What could’ve been? Mike Johnson recapped the Monday, January 11, episode of The Bachelor on Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast — and opened up about Matt James landing the season 25 starring role over him.
“I am low-key jealous of Matt. He got some baddies!” the 33-year-old Bachelorette alum admitted before clarifying that he has no plans to reach out to the season 25 stars. “And I’m not in nobody’s DMs — for the record.”
Matt made history in June 2020 when ABC revealed he would be the first Black Bachelor. When the announcement was made, some fans wondered why Mike, who competed on Hannah Brown’s season in 2019, didn’t get the gig.
When asked whether he’s sick of people asking him why he didn’t land the role, Mike laughed. “No, I’m not mad because it’s awesome when not only your peers within the Bachelor Nation but then also the fans of Bachelor Nation wanted you to be the Bachelor,” he said.
The “Talking It Out” podcast cohost added that he spoke to Matt before he left to film the season in September 2020.
“[I told him] two things. In this order: One, do exactly what your mom told you to be, like, be the man that your mom told you to be. And two, have the best body you could possibly have. That was all I said,” he said. “He’s great. He’s gonna do a wonderful job. And I’ve never been the Bachelor. So, I don’t know the ins and outs, I just know that you need to be a great human being. And everyone likes a little sex appeal.”
While Mike played coy when asked whether he could’ve seen himself dating any of the season 25 contestants, he likes Abigail Heringer and Magi Tareke for Matt.
“I think Matt likes Abigail. She’s very cute, very humbled. I like Abigail for Matt,” he told Us. “I like [Magi] as well for Matt.”
Mike added that it’s refreshing to see how “vulnerable” the contestants have been this season.
“I love it. Like me, as everyone knows, I wrote the book on it. I love being vulnerable and being introspective to myself. And so, I’m loving to see this and watch this unfold,” he said, adding that the women seem extra genuine. “It could be any type of reality show and they give you their story, right? And it [can] seem as if it’s a bit disingenuous at time, depending on the timing of it, right? The way Matt’s season is playing out, it’s just coming off raw real and at the right time. It seems like it’s supposed to be happening at that time.”
For a complete recap of Matt’s second episode with Mike, listen to Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast!