Generally speaking, Bachelor and Bachelorette leads appeared on a past season, allowing viewers to already be invested in their journey to find love. While many fans were thrilled to see a Black man at the helm, they were also leery about the franchise newcomer. When Matt was chosen to lead The Bachelor season 25, there was a mixture of excitement and hesitancy from Bachelor Nation. In the end, following much controversy and heartache, he chose Rachael Kirkconnell, who he is still happily dating. Upon realizing the significance of his casting, Matt, who is half Black and half white, admitted to feeling pressure from both sides. 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.
