Last night, The Bachelor fans finally got acquainted with Matt James, the tall and handsome real estate broker who is making history as the first Black star of the show. Sweet, charming and fine, James seems to check all the boxes that women consider a great catch. During the season premiere, we got an in-depth background on James and became acquainted with all 32 of the women vying for a coveted “rose.” But unlike other Bachelors in the past, James’s quest to find love will be under an intense microscope because of his race.
Prior to the first limo pulling up, James asked for a one-on-one chat with host Chris Harrison. As he began to open up, James admitted to feeling a “responsibility” as the first Black star in the show’s 25-season history.
He also described the nuance of being biracial, and why he is conflicted about choosing a future wife based on her reace.
“My mom is white and my dad is Black,” Matt told Chris during their chat. “I experience what it was like to be a product of interracial marriage. And it’s tough because you’ve got people who have certain views, old-school views on what a relationship and what love looks like. And you’ve got people who are cheering for you to find love. And then you’ve got people who are cheering for you to end up with a specific person, a specific person of a specific race.”
He continued. “That’s something that kept me up at night. It’s like, I don’t want to piss off Black people, I don’t want to piss off white people, but I’m both of those. You know what I mean? It’s like, how do I please everybody?”
The sneak peek of season 25 seems promises to take us on a wild ride, but we’re pleased with what we know about James so far. Here are five things we learned (and loved) about Matt James, the first Black Bachelor.
