While it was once thought that Mike Johnson would be the first black man to lead a season of The Bachelor, he couldn't be more thrilled for Matt James.
On Friday, the 32-year-old portfolio manager and Air Force veteran, who was a contestant on Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette, posted a video to Instagram where he shared his thoughts on the new Bachelor.
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"I just want to give a huge shout out to Matt James," he began. "I definitely texted him earlier but I want to show him love and shout him out publicly as well."
Johnson also gave "a huge shout out to ABC" for finally casting a black man on the show. "They listened to us, I'm giving you guys a shout out, the fans. ...You guys marched and sent all these emails, I'm sure. ...Your guys' voice is definitely being heard."
While many of Johnson's fans were hoping that he would fill the role, he assured them that he has no hard feelings.
"Don't feel bad for me at all. I am just so elated. I have so many things coming down the pipeline," he shared. "I hope that you enjoy my book, I have so much to talk about. Quite honestly, be happy, baby. Don't say nothing bad about my homie. Matt's going to do a great job."
Johnson also didn't forget to mention Claire Crawley's season of The Bachelorette, which will air first. "Let's not forget, baby Claire is coming first. So baby, we love you and we can't wait for you to find your spouse," he said.
Giving one last shout out to James, he concluded his video, "And Matt, do your thing, homie."
Earlier this week, ET's Lauren Zima spoke with Rachel Lindsay, the first black woman to lead The Bachelorette, about how she felt when Peter Weber was chosen to be the Bachelor over Johnson.
"I definitely asked," Lindsay said of the questions she posed to producers about why Johnson wasn't cast. "I was extremely vocal about Mike Johnson and how he checked all the boxes and it doesn't make sense why he is not the lead. And it even seemed as if the audience wanted him. The audience was not into Peter."
Watch the video to hear the answer Lindsay was given as to why ABC went with Weber:
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