Mike Johnson Addresses “Atrocious” Lack of Diversity on ‘The Bachelor’
Mike Johnson addressed the ongoing lack of diversity and representation on The Bachelor, calling it “atrocious.”
Mike noted that it shouldn’t have taken an outcry from fans for the franchise to finally cast a Black Bachelor after so many years.
Mike Johnson is speaking up about The Bachelor’s unacceptable lack of diversity both on- and offscreen, saying it took way too long for the show to cast its first Black lead. And by “way too long,” I mean a full 24 seasons.
“It’s atrocious,” Mike told Variety, via Us Weekly. “There have been numerous, wonderful Black, indigenous, people of color that could have been cast in the lead roles, and for the franchise not to do that. It’s just terrible.”
He continued to speak about Matt James’ recent casting, saying, “It should not have taken an outcry from the fans, who I absolutely adore—that was a clear sign that there is power in numbers. I love the fans who signed petitions and things like that, but it shouldn’t have taken that....I hope that they do listen. And I hope that it’s not just the leads and contestants, but people in charge should also be diverse as well.”
Mike also said he wants The Bachelor “to be a representation of America,” explaining, “It’s supposed to be about love, and love comes in all forms and colors—not just white America. If the show wants to continue to be absolutely amazing, I would want it to not only be the poster child for the show with the Bachelor or Bachelorette who is diverse, but also people from the top down, so the contestants feel like they can relate to someone on the show....It needs to be a melting pot on diversity and culture differences because it’s not just about color. I would like for the show to represent all of America.”
Bachelor fans started a diversity petition demanding anti-racism in the franchise, asking production to—among other requests—cast BIPOC for at least 35 percent of contestants, give equitable screen time to BIPOC contestants, hire more BIPOC employees in production, condemn racism in the fan base, and ensure that indigenous cultures are not exploited and stereotyped on the show. As of this article’s publication, more than 162,000 people have signed and ABC has yet to respond, which...WTF.
A post shared by Bachelor Diversity Campaign (@bachdiversity) on Aug 3, 2020 at 5:04pm PDT
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