Matt James makes history by becoming first Black man to lead 'The Bachelor'

Matt James's name is set to go down in history after ABC reality series The Bachelor announced casting him as the show's first-ever black male lead. 

The revolutionary decision was announced in an official statement shared by Good Morning America wherein it was revealed that the 28-year-old will feature in the 25th season of the show, all set to premiere in 2021.

"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," read ABC's statement. 

"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," it added. 

The show was earlier criticised for lacking racial diversity and being whitewashed  starring all white male and female people. 

Earlier in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, the franchise’s only Black Bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay, called for a change via a petition registered at change.org that garnered more than 85,000 signatures.