The Bachelor and The Bachelorette franchises haven’t exactly been beacons of inclusion. In fact, a quick look at the overwhelming whiteness of the cast over the years reveals it’s far from it.
When Rachel Lindsay was selected as the lead for The Bachelorette in 2017, she made overdue history as the franchise’s first ever Black bachelorette. Could we finally be seeing the franchise’s first Black bachelor?

Fans are already calling for 31-year-old Mike Johnson to become the next lead of The Bachelor. The portfolio manager and Air Force vet has quickly emerged as the fan favorite on the latest season of The Bachelorette. Past Black contestants who fans who have been clamoring to bestow upon the status of “the first Black Bachelor” include Willis Reid, a contestant on season 14 of The Bachelorette and Eric Bigger, on season 13.

But, #MikeForBachelor is seemingly the biggest movement in favor of a Black contestant leading the franchise’s flagship show.

 

With such fanfare behind Mike, will casting execs for the ABC reality show acquiesce to viewer demand and give us the long overdue Black lead of The Bachelor people have been clamoring for? Only time will tell.

 

READ MORE:

ABC Names Its First Black ‘Bachelorette’ – Rachel Lindsay

 

Photo: John Fleenor/ABC via Getty Images

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