'The Bachelorette' 2016 News, Spoilers: Season 12 'Bachelorette' Choice Sparks Diversity Debate
The new "Bachelorette" has been chosen.
Following the "After the Final Rose" live special on Monday, March 14, "The Bachelor" host Chris Harrison announced that JoJo Fletcher, this season's "Bachelor" runner-up, will be the next "Bachelorette."
Fletcher was rejected in favor of "Bachelor" contestant Lauren Bushnell, who received Ben Higgins' final rose during the season 20 finale. The 25-year-old real estate developer was left to return home to Texas, though it now appears that she won't be there for long.
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The announcement of Fletcher's casting as the 2016 "Bachelorette" has fuelled a debate about the show's lack of diverse bachelorettes and has led to speculation regarding the show's alleged first choice, Caila Quinn.
According to Us Weekly, Quinn, who was booted out of "The Bachelor" right before Fletcher, had already recorded her introductory video for the 12th season of "The Bachelorette." Monday night's announcement has thus caused quite a stir, leaving fans to wonder why the show's producers changed course and picked Fletcher.
The Fletcher versus Quinn controversy has led to a debate on diversity, with many expressing their disappointment over Fletcher's casting. Quinn, who is half Filipino, was the likely choice to become the series' first non-white lead. Nevertheless, Fletcher's mother is Persian. In the official website of "The Bachelor," she talks about her ancestry, saying, "I'm proud of my mother's background despite what social opinions are. It's important for me to stand up to people stereotyping Iranians."
According to E! News, a source with ties to the show says that the decision to cast Fletcher instead of Quinn was based on the former's storyline.
"It was nothing against Caila, but JoJo's storyline was just so compelling," the source said. "After seeing how she fell in love with Ben and then had her heart broken, there was no doubt that everyone's going to be rooting for her as 'Bachelorette.'"
In January, ABC's then-president Paul Lee told TVLine that he would be "very surprised" if the next "Bachelorette" "isnt diverse."
"The Bachelorette" season 12 debuts May 23 on ABC.
