Getty Tyler Cameron and Matt James
Yes, Tyler Cameron and Matt James, the new Bachelor, know each other. According to People Magazine, James is “Tyler Cameron’s best friend and roommate.”
They live in New York and run a charitable organization called ABC Food Tours. Cameron, of course, narrowly missed out on getting a final rose in a previous season of the Bachelorette.
“Let’s go, [Matt James],” Tyler wrote on Instagram. Matt previously told Life & Styles that staying with Tyler and friends in Florida is “just like being with family.” They called themselves the “quarantine crew,” and the site said they spent their days “working out, making TikToks and hanging out on the boat.”
James, 28, was announced on June 12 as the new Bachelor. He becomes the first black Bachelor in the famed franchise’s history.
The charity’s about me page explains,
Late one night when Matt was leaving his favorite Lower East Side eatery, he encountered a group of young kids clustered on the corner of 6th Street and Avenue C. After being teased in passing about how ashy his ankles were, he paused and engaged the party. He learned that they attended a local elementary school and lived in the neighborhood. After sharing a few more laughs, Matt parted ways with the young boys with an idea. In reaching out to their elementary school, a meeting was set with the Principal of P.S. 188 – Mrs. Ramos. Mrs. Ramos explained to him that over 50% of the students at her school were homeless. That along with numerous other hardships gave Matt an idea, ABC Food Tours.
The initial goal was to find a creative way to engage kids in underserved communities. We started out taking groups of students to our favorite restaurants in lower Manhattan. As former athletes, we saw the importance of introducing not only physical but mental wellness components into our tours. One year later; we now service all of District 1, include a fitness component in every tour, and have plans of expanding into Brooklyn, surrounding neighborhoods in Manhattan and select cities across the country.
According to People Magazine, Cameron and James, who run the group together, met when they both played football for Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
Here’s what you need to know:
ABC Took Action After a Petition Urging the Franchise to Show More Racial Diversity
ABC announced James as the Bachelor via a statement read on Good Morning America. “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,” the statement read. “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.”
A Change.org petition had urged the Bachelor to showcase more racial diversity, saying, “ABC and Warner Bros. have been producing Bachelor content for 18 years. During that time they’ve cast 40 season leads, yet only one Black lead. This is unacceptable. As creators of one of the most popular and influential franchises on television, ABC and Warner Bros. have an opportunity and responsibility to feature Black, Indigenous, People of Color (“BIPOC”) relationships, families, and storylines. The franchise, and all those who represent it, should reflect and honor the racial diversity of our country–both in front of and behind the camera.”
According to ETOnline, James was supposed to be on Clare Crawley’s season of the Bachelorette.
In a tweet, Crawley had implied that James and others weren’t on the show for the right reasons, writing, “If you are doing interviews and creating Cameo accounts before you are even on my season… you are in it for the wrong reasons… #dontwasteyourtime,” she wrote in April. “Respect the opportunity you’ve been given. Respect the rules. Respect me. @BacheloretteABC.”
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How Tyler Cameron & Bachelor Matt James Know Each Other