After 18 seasons, The Bachelorette and The Bachelor viewers have finally watched two people of color choose one another in the end.


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The series has long been accused of lacking inclusion and even when a lead of color has been featured, they’ve never selected. now, many viewers are cheering #BlackLove. 

Though Michelle Young didn’t set out to make history in her season, she did in several ways. She’s only the third lead of color, her season marked the first that the final four were all suitors of color and she’s the first to choose a Black man as her suitor. Young and her fiance, Nayte Olukoya, are basking in their love and the example it sets for people watching. 

The couple on showcasing Black love

Young and Nayte sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on the season. Both are happy that viewers were able to see something different this time around. 

“It’s just so incredibly important that we were able to show so many people a Black love story,” Young said. “In the past, there have been diverse cast members, but those stories didn’t necessarily have the opportunity to be shown. But this season, with how things have ended with both Nayte and me, this love story is shown, and I think it’s something that will continue to be shown [on the franchise] — for those who want to tune in.”

Nayte echos similar thoughts, explaining it’s rare for the show, in particular, to be representative of what dating looks like in America. “I’m just really happy that representation was able to be shown on television,” he said. “I always think about growing up and just not really seeing a lot of people who look like me on TV, especially maybe not always in the best light…I think it’s important for the younger generation to be able to see the story that Michelle and I do have, and to see people who look like them falling in love on television — and being as beautiful as we are!”

 

Nayte echoed similar thoughts, explaining it’s rare for the show, in particular, to be representative of what dating looks like in America.

“I’m just really happy that representation was able to be shown on television,” he said. “I always think about growing up and just not really seeing a lot of people who look like me on TV, especially maybe not always in the best light…I think it’s important for the younger generation to be able to see the story that Michelle and I do have, and to see people who look like them falling in love on television — and being as beautiful as we are!”

Though they are the first Black couple to come out of The Bachelorette and The Bachelor, the spinoff series, Bachelor in Paradise, had one Black couple — Riley Christian And Maurissa Gunn — among several at the end.