'Bachelorette’ alum Mike Johnson slams franchise for lack of diversity: ‘It’s atrocious’

“Bachelorette” alum Mike Johnson isn’t happy with the “Bachelor” producers' timing for announcing Matt James as the first Black “Bachelor” and the potential of Tayshia Adams to be the second Black “Bachelorette.”

The reality TV star slammed the series for its lack of diversity in a new interview. He also criticized the fact that it took several petitions and Rachel Lindsay, the series’ first Black “Bachelorette” lead, threatening to quit for change to occur in casting.

“It’s atrocious,” Johnson, 32, said to Variety in regards to the years without a diverse lead. “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.”

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He continued: “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, so I love the fans who signed petitions and things like that, but it shouldn’t have taken that. I hope that they do listen. And I hope that it’s not just the leads and contestants, but people in charge should also be diverse, as well.”

“I want ‘The Bachelor’ to be a representation of America. It’s supposed to be about love, and love comes in all forms and colors — not just White America,” the Air Force veteran said. “If the show wants to continue to be absolutely amazing, I would want it to not only be the poster child for the show with ‘The Bachelor’ or ‘Bachelorette’ who is diverse, but also people from the top down, so the contestants feel like they can relate to someone on the show. It needs to be a melting pot on diversity and culture differences because it’s not just about color.”

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Johnson was a fan favorite from Hannah Brown’s season of “The Bachelorette.”

Lindsay, 35, was also a vocal critic about the production team's choice to cast Peter Weber as “The Bachelor” when she believed Johnson would be a great lead and diverse option as the potential first Black “Bachelor.”

Following the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, Lindsay threatened to end any affiliation with the franchise if they didn’t cast a diverse lead. Shortly after, James, 28, who had never been on “The Bachelorette,” was announced as the first Black “Bachelor.”

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Lindsay has criticized the timing of the announcement and Johnson agreed.

“We were all talking about Clare [Crawley] being ‘The Bachelorette,’ and before her season had even aired, we bring on a different Bachelor? That the timing was definitely off. I think everyone can agree with that,” the “Bachelor in Paradise” alum said.

Johnson continued: “At the time that they said it, it was peculiar. It wasn’t natural. It was forced. That’s how it felt for me.”

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“Even if I were chosen to be ‘The Bachelor,’ my homeboys would tell me, ‘Why did they announce you right now?’” he added. “It’s not about the person in the role, but it’s about the timing of the role being announced. It just felt very forced to me.”

Regardless, Johnson gave his best wishes to Adams, 29, and said, “I’m obviously a proponent for representation — if she’s the new ‘Bachelorette,’ which it seems almost certain that she is ‘Bachelorette’ — this is wonderful.”

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In regards to James, Johnson said, “I am happy that it’s Matt. I’m not sure how Matt went from being a contestant to being a lead, but I thought that was pretty dope, and I texted Matt to congratulate him and called him.”

ABC has yet to announce whether or not Adams will replace Crawley.