‘Bachelor’ Producers Balk at Diversity Questioning

By Emma Chance | TV | February 12, 2024 |

By Emma Chance | TV | February 12, 2024 |

A trio of Bachelor producers froze when asked about racial representation at a Television Critics Association’s panel on Saturday.

Franchise veteran Bennett Graebner and newcomers Jason Ehrlich and Claire Freeland were asked by journalist Eric Deggans to respond to criticism from former stars Rachel Linsday and Matt James about how executives at the show talk about race. Freeland hesitantly responded that the goal is to “represent the country.” The question was repeated more directly and the trio fell silent for a reported 10 seconds. Deggans put them out of their misery by saying, “Guess we have our answer.”

Notably, two of the three producers onstage representing the Bachelor franchise are new and had no involvement with the seasons @Deggans referenced.

But the third? Who literally sat there in silence, not even a “no comment?” It was flabbergasting. #TCA24 https://t.co/FnYvsMaRaT

— Myles McNutt (@Memles) February 10, 2024

“It is impossible for me to comment on the seasons before I joined them here,” Freeland later whined in defense. “I can only speak to the seasons I have made as part of the U.S. franchise as well as our plans as we go forward. And that is to get better at some of the areas that have not necessarily been as strong, perhaps, before in the past on the franchise.” Gee, how illuminating. She then pointed to The Golden Bachelor (which, it had just been announced, will be returning as The Golden Bachelorette!) and Charity Lawson’s Bachelorette season as examples of diverse casting.

“I think you’re seeing much more representation. And that’s really the goal going forward. I can only speak to what I’ve done here over the last year. I hope that shows what our plan is for the franchise and what we’ll do as we go forward.”

The thing Freeland and her fellow producers don’t seem to understand is that not being able to speak to the seasons they weren’t involved with is a huge part of the problem. What’s the saying? “Those who forget their history are condemned to repeat it.” Statements like these prove that producers are not prioritizing racial diversity in casting. Acknowledgment of past mistakes is the first step, but the second step isn’t as simple as saying “More representation!” The word “representation” has lost all meaning here unless we also have the who, what, and how.