Mike Johnson has been a part of the Bachelor franchise since he appeared on Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette.
He quickly became a fan favorite as he opened up about some emotional events in his life. For a while, fans were convinced that he would be a perfect Bachelor star.
But then he showed up on Bachelor In Paradise and decided to give it a shot, essentially confirming that he would not be the next Bachelor star.
Despite his time on Bachelor In Paradise, fans still campaigned for him to be the Bachelor because ABC could set a great example by showing a diverse cast
Now, he’s speaking out about his Bachelor life and gives his two cents on Clare Crawley’s season of the show.
Mike Johnson calls out the Bachelor franchise over the lack of diversity and discusses Clare Crawley as The Bachelorette
Mike has been vocal about The Bachelor franchise, including his time in front of the cameras.
Mike spoke to Variety about his time in the Bachelor world, revealing that he’s shocked to hear what is happening with Clare. He’s surprised that she’s supposedly engaged after two weeks and has shut down production for Dale Moss.
“I am just baffled, like everyone else is. I’m friends with some of them, but I haven’t reached out to them. I’m just watching and reading the news, like everyone else,” Mike revealed when asked him about the current rumors regarding Clare’s season of The Bachelorette.
Since he has been on The Bachelorette, he knows that producers can play a role in how things unfold on the show. While we don’t know the full capacity of what is going on, Mike does reveal that he’s surprised by how things are unfolding and how Tayshia Adams is taking over.
“I’m definitely surprised. This is a bit much. The point is for the lead to find love and then the second point is to create a little bit of drama because the fans all like the drama. But from what I’m hearing, they’re going over the top, like too far. But we’ll see. They always do a great job and they have for nearly 20 years, so they’re doing something right,” he explains, defending the producers on the show.
Even though Mike has nothing but nice words to share about The Bachelor franchise, he does have something to say about the lack of diversity surrounding the show. ABC has announced that Matt James is the next Bachelor for the 2021 season, but Mike wants ABC to take it a step further.
It’s not just about the people of color in front of the cameras.
“It’s atrocious. There have been numerous, wonderful Black and indigenous people of color that could have been cast in the lead roles, and for the franchise to not to do that, it’s just terrible. It should not have taken an outcry from the fans, who I absolutely adore — that was a clear sign that there is power in numbers,” Mike explains, adding that he hopes ABC listens and adds diversity behind the cameras as well.
Mike Johnson has just released his first book
Now that Mike won’t be the next Bachelor, he is focusing on his own love life. He hasn’t shared that he’s dating anyone, but he has explored self-love.
Mike has recently published his book about love called Making The Love You Want. He recently shared the news on his Instagram account, revealing that there were only 500 copies available at this time.
Mike was recently spotted with Hannah Ann and The Proposal host Jesse Palmer, possibly filming something. He never confirmed what they were working on.
Right now, he doesn’t have any appearances scheduled with The Bachelor, but it is possible he could pop up again, perhaps on the next season of Bachelor In Paradise. Or, if ABC continues to cast people of color in the lead role, he could be The Bachelor for the 2022 season.
The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.