UPDATE: June 18, 2020—No drama here, Bachelor fans! ABC’s vice president of alternative programming, Rob Mills, denied claims that Clare Crawley was left out of the loop when Matt James was announced as the next Bachelor.
“Somebody said something to Us Weekly that she did not know—that she found out on GMA. Of course we would never do that to Clare,” he said on On Air With Ryan Seacrest. “She found out the day before.
“Look. We wanted to keep this under wraps,” he added. "We wanted to control the announcement and not have it leak, but Clare of course was told before that.”
Good to know!
ORIGINAL STORY: June 15, 2020—
In all of the excitement over The Bachelor’s first-ever black lead, it seems someone forgot to tell Clare Crawley that Matt James would no longer be a contestant on her season of The Bachelorette.
The 28-year-old real estate broker was originally cast as a contestant on Crawley’s upcoming season, but after widespread criticism over the franchise’s lack of diversity, as well as the coronavirus pandemic’s having halted production of Crawley’s season, ABC decided to skip ahead and announce James as the dating show’s leading man for season 25.
However, Crawley reportedly “wasn’t given any heads-up” and found out the big news the way the rest of us did, according to a source who spoke to Us Weekly. “Clare didn’t know about Matt becoming the Bachelor until GMA announcement,” the source said. “Decisions are still being made when it comes to her cast.”
Crawley was announced as the next star of The Bachelorette in early March, with ABC revealing the contestants who would be vying for her heart shortly after, including James, who was initially known for being Tyler Cameron’s best friend.
Back in April, Crawley faced some backlash from fans who felt she singled out James for doing Cameo appearances and interviews about his charity, ABC Food Tours.
“If you are doing interviews and creating Cameo accounts before you are even on my season… you are in it for the wrong reasons… #dontwasteyourtime,” she wrote on Twitter. “Respect the opportunity you’ve been given. Respect the rules. Respect me. @BacheloretteABC ❤️.”
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According to Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment, James has been on their radar for The Bachelor for a while now.
“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” she said in a statement Friday, June 12.
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Bachelor Nation insiders say James’s Bachelor casting might actually work out in Crawley’s favor. (It’s been reported that her season will likely get a new group of contestants since the original cast might not be available when The Bachelorette does resume. Plus, now the men will have had a chance to talk to her before the show starts filming.)
“I think where this is really great for Clare is that every guy who will be on her season will know there is no chance of becoming The Bachelor, so they should really all be there only for Clare,” ABC exec Rob Mills told Variety.
Looks like it all worked out for the best!
