The Bachelor producers promise "significant changes" in addressing diversity after selecting their first black lead

TheWrap

Hours after selecting Matt James as the first black Bachelor, the executive producers of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette executive producers released a statement Friday afternoon -- that Chris Harrison tweeted out -- saying they will take diversity seriously. “We are excited to move forward with both Matt James as the new Bachelor and Clare Crawley as our next Bachelorette," the statement said. "We acknowledge our responsibility for the lack of representation of people of color on our franchise and pledge to make significant changes to address this issue moving forward. We are taking positive steps to expand diversity in our cast, in our staff, and most importantly, in the relationships that we show on television. We can and will do better to reflect the world around us and show all of its beautiful love stories." ALSO: Clare Crawley wasn't given a head's up that her Bachelorette suitor Matt James was the new Bachelor.