‘Bachelor’ Team Admits to Franchise ‘Vicious Cycle’ of Racial Issues, Disappointing Matt James

After Single’Race issues took center stage during ABC’s Television Critics Association presentation earlier this year. The show’s producers are now admitting to their past mistakes.

“It’s hard to say out loud that people of color didn’t see themselves represented, that they didn’t Single franchise as a safe place,” said franchise executive producer Bennett Graebner Los Angeles Times in a story published online Wednesday. “We haven’t had a black main character in this series for 15 years and that’s inexcusable. It created a vicious cycle and it took us a lot of work to get back to a place where we feel like we’re at least working towards something positive.”

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Graebner and colleagues Bachelor degree Executive producers Jason Ehrlich and Claire Freeland’s conversation with the publication about the show’s handling of race comes after NPR journalist Eric Deggans asked the trio about the topic at TCA in February. Deggans questioned why the show “finds it difficult to delve deeply into issues of race,” in light of previous Black leads Rachel Lindsay and Matt James, who have expressed issues with the way the franchise deals with race.

At the TCA event, no MPs directly answered the question, and after a moment of silence, Deggans joked: “I think we have our answer.”

In a conversation with Los Angeles TimesFreeland stated, “The core value of this program is that everyone deserves to find love, regardless of race, ethnicity, background or faith.” She added: “The only way we can do that in a truly exciting way is to have people on the show who reflect the country we live in.”

Graebner told the outlet that the show “let Matt down,” then added: “This season went wrong on so many levels. We didn’t protect him as we should have. That season finale was the darkest day I’ve ever had in this series. Here was this wonderful Black man and we should celebrate his love story. Instead, we saw a man burdened and overwhelmed by issues of racism. For me personally it was really sad.”

Freeland and Graebner called casting the Black Knight a “priority,” but did not specify how soon that might happen.

James starred as The Bachelor in season 25, which aired in 2021, and remains the only Black main character throughout the show’s 28 seasons. James was critical of various aspects of the way his season was handled, including the editing of an episode that showed him reconnecting with his estranged father. “Too often we see dangerous stereotypes and negative images of black fathers in the media,” James wrote on Twitter shortly after the episode aired. “And they have consequences when presented without context.”

Lindsay, who starred in Studio apartment in 2017, the first black leader to also criticize the handling of James’ season. (Black’s recent lead Studio apartment including Michelle Young in 2021 and Charity Lawson last year.) James’ season made headlines again with a photo of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell attending an antebellum-themed event. Ultimately, Kirkconnell was the winner of James’ season and the couple remains together.

Long time Bachelor degree franchise host Chris Harrison stepped down from his 2021 role after defending Kirkconnell in an interview earlier this year Additional with then-correspondent Lindsay. Additionally, series creator Mike Fleiss exited the franchise last year; two days after announcing his departure, he responded to reports that his departure followed a racial discrimination investigation, with Fleiss admitting he could have done more to create diversity.

Studio apartment returns to ABC on July 8 with star Jenn Tran, who placed fifth on Joey Graziadei’s recently concluded season Single. Tran is the franchise’s first-ever Asian-American lead.

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