Less than a week after Tayshia Adams made her debut as Clare Crawley's replacement on season 16 of The Bachelorette, ABC dropped another surprise for Bachelor Nation on Nov. 10.
Season 25 of The Bachelor starring Matt James will officially premiere on Monday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. ET, a perfect way to start the new year. Matt was initially chosen as a suitor for Clare's season, but casting was reshuffled after production came to a halt amid the coronavirus pandemic. In June, ABC confirmed he would become the first-ever Black male lead of the series.
Part of the official description for season 25 reads as follows: "Matt is the total package. He has strong family values, a great career and has used his growing platform for good. His emerging legion of fans can't wait to follow the 28-year-old real estate broker, entrepreneur and community organization founder on his journey to find love for the first time during this historic season."
In June, Matt appeared on Good Morning America to share that ABC's decision to diversify its casting was "a step in the right direction," specifically referring to Rachel Lindsay, the first-ever Black female lead of the series.
"When Rachel speaks, we listen," he said on GMA. "She has a very important voice in all of this being the first Black woman, person of color, to have a lead. So, I think that we're all following suit in that conversation and this is hopefully the first of many Black men to be in this position that I'm in now."
Last month, Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron (Matt's BFF) shared his thoughts about Matt's run on the show. After saying he "dodged a bullet" by staying clear of Clare's season, he also joked about Matt's ability to find the one.
"Knowing Matt, he could still come out single, who knows," he said. "But I think he'll have a fiancé. I think this will be everything that we want and hope and haven't gotten in a while in this franchise, it seems like. You know?"
Tyler continued, "From what I've seen and what I've read up on, he's got an amazing cast of women and so it'll be very hard for him to leave, you know, without one. I think he's gonna be all goo-goo gaga in love when he's back and I'm gonna have to shake him a little bit, like, ‘Hey, where's Matt at?' You know? But we'll see what happens."
While the official lineup of women for The Bachelor hasn't been announced, ABC recently shared 43 women who might end up vying for Matt's heart. Let the Googling begin!
Season 25 of The Bachelor premieres Monday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.