Matt James Initially Didn’t Know He Was First Black Bachelor
Matt James may have been the first Black lead on The Bachelor, but at first, he had no idea that he was making history. Though former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay was selected to be the first Black lead of The Bachelorette in 2017, it took four years for the network to bring diversity to the franchise's original series. Upon realizing the significance of his casting, Matt, who is half Black and half white, admitted to feeling pressure from both sides. In the end, following much controversy and heartache, he chose Rachael Kirkconnell, who he is still happily dating.
When Matt was chosen to lead The Bachelor season 25, there was a mixture of excitement and hesitancy from Bachelor Nation. While many fans were thrilled to see a Black man at the helm, they were also leery about the franchise newcomer. Generally speaking, Bachelor and Bachelorette leads appeared on a past season, allowing viewers to already be invested in their journey to find love. Though the friend of show alum Tyler Cameron was originally casted for The Bachelorette season 16 to vie for the heart of Clare Crawley, producers believed he'd be better suited for the leading role.
It was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic that Matt got the unexpected call from ABC. In fact, he was convinced it was a practical joke played on him by his friends. But it wasn't a prank and, soon after, Matt became aware of what his casting truly represented. "I wasn't really asking the right questions or, I guess, I didn't think that was something that hadn't been done. It's 2022, I didn't think that that was something that we hadn't crossed yet," Matt told Us Weekly of not realizing he was the first Black Bachelor in 25 seasons. "I've seen a bunch of Black people come through the franchise that I guess I assumed [there had been a Black Bachelor]."
For Matt, being the first Black lead of The Bachelor came with more pressure than he initially anticipated. "It wasn't until after I accepted it that I really felt the weight of, you know, everyone's expectations on my journey," he said. "And I'm like, 'I wonder if anyone else has felt this stepping into a role like this' ... It really dawned on me a couple [of] days after or just as time approached [to film] the show, people telling me what I had to do and what I should do. And I'm like, 'I hadn't even got there yet. What are y'all talking about?'"
During his tenure on the show, Matt was the subject of much public backlash for choosing contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. Despite the couple currently receiving love from Bachelor Nation, it was a rough few months when photos surfaced of Rachael at a racist fraternity party. Regardless, Matt and Rachael were able to come out on the other side stronger than ever. Matt stressed that he "didn't accept the role to be the savior." Rather, he wanted his journey on The Bachelor to lead him to his life partner, a goal he seems to have accomplished.
Source: Us Weekly