Who Is The Next 'Bachelor' Matt James? Meet The 2021 Lead Before The New Season

On Friday morning, ABC announced that Matt James will be taking the lead during the new season of "The Bachelor." The decision marks the first time that the long-running series has featured a male Black lead. So, what do we know about the 28-year-old ahead of Season 25's premiere?

According to a press release from the network, Matt is a "real estate broker, entrepreneur, and community organization founder" who is originally from North Carolina. While attending Wake Forest University and studying economics, he also played wide receiver on the school's football team. Following graduation, he played professionally before relocating to New York City and moving in with Tyler Cameron, a fan favorite from Hannah Brown's season of "The Bachelorette."

Previously, he also created ABC Food Tours, an organization that Tyler is heavily involved with. The charitable effort was "designed to find creative ways to engage kids from underserved com­munities in New York City, encouraging physical and mental wellness, while also giving them opportunities for new experiences throughout the city," according to the release.

Even though Matt is now gearing up to take on the lead role of "The Bachelor," he was originally supposed to compete as a contestant on Clare Crawley's upcoming season of "The Bachelorette." However, filming for her season has since been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

During Friday's episode of "Good Morning America," Matt appeared for the first time since the announcement to discuss what's ahead. After revealing that he had not even told his mom prior to the rest of Bachelor Nation finding out, he said that his first reaction upon learning the news himself was wondering whether or not he would get to meet Clare.

Matt also took time during the "GMA" interview to discuss the feedback that the show has gotten for doing "too little too late" when it comes to casting a non-white lead. "I don't think it's ever the wrong time to do the right thing," he said, as seen in the interview below.

In the weeks leading up to the reveal, former "The Bachelorette" star Rachel Lindsay, who was the first Black female lead on the series, voiced her opinion about the ABC show's failure to produce more diverse casts. At that time, the Dallas attorney, who is married to former contestant Bryan Abasolo, said that she herself would cut ties with "The Bachelor" if the series did not undergo a "diversity makeover."

In a statement released Friday, ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke also discussed the decision and the responsibility that she believes the franchise has to include more diverse casts.

"Matt has been on our radar since February, when producers first approached him to join Bachelor Nation, as part of Clare’s season. When filming couldn’t move forward as planned, we were given the benefit of time to get to know Matt and all agreed he would make a perfect Bachelor," Burke said in a statement.

Continuing, she added, "We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we’re seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in and we are proudly in service to our audience. This is just the beginning and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise. We feel so privileged to have Matt as our first Black Bachelor and we cannot wait to embark on this journey with him."

Matt's season of "The Bachelor" will premiere in 2021.