Matt James (television personality)

Matt James (born December 5, 1991)[1] is an American television personality and businessperson who is the first black Bachelor lead for The Bachelor in season 25.[2]

Matt James
Born
Matt James

(1991-12-05) December 5, 1991
Raleigh, North Carolina, US
Alma materWake Forest University
Occupationreal estate broker, entrepreneur, community organization founder

Early life and education

James was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, the son of Manny and Patty James. Growing up, James was raised by his mother.[3] He is biracial, having a black father and white mother. James identifies as black.[4] He graduated from Sanderson High School in 2010 before going to Wake Forest University.[1][5] James obtained his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Wake Forest University in 2015 where he was also a wide receiver for Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team from 2011 to 2014.[6][7] He had mini-camp tryouts with the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints of the National Football League in May and June 2015, but was not signed by either team.[8][9][10]

Career

Before his moving to New York City, James worked at PNC Bank in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He works for CBRE Group, Inc., a commercial real estate company in New York City. James is also the founder of ABC Food Tours, a non-profit organization that educates children in underserved communities about food and exercise in New York City.[11][6][7]

Personal life and The Bachelor

James and Tyler Cameron played football at Wake Forest University together. They are also best friends and roommates in New York City.[12] Cameron's mother nominated James to be a contestant on The Bachelorette before she died.[13] James was originally cast to be a contestant for season 16 of The Bachelorette, starring Clare Crawley, but after filming was delayed due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was instead selected to be the next Bachelor for season 25 of The Bachelor.[14] He is the first black Bachelor lead in the show's history.[15]

References
  1. "2014 Football Roster - Matt James". Wake Forest University Athletics. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  2. Chuba, Kirsten (June 12, 2020). "ABC Casts Its First Black 'Bachelor'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  3. Hanner, Carol L. (January 5, 2019). "A Taste of Success". Wake Forest Magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  4. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (2021-01-05). "Matt James on Normalizing Conversations About Interracial Relationships and the Pressure of Being the First Black 'Bachelor'". Variety. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  5. Cain, Brooke (June 12, 2020). "ABC's first Black 'Bachelor' is a Raleigh native and ex-Wake Forest football player". The News & Observer. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  6. Chavez, Chris (June 12, 2020). "Former Wake Forest Wide Receiver Matt James Announced As Next 'Bachelor'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  7. Drysdale, Jennifer (June 12, 2020). "Who Is Matt James: 5 Things to Know About the First Black 'Bachelor'". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  8. Strickland, Bryan (May 7, 2015). "Panthers ready for rookie minicamp". Panthers.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  9. Woodbery, Evan (June 17, 2015). "3 players in tryouts at New Orleans Saints minicamp". NOLA.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  10. Discher, Emma and Amie Just (June 12, 2020). "Did you know? New Bachelor Matt James once tried out for the New Orleans Saints". NOLA.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  11. Bumbaca, Chris (June 12, 2020). "New 'Bachelor' Matt James played wide receiver for Wake Forest Deamon Deacons". USA Today. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  12. Rodriguez, Bianca (June 12, 2020). "Tyler Cameron and Matt James Are Friendship Goals". Marie Claire. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  13. Drysdale, Jennifer (June 12, 2020). "New 'Bachelor' Matt James on How Tyler Cameron's Late Mother Nominated Him for the Show (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  14. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (June 12, 2020). "'The Bachelor': Inside Matt James' Selection as the First Black Star in Series History (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  15. Jacobs, Julia (June 12, 2020). "First Black 'Bachelor', Matt James, Cast by ABC". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
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