Popular reality series The Bachelor will for the first time feature a black lead.
Matt James, a 28-year-old real estate broker, will star in the next season, ABC announced on Friday (12.06.20), after mounting criticism over a lack of diversity.
The show’s nearly two decade history has seen overwhelmingly white casts, with just one black star in its sister spinoff, The Bachelorette, in 2017.
According to reports, Mr James called his casting “a step in the right direction”.”I don’t think it’s ever the wrong time to do the right thing.”
Mr James was originally cast as a contestant on the forthcoming season of The Bachelorette starring Clare Crawley, which was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Pressure for the hit dating show to cast a black lead intensified in recent days amid the ongoing racial reckoning in the US, incited by the killing of George Floyd last month.
An online petition signed by more than 86,000 people called for the television network to “reflect and honour the racial diversity of our country” and cast a Black bachelor for its upcoming season, in addition to casting black, indigenous and people of colour in at least 35% of the contestant roles.
The first and only black star of ‘The Bachelorette’, Rachel Lindsay, who is now married to the winning contestant of her season, told Good Morning America that she had hoped to be a “trailblazer” for the franchise, and has been disappointed by the lack of progress since.
Since it began in 2002, the franchise has aired 40 seasons, 24 of the Bachelor, 15 of The Bachelorette cultivating a devoted fan following and equally dedicated viewership.
