The next season of
The Bachelor needs to look a whole lot different than its predecessors if the franchise wants to hang on to its millions of viewers and endorsements from famous alumni. In the midst of the global wave of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, Bachelor fans and former contestants are demanding the show cast its first Black Bachelor. It’s been 25 seasons of white dudes. The time for diversity was literally hundreds of roses ago, but at the very least, let’s start now.A new petition on Change.Org is calling for ABC and Warner Bros. to cast the first Black Bachelor in the show’s history. Over 18 years and 40 seasons of
The Bachelor and
The Bachelorette, the reality dating show has only featured one Black lead—attorney Rachel Lindsay who was the 13th Bachelorette.“This is unacceptable,” the description for
the petition reads. “As creators of one of the most popular and influential franchises on television, ABC and Warner Bros. have an opportunity and responsibility to feature Black, Indigenous, People of Color (“BIPOC”) relationships, families, and storylines. The franchise, and all those who represent it, should reflect and honor the racial diversity of our country—both in front of and behind the camera.”The petition outlines steps that both the franchise and viewers must take to create a more inclusive TV show. For parent companies ABC and Warner Bros., the first step is casting a Black lead for season 25 of
The Bachelor, followed by a cast of at least 35 per cent BIPOC in every season afterwards, giving equitable screen time to BIPOC, hiring more BIPOC crew members, and having a zero-tolerance policy for racism on-air. It specifies too, that the show has a responsibility to tell these diverse stories in a responsible and respectful way which doesn't exploit or trivialize the culture being portrayed.The list of conditions also includes providing mental health resources specifically geared towards BIPOC—an especially important point given the
concerning link between reality fame and suicide. Additionally, the petition calls for a more thorough vetting of contestants to ensure they are not people who have “promoted prejudice (e.g., ableism, racism, sexism, white supremacy, religious intolerance, homophobia, transphobia).” In the past, several Bachelor Nation contestants have been outed for their
inappropriate and often racist social media messages and behaviors after being cast.[video_embed id='1973149']RELATED: Amanda Stanton stands by decision to bring kids to Black Lives Matter protest [/video_embed]The petition is also looking for support from fans and asks that they “pledge to commit to anti-racism in how I consume and interact with the Bachelor franchise,” including showing “…zero tolerance for racism—online, offline, everywhere.” Rachel Lindsay
has shared openly before how she faces racially-motivated online hate every single day.The anti-racism petition has been
signed and shared on social media by former Bachelor Nation stars Tyler Cameron, Seinne Fleming, Lauren Burnham, Ashley Spivey, Jubilee Sharpe, Marquel Martin, Alayah Benavidez, Mykenna Dorn, Marcus Grodd, Lacey Mark, Onyeka Ehie, Diggy Moreland, JoJo Fletcher, Amanda Stanton, Becca Tilley, Desiree Siegfried, Bibiana Julian, Dustin Kendrick, Olivia Caridi and Rachel Lindsay (many of whom also re-posted it to their social media to encourage fans to sign as well).Lindsay appeared on
AfterBuzz earlier this month and continued to speak out about the franchises’ lack of diversity.“When you’re putting out something that is very whitewashed and doesn’t have any type of color in it and you’re not trying to be effective and change that,” said Lindsay. “I think that they have to, at this point, give us a Black
Bachelor for season 25. I don’t know how you don’t. It bothers me that certain things have happened that we just say, ‘Oh, hush hush,’ and ‘Let’s just move on past it.’ We need to acknowledge it, because what you’re doing is perpetuating this type of behavior, you’re continuing to.” Lindsay added that if the franchise does not listen to alumni and viewers and add more diversity to their next season, she will sever ties with the organization entirely.“It’s been asked of me will I continue in this franchise if it continues this way. I can’t. I have to see some type of change,” said Lindsay. “It’s ridiculous. It’s embarrassing. At this point it’s embarrassing to be affiliated with it.”
A few days after the appearance, Lindsay posted an article on her blog
Honestly Rach detailing her history of questioning the franchises’ ongoing issues with diversity and race plus her own list of suggestions on how
The Bachelor and
The Bachelorette can make the show more inclusive. Most importantly, Lindsay says she wants an acknowledgement by producers that the show has their own issues with systemic racism.“The system is not designed for people of color. This is not a shocking or groundbreaking statement when the creator of the show admitted that my season’s lower ratings ‘revealed something about our fans’ and furthermore concluded that it was ‘incredibly disturbing in a Trumpish kind of way,’” wrote Lindsay. “Furthermore, he stated, ‘if I think a million more people are going to watch, you go in that direction. Because that is what's going to sell and be a successful business.’ This is the franchise recognizing that they have an audience that does not favorably respond to people of color on the show. This is the franchise blatantly recognizing and admitting that they are perpetuating the problem. They are willing to accept this reality to attract an audience with specific desires in an effort to not lose viewers.”[video_embed id='1973107']BEFORE YOU GO: Michael B. Jordan wants Hollywood to 'commit to Black hiring' [/video_embed]
