Social Media Has Mixed Feelings About The First African American ‘Bachelor’

As reported earlier today, ABC announced their new lead for The Bachelor would be Matt James. James, who will be the franchise's first African American Bachelor, appeared on the show as one of Clare Crawley's Bachelorette contestants in season 16.

In previous years, the franchise has gotten tons of heat for its lack of diversity. There is even a Change.org petition that has been circulating, campaigning for "Anti-Racism in the Bachelor Franchise." It currently has over 85,000 signatures.

So now that the next Bachelor is African American, there are a lot of opinions online. Some think ABC has finally done the right thing; some think the network is just trying to save face in light of the current Black Lives Matter movement and the recent protests over George Floyd's death.