Mike Johnson calls out 'Bachelor' franchise’s 'atrocious' diversity efforts

Once upon a time Mike Johnson was the Bachelor many fans felt the franchise deserved, but the Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise star was mysteriously never cast in the leading role—despite petitions and fan posters demanding otherwise. (And, despite some serious vibing with the likes of Demi Lovato and Keke Palmer.) Now the personality is calling the franchise out for its problematic lack of diversity through the years in a new interview.“It’s atrocious. There have been numerous, wonderful Black and Indigenous people of colour that could have been cast in the lead roles, and for the franchise to not to do that, it’s just terrible,” Johnson told Variety in a Q&A promoting the October 2 launch of his new book, Making the Love You Want. “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, so 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.”

 

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Looking for someone to have experiences with so I can write the last piece to my book?

A post shared by Mike Johnson (@mike_johnson) on Jul 5, 2020 at 1:12pm PDT

Johnson was referring to the casting of Matt James as the first Black Bachelor, a casting that many fans feel isn’t just overdue, but that also came at a weird time. Typically the franchise waits until the last season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette airs before naming the new lead, but this year following an outcry from Bachelor Nation the powers-that-be confirmed James as the new lead before Clare Crawley’s upcoming season even debuted. Even Rachel Lindsay, who became the first Black Bachelorette back in season 13 and threatened to cut ties with the franchise if something wasn’t done about the lack of diversity, has questioned the timing of it all.“We were all talking about Clare being the Bachelorette, and before her season had even aired, we bring on a different Bachelor? The timing was definitely off. I think everyone can agree with that,” Johnson continued to Variety. “At the time that they said it, it was peculiar. It wasn’t natural. It was forced. That’s how it felt for me. Even if I were chosen to be  the Bachelor, my homeboys would tell me, ‘Why did they announce you right now?’ It’s not about the person in the role, but it’s about the timing of the role being announced. It just felt very forced to me.”

 

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Nothing wrong with a good April Fools’ joke!

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In the interview Johnson also revealed he thought it was odd that this year’s season of The Bachelorette is supposedly switching leads to former contestant Tayshia Adams midway through filming. “I am just baffled, like everyone else is. I’m friends with some of them, but I haven’t reached out to them. I’m just watching and reading the news, like everyone else,” he said, adding that he’s happy for the diverse casting choice but that he doesn’t believe Adams was cast because she is Black. “I’m definitely surprised. This is a bit much. The point is for the lead to find love and then the second point is to create a little bit of drama because the fans all like the drama. But from what I’m hearing, they’re going over the top, like too far. But we’ll see. They always do a great job and they have for nearly 20 years, so they’re doing something right.”Johnson, who first won over hearts while he was vying for the heart of Hannah Brown, added that at this point he’s still open to doing The Bachelor if he were ever approached, but he wasn’t asked or considered (as far as he knows) for this latest go-around. He also revealed that he has no idea why Peter Weber was chosen to head up season 24 of The Bachelor instead of him following interviews for the gig, but he wishes someone would have given him a heads up about the whole situation after the decision was made.“I was just annoyed because I wish I was told beforehand. That would have been nice. It’s like when you go for a job interview and you never hear back, but then you just don’t get the job. We were talking, but then they just chose the person they chose,” he said. “I didn’t get the feeling that they were interviewing me because I was Black. I can honestly say, without any doubt, that they interviewed me because they thought I was a great candidate, just like the rest of the guys.”That said, Johnson was well aware that if he were chosen at the time he would be the first Black man to represent the franchise, something he said he chatted with producers about. According to him he wanted to crush it in the reality dating show arena the way Tiger Woods, Eminem and Serena Williams have crushed it in their respective fields. “I’m like no other Bachelor in the past — I’m not white, I have tattoos, I’m a veteran of the Air Force and I speak my mind,” he said.Looking ahead, Johnson said that he is happy James has been announced as the new lead (“I thought it was pretty dope, and I texted Matt to congratulate him and called him.”) but that the show itself still has a lot of work to do in front of and behind the cameras.“I want The Bachelor to be a representation of America. It’s supposed to be about love, and love comes in all forms and colours—not just white America,” he said. “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 colour. I would like for the show to represent all of America.”[video_embed id='2011257']BEFORE YOU GO: Oprah speaks out about white privilege[/video_embed]