Matt James Does 1st ‘Bachelor’ Interview Without Any Pants

No pants, no problem! Matt James will make history when he begins his journey as the first black Bachelor, but he’s already made a splash thanks to his interview attire.

While appearing on Good Morning America on Friday, June 12, the newest Bachelor lead, 28, wore a salmon blazer and blue shirt. From the waist down, however, he looked to be wearing only his underwear.

According to a video posted by James’ BFF Tyler Cameron, the North Carolina native did the whole interview pant-less.

Matt James Appears to Not Wearing Pants in 1st Interview as Bachelor
Matt James Courtesy of Tyler Cameron/Instagram

When Cameron, 27, scanned from James to the TV screen of his pal on the talk show and back, his bottoms seemed to be missing. In the clip, the ABC Food Tours cofounder’s bare legs are on full display as he sits on a chair and chats about his new reality TV venture.

James’ wardrobe didn’t keep him from being calm and collected as he reacted to ABC’s announcement making him the next Bachelor.

“It’s an honor,” James said on GMA. “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 decision to cast James as the franchise’s next male lead, came when Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette, which James was going to compete on, was postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Matt James Appears to Not Wearing Pants in 1st Interview as Bachelor
Matt James ABC/Craig Sjodin

According to ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke, when filming came to a halt, they “were given the benefit of time to get to know Matt and all agreed he would make a perfect Bachelor.”

The announcement came days after Bachelor Nation launched a Change.org petition calling on ABC to cast a black lead for season 25. Throughout the history of the franchise, the only black lead has been Rachel Lindsay on The Bachelorette in 2017.

Since being named the lead, the Wake Forest alum’s friends and Bachelor Nation members have shared their excitement, including Cameron who is his roommate.

Matt James Appears to Not Wearing Pants in 1st Interview as Bachelor
Matt James. Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

“Congrats to my brother @mattjames919 on being named the Bachelor. This is all a testament of who you are as a person,” the Florida native wrote via Instagram. “Now the world gets to see the person you are and the heart you have. You can change the world.”

James’ season is set to air following Crawley’s run this fall.

Listen on Spotify to Here For the Right Reasons to get inside scoop about the Bachelor franchise and exclusive interviews from contestants.

source: usmagazine.com