn’t imagine I had used it so I immediately denied it," Hannah said on the incident on Instagram TV.
"I don’t want to be an ignorant white girl who uses the n-word, but I also don’t want to be someone who goes onto a platform intoxicated and engages in their platform that way."
"If you want to support me, do not defend me. What I did, what I said was indefensible," she continued.
"I don’t need anybody to defend me for what I did because what I said, what I did was wrong.
"But I’m hoping that what I did was wrong but what I didn’t know even before is the worst part of it, and it’s the ignorance."
When was he announced as the Bachelor?
Fans and Bachelor alumni alike signed a petition to put pressure on ABC about diversity and inclusivity on the franchise before selecting James as their season lead.
, and more all shared the Change.com petition which has since received more than 85,000 signatures.
"ABC and Warner Bros. have been producing Bachelor content for 18 years. During that time they’ve cast 40 season leads, yet only one Black lead," the petition read, referring to Bachelorette lead Rachel Lindsay.
"This is unacceptable. As creators of one of the most popular and influential franchises on television, ABC and Warner Bros. have an opportunity and responsibility to feature Black, Indigenous, People of Color (“BIPOC”) relationships, families, and storylines.
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"The franchise, and all those who represent it, should reflect and honor the racial diversity of our country- both in front of and behind the camera."
As a result, ABC announced James as their series newest Bachelor last Friday on Good Morning America.
"In my opinion, I don’t think it’s ever the wrong time to do the right thing," James commented on the network decision.
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"Too little, too late for me is this happening, and we can’t have change until we put that first foot forward and the first foot forward for The Bachelor franchise is having a black lead so I’m excited to take on that role."
The 25th season of The Bachelor is rumored to debut in , but delays are probable due to coronavirus.
The Bachelor remains ABC's highest-rated unscripted series.
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