'The Bachelor' Matt James, host Chris Harrison talk groundbreaking casting of first Black bachelor
For Bachelor Nation, 2021 is starting off with a monumental bang: the arrival of the first Black "Bachelor," Matt James.
"Whenever you're the first to do something, then you're kind of setting the standard," James tells USA TODAY in a Zoom interview on Monday from his New York apartment. "But what I try to remind myself of is that my experience is my own."
James' season, filmed at Nemacolin Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania, premieres Monday on ABC (8 EST/PST) – and host Chris Harrison says it's been a long time coming.
"(James) is going to be more of a lightbulb lightning moment because he is a Black lead. But the change has been happening for quite some time," he says in a separate interview. "I'm glad that more and more people are seeing themselves represented on the show. That's the most important thing, is that you are seeing these people fall in love and these people represent you."
James has never appeared on "The Bachelorette," the usual gateway to Bachelor-hood, but he's a good friend of previous "Bachelorette" contestant Tyler Cameron, and was supposed to appear on Clare Crawley's delayed season that ended Dec. 22; the pandemic thwarted those plans but paved the way for his casting in the new "Bachelor" season.
Details on James' casting: Matt James will be the first Black 'Bachelor' in ABC series history; Rachel Lindsay reacts
"When filming couldn’t move forward as planned, we were given the benefit of time to get to know (James) and all agreed he would make a perfect Bachelor," then-ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said in a statement last June.
Harrison adds: "We had to roll with the punches as everybody else had, but it was definitely the right choice. And it was the right time." Tayshia Adams took over as "Bachelorette" after Crawley's quick engagement, and later got engaged herself.
The James announcement came shortly after a group of fans known as The Bachelor Diversity Campaign asked ABC and producer Warner Bros. to diversify the franchise. This happened amid the racial protests around the country last summer following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck.
Producers of the franchise in September said they would remove racist comments on its social media.
The Bachelor Diversity Campaign honored James' casting ahead of the premiere Monday on Instagram.
"Hopefully, me being in this position normalizes this for other people of color," James says. "And in the future, when there is a Black Bachelor, it's not like, 'Oh, welcome, Keith, the next Black Bachelor.' It's, 'Welcome, Keith, who happens to be Black' or 'Welcome, Keith, who happens to be Asian.'"
Harrison respects those who've lamented the show's lack of diversity in the past but cautions against badgering those making good-faith efforts to change.
"When you do see (change), give people the grace, the understanding, the compassion in the room to change," he says. "No movement's going to work if you also don't give them the opportunity to make those changes. And that is something that gets lost in this cancel culture, in this culture to want to be the most woke and demand more."
James adds: "This was definitely a step in the right direction in terms of what change looks like from an entertainment perspective. It was an honor to be a part of that, because I've seen how and what Rachel (Lindsay, the first Black "Bachelorette") went through, when she was the first. And I couldn't have imagined someone like that trailblazing something like this for myself. And I'm hoping to be that for the next person."
More from Rachel Lindsay: 'Bachelor,' 'Bachelorette' star Rachel Lindsay says hit ABC shows need to work harder to be more diverse
As for Harrison, he's not a big fan of reflecting on whether the franchise moved fast enough: "There is this amazing culture of change going on. But there's also this culture of, how can I ruin that? How can I say, well, you're not woke enough? What is woke enough for you?"
During Adams' stint on "Bachelorette" the show tackled addiction, mental health and the Black Lives Matter movement. Viewers will see these conversations continue during James' season.
James says kids are going to have to deal with conversations about race in the future, so it's something that should be discussed and talked about. He believes the show has taken steps in the right direction, but hopes "that going forward, they continue to be as inclusive as they can. And we saw what that looks like this year."
Harrison knows the show isn't all the way there when it comes to diversity and inclusion, despite the landmark casting (not to mention casting its first deaf contestant, Abigail). "Are we all the way there? No. Are we going to continue? Absolutely. Will we continue to be criticized? Of course we will. But that's part of it. And I relish that. If this raises the level of debate, hey, I don't mind being that lightning rod. That's fine. Bring it on."
In case you missed this from the summer: 'Bachelor' alums, fans call on ABC to diversify contestants in wake of Black Lives Matter protests
How did that 'Bachelorette' finale go? 'The Bachelorette' finale recap: Tayshia gets a proposal; does she say yes?
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Bachelor' stars Matt James, Chris Harrison talk diversity efforts