Everything Matt James Has Said About His ‘Bachelor’ Journey
A shot at love! Matt James has said a lot to say about his journey on The Bachelor as his season has progressed.
ABC announced in June 2020 that James would be the first Black Bachelor after previously being cast on Clare Crawley’s season, which aired in October 2020. He filmed his season amid the coronavirus pandemic at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania.
Before the season premiered, host Chris Harrison told Us Weekly exclusively that James had a challenging experience on the show. “It’s a wild ride,” he explained in December 2020. “There is a depth and layers to him — the likes of which we’ve never seen on this show. There are issues that we need to dive into, issues that he realizes along the way, that if we don’t face head-on, we’re not going anywhere.”
He added, “It is contentious at times, it’s emotional at times, it’s gut-wrenching, it’s anger. You’re going to get it all. Bless him for going through this because he went through the wringer.”
James admitted that he didn’t date much before becoming the Bachelor. “My dating history in New York [was] slim to none because I was broke,” he said on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast on January 12. “Like, I didn’t have any money, so I couldn’t take anybody out on a date. New York is expensive, so just by default, I wasn’t doing a lot of dating.”
Instead of dating around, he focused on his nonprofit organization, ABC Food Tours, and his job as a commercial real estate broker. “I’m trying to hustle. I moved to New York to grind. And I knew that the relationship part would come, but it had been a while since I had been in a serious relationship,” he added.
Before filming began, the North Carolina native received advice from pal Tyler Cameron — a former Bachelorette contestant from Hannah Brown’s season.
“Tyler is always giving me unsolicited advice. He’s always telling me stuff that I don’t want to hear,” he told Variety on January 4. “No, he did a good job. It was nice to have him to lean on because it was such a foreign thing for me, and I was trying to take advice from anybody that would give it, and him being someone who had gone through it, it was nice to have him in my corner. He just told me to be myself and remember where I’m at and not get caught up in the moment, and that’s what I tried to do.”
Scroll down to see what James has said about his time on The Bachelor.
During a February 2021 interview on Good Morning America, James was asked why he didn't give some of the "toxic" women second chances on the show. “This opportunity doesn’t really allow for second chances. You’re on a crunch of time. When I see that my connection with you is starting to wither and I see signs that are not what I’m looking for in my wife at that time, then I’ve got to act on it and focus my energy and efforts on the women who I’m forming those strong connections with,” he said at the time. “When things come up, you’ve gotta handle them."
Billy Kidd/ABC
During the January premiere, James spoke with Harrison about the pressure he felt entering the show due to his ethnic background. “People want you to end up with a certain type of person,” he explained. “My mom is white and my dad is Black and I experienced what it was like to be the product of interracial marriage, and it’s tough because you’ve got people who have certain views, old school views on what a relationship and what love looks like. And you’ve got people who are cheering for you to find love and you’ve got people who are cheering for you to end up with a specific person, a specific person of a specific race.”
James added, “That’s something that kept me up at night. I don’t want to piss off Black people; I don’t want to piss off white people. But I’m both of those! How do I please everybody? It’s a lot.”
Billy Kidd/ABC
James admitted to being nervous on his first night during his first-ever rose ceremony. “I legitimately didn’t know what to expect. That first Rose Ceremony, I literally couldn’t speak,” he said on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast on January 12. “I couldn’t get the words out because I was so nervous. I felt horrible sending great women home who I didn’t have a chance to speak to. I felt so bad and that was real.”
Craig Sjodin/ABC
The season 25 Bachelor explained why he wanted to be open about his aspirations for marriage during his time as the Bachelor. “It was difficult leading up to the show because I’m like, ‘There’s no way I’m going to talk about this. I’m going to leave this out,’” he told Us on January 4. “And then when I got there, I put everything on the table. I put it all out there because I need them to know who I am, where I’m coming from and what I’ve been through for them to make an assessment on me. I’m courting them, but they’re [also] courting me.”
Craig Sjodin/ABC
The reality star told Us exclusively on January 4 that discovering his vulnerability was “one of the toughest things I’ve had to do,” adding, “But I would do it again. It’s tough because there’s a lot of things that I’ve avoided in my personal life that, as you saw in the preview, brought me to tears.”
Craig Sjodin/ABC
James opened up about how he envisioned his season ending. “The reality of this experience is that I’m hoping to leave with somebody, and with an engagement comes a marriage and kids,” he told Variety on January 4. “And if our kids aren’t Black, they’re going to have some sort of pigmentation, so it’s a conversation that needs to take place because there are things that I’ve experienced that our kids are going to experience, and you’ve got to be ready for that. It’s just going to be a reality.”
Craig Sjodin/ABC
After a fan questioned why he kissed a contestant with his eyes open during the January 11 episode, he jokingly tweeted back, “Gotta make sure no one sneaking up on us! When your eyes are closed … ANYTHING can happen! It’s for both of our protection.”
Craig Sjodin/ABC
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