“I’m going to be really frank we let Matt down,” Graebner said.
“That season went wrong on so many levels.
We did not protect him as we should have.
Matt James on ‘The Bachelor ‘.Craig Sjodin/ABC
The finale of that season was the darkest day I’ve had on this franchise.
Here was this great Black man, and we should have been celebrating his love story.
Instead, what we saw was a man burdened and overwhelmed by issues of racism.
Jenn Tran will be the star of ‘The Bachelorette’ season 21.John Fleenor/ABC
It was really sad for me personally.”
James went on to propose to Kirkconnell, and they are still together today.
Representatives for James didn’t immediately respond toEntertainment Weekly’s request for comment.
“We didn’t have a Black lead in this franchise for 15 years, and that’s inexcusable.
“We have to do better,” Freeland added.
“We’re not always going to get it right.
We’re going to make mistakes as we move forward.
But we’re not going to shy away from difficult conversations.”
“That’s on us.
We didn’t do what we needed to do,” Graebner admitted.
“Our hope is that they will see Jenn and realize this is a safe space.
We’re not saying it will solve and fix everything.
But it is a step.”
“We know we’re not there,” Graebner said.
“We have a long way to go.
But we’re committed to getting there.
