#The Bachelor casts Matt James as 2020 lead; who is he?

Today, The Bachelor made a huge announcement, and it’s one we definitely did not expect to see so soon.

This morning on Good Morning America it was revealed that Matt James is poised to be the very next lead of the show. This is the very time in well over a decade that the series lead is not someone who has appeared on the franchise before. Matt works within real estate, and also have his ABC Food Tours initiative to give back to the community. He was first on producers’ radar due to one of his best friends being Tyler Cameron (formerly of Hannah Brown’s season) — he was cast already on Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette, but it is fair to assume with this casting in mind that he won’t be on that season anymore.

In a statement, here is what ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke had to say about bringing him on board:

“Matt has been on our radar since February, when producers first approached him to join Bachelor Nation, as part of Clare’s season … When filming couldn’t move forward as planned, we were given the benefit of time to get to know Matt and all agreed he would make a perfect Bachelor.

“We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we’re seeing on-screen are representative of the world we live in, and we are proudly in service to our audience … This is just the beginning, and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise. We feel so privileged to have Matt as our first Black Bachelor and we cannot wait to embark on this journey with him.”

ABC has come under fire for years for never having a black male lead for the franchise. We know that there were some out there who were hoping to see Mike Johnson (who was on Hannah Brown’s season) as the next lead, so this announcement comes as a surprise. It’s also the first time in recent memory that the next Bachelor has been confirmed before the new Bachelorette has a chance to even film.

What do you think about Matt James being named the next Bachelor?

Be sure to share right now in the comments! Also, remember to stick around in the event you want some other news. (Photo: ABC.)

This article was written by Jessica Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.