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.
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. Cameron, Matt, and other friends of the pair are currently quarantining in Tyler's home in Jupiter, Florida. 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. Since then, James and Hannah have reconciled. The Alabama native was quickly called out by her fans who spotted her mouthing the racial slur. "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. "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. "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. <div> </div>