That’s what friends are for! Tyler Cameron cheered on BFF Matt James after he was announced as the first black Bachelor in franchise history for season 25. The new leading man even did his Good Morning America interview on June 12 from the former Bachelorette contestant’s Florida home, where they’ve been staying together amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Let’s go, [Matt James],” the contractor, 27, wrote on his Instagram Story after encouraging followers to turn on the morning talk show for the big announcement.
The new Bachelor, 28, and Jupiter native met while attending college at Wake Forest University. The athletic pair played football together, and their friendship became even stronger when Tyler moved to New York City to pursue a career in modeling following his stint on The Bachelorette. The two are roommates in the Big Apple, and the ex of Hannah Brown is heavily involved in Matt’s nonprofit ABC Food Tours, which engages kids in underserved communities through food.
Matt previously dished exclusively to Life & Style that staying with Tyler and a group of their pals in Florida is “just like being with family.” The “quarantine crew,” as they’ve christened themselves, spends their days working out, making TikToks and hanging out on the boat.
“It’s been a lot of fun being here with people that you care about and be in a place where it’s warm and you’re not having to deal with a lot of the things that a lot of people in the country are struggling with,” Matt explained. “So there’s not a lot to complain about, you know.”
As far as his new leading man role, Matt said it’s “an honor” and praised former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay for advocating for change in Bachelor Nation.
“When Rachel speaks, we listen. She has a very important voice in all this, being the first black woman, person of color to be a lead, and … this is hopefully the first of many black men to be in the position I’m at now,” the North Carolina native said on GMA following the announcement.
He added, “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 night… they see that diverse love stories are beautiful.”