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NEW ORLEANS– ABC announced Matt James will be the next “Bachelor” on the hit ABC show, “The Bachelor.” James will be the first-ever black bachelor in the show’s history.

Matt James was cast to be on Clare Crawley’s season of “The Bachelorette,” but when Covid-19 hit and filming for “The Bachelorette” got delayed, producers made the decision to cast James as the new leading man for “The Bachelor,” which is set to air in 2021.

Matt James is familiar to the Bachelor Nation because he is best friends with Tyler Cameron, who appeared on Hannah Brown’s season of “The Bachelorette.”

The decision to cast him as the first-ever black ‘Bachelor’ comes after a petition sparked an outcry for more diversity on the show.