ABC's The Bachelor and the franchise that spawned from it have been around for almost right at 15 years now, and in that time, there has been a unwavering consistency in what producers are looking for when choosing its titular leads, which has largely been "super attractive Caucasian people."After years of claims that changes in diversity were coming, it appears the first black Bachelorette has finally been set, and viewers will reportedly see current Bachelor contestant Rachel Lindsay take on the title next season.
If you're a fan of The Bachelorette, then you're probably looking at the calendar and wondering why in the world this news is going public already, as those announcements are usually couple with the finales of Bachelor seasons. But it appears ABC is doing something a little differently in making Rachel Lindsay's Bachelorette future public knowledge, and the news will allegedly make its way to mass audiences via Jimmy Kimmel Live! I guess there was a leak in the good ship of information, though, resulting in everyone finding out hours ahead of time.
The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss has been teasing fans on Twitter with an impending announcement being described as "historic," and finally let it loose that the pre-Valentine's Day Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be where everything would be revealed. Bully for him, because Reality Steve ended up breaking the news earlier today that the history being made involves finally getting a black person as the in-control Bachelorette. It's a long time a-coming, too, and the series has received a lot of flak over it.
Before last season, reports surfaced that Caila Quinn would be the one leading The Bachelorette, which would have marked the first non-white show lead, since Quinn is half-Filipino. But fans were shocked when it was then revealed that JoJo Fletcher would serve as The Bachelorette's top banana, and that wasn't the first time producers have pulled a switcheroo like that whenever information leaked out too early.
Plus, this is the second franchise cycle in a row that has seen its main star announced while said star could still currently be seen on a different show. Rachel Lindsay is still on Nick Viall's Bachelor season, and isn't expected to get eliminated for another two weeks, so it's the first time that a Bachelor/Bachelorette lead has been announced while the person is still on the opposite show. Viall was announced for The Bachelor while he was competing on Bachelor in Paradise, which isn't quite the same thing.
The Bachelor currently airs Monday nights on ABC, while The Bachelorette's 13th season will likely kick off this May. Don't forget to tune into Jimmy Kimmel Now! to see the official announcement. In the meantime, head to our midseason premiere schedule to see everything coming to the small screen in the near future.
