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Tyler Cameron Reacts to Matt James’ Casting as 1st Black ‘Bachelor’ Lead: ‘Proud of You’

Bachelor buddies! Tyler Cameron showed his support for Matt James after he was named the first black lead of the ABC show on Friday, June 12.

Related: ‘Bachelor’ Alum Sign Petition for a Black Bachelor

Cameron, 27, posted an Instagram Story video of his friend filming his Good Morning America announcement, writing, “Let’s go!”

Tyler Cameron Reacts to Matt James Casting as 1st Black Male Bachelor Lead
Tyler Cameron’s Instagram story. Courtesy Tyler Cameron/Instagram (2)

The Florida native went on to caption a sleeping shot with James, 28, via Instagram: “Congrats to my brother @mattjames919 on being named the Bachelor. This is all a testament of who you are as a person. Now the world gets to see the person you are and the heart you have. You can change the world. Proud of you and so excited for you. Not excited that somebody will be taking my spot as your snuggle buddy. P.S. Peep the drool.”

Related: Former ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette’ Leads: Where Are They Now?

The real estate broker called the role “an honor” on GMA, gushing, “I’m just going to lean into myself and how my mom raised me, and hopefully when people invite me into their homes on Monday nights, they’re going to see that I’m not much different from them and they see that diverse love stories are beautiful.”

The ABC Food Tours founder hopes to meet an “honest, caring, compassionate” woman, noting, “Those are qualities found in women all shape, sizes and races and it’s not a black or white thing so I’m hoping that when that limo puts up there is a lot of diversity and I see every type of woman coming out of that limo.”

While James was originally supposed to be a suitor on Clare Crawley’s upcoming Bachelorette season, filming was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Wake Forest University graduate was excited to eventually meet the hairstylist, 39, telling Us Weekly exclusively that same month: “There is a young woman who’s in Sacramento right now that I’m looking forward to meeting once all this stuff settles down. So I’m hoping that I can be patient a little bit longer and ride this thing out and everyone’s safe and then we can get back to our daily lives and moving forward.”

Related: 12 Jaw-Dropping Pictures of ‘The Bachelorette’ Fan Favorite Tyler Cameron

Tyler Cameron Reacts to Matt James Casting as 1st Black Male Bachelor Lead
Matt James and Tyler Cameron attend the Zadig & Voltaire show during New York Fashion Week on February 9, 2020. Swan Gallet/WWD/Shutterstock

While announcing James’ Bachelor casting on Friday, ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said in a statement: “When filming [Clare’s season] 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.”

The news came just days after Bachelor Nation’s Change.org petition urged ABC to cast a black lead for season 25, as well as 35 percent contestants of color.

The Bachelorette’s single black female lead, Rachel Lindsay, said on Monday, June 8, that she would “disassociate” from the franchise if changes weren’t made. “I am tired of asking for change and my requests have been ineffective,” the attorney, 35, explained on her blog at the time. “These changes have to extend beyond casting a lead of color. The whole franchise needs a diversity makeover.”

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