Matt James is ready to hand out his roses.
The Bachelor star confirmed he started filming the ABC dating competition series with one simple message. "See y'all in 2 months," the 27-year-old reality TV personality captioned his post on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
On Instagram Stories, Matt gave a shout out to his best friend and fellow Bachelor Nation star, Tyler Cameron. "What a crazy 6 months, I love you brother, wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you an your mama... (Oh & I'll be back, with a plus one)," he shared.
In June, Matt was officially announced as The Bachelor, which was a history-making moment considering he's the franchise's first Black male lead. He was originally cast to compete for Clare Crawley's heart on her season of The Bachelorette.
Of the news, Matt couldn't hold back his excitement.
"I've heard from a lot of my Black friends that aren't Bachelor Nation faithful that are excited about me and honored by the position I'm in," he told Chris Harrison in June during The Bachelor: Greatest Seasons—Ever!
Matt pointed out that this isn't the first time Black people and other people of color will see "diverse relationships" unfold on the ABC series, however, his new role wasn't lost on him.
That same month, James opened up about being the first Black lead and how he reacted to the news.
"My first reaction was, does this mean I don't get to meet Clare? Because I was looking forward to meeting her," he explained on Good Morning America. "I had set aside all this time, we had gone out to California and then called back with quarantine. So, I'm super excited for her and her season, but I'm looking forward to meeting her eventually."
He also admitted to not sharing the news with anyone, including his mom.
"I'm sorry mom, but it's hard for her to keep a secret, so I had to keep it super tight," he confessed. "She's just now finding out, which is kind of a fun way for everyone to participate."
Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment, discussed The Bachelor casting, saying, "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 onscreen are representative of the world we live in, and we are proudly in service to our audience," the statement continued. "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."
BFF Tyler also gushed over Matt's exciting role and previously told E! News, "Being The Bachelor and being the lead is a huge responsibility. Better him than me, for sure."
"I told him to just to be himself," Tyler recalled of the advice he shared. "'Cause that's what everyone loves. They all love Matt for who he is."
At this time, season 25 of The Bachelor is scheduled to premiere in 2021.