ABC has cast the first black 'Bachelor' following a petition urging the TV network to address a lack of diversity on its enormously popular reality dating franchise
Following a petition urging ABC to address a lack of diversity on its enormously popular reality dating franchise, ABC has cast the first black"Bachelor."
Matt James will be the star of the 25th season of"The Bachelor."James, 28, was a popular contestant on Season 16 of"The Bachelorette" and is the best friend of former"Bachelorette" contestant Tyler Cameron, with whom he runs the non-profit ABC Food Tours."Matt has been on our radar since February, when producers first approached him to join Bachelor Nation, as part of Clare's season," ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke said in a statement.
— The Bachelor June 12, 2020 "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," Burke added.Read MoreA Change.org petition urging ABC to address a lack of diversity on the reality dating franchise, which includes"The Bachelor" and its lead spinoff,"The Bachelorette," garnered the support of thousands, including franchise alums.
— Brett S. Vergara June 9, 2020 Nick Viall, Season 21's"Bachelor," retweeted the campaign and encouraged others to do the same.Signed... whatever. I don't have the energy to focus on my dyslexia right now. https://t.co/GM7cQGfSFp — Nick Viall June 8, 2020 The discussion about a lack of inclusion in the franchise not a new one.In 2012, two African-American men, Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson, filed a class action lawsuit alleging that ABC was intentionally excluding people of color from leading the show after they both applied to be"The Bachelor" in 2011.That suit was dismissed.
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