Raleigh native and former ‘Bachelor’ Matt James lands on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
Raleigh native Matt James, whose season of ABC’s “The Bachelor” ended in a swirl of controversy, will be a contestant on the new season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Entertainment magazine Us Weekly broke the news on Wednesday.
James, who was ABC’s first Black star of “The Bachelor,” ended his season in March by picking Rachael Kirkconnell, a Georgia woman who was criticized for racist posts on Instagram. By the time the show’s finale aired, the two had broken up and James would barely speak to her on air.
But in April, the pair reunited and are still together.
The fallout from the James-Kirkconnell controversy included the removal of longtime “Bachelor” franchise host Chris Harrison, who defended Kirkconnell’s post in a widely publicized interview.
James is a graduate of Sanderson High School in Raleigh and played football at Wake Forest University. He’s close friends with former “Bachelorette” contestant Tyler Cameron, who also played football at Wake Forest.
When James, now 29, was selected as the star of “The Bachelor,” he was working with a real estate investment firm in New York City. He has also been involved in a program in New York that helps children affected by homelessness.
He has spent a lot of his post-”Bachelor” time skateboarding, surfing and talking crytpocurrency, according to his Instagram.
Our burning questions for the new “Dancing with the Stars” season:
▪ Could James’ buddy Tyler Cameron also end up on “DWTS?” That’s a good bet.
▪ Will James finally shave his “man of constant sorrow” beard when he hits the ballroom? I bet not.
The new season of “Dancing with the Stars” premieres Sept. 8 on ABC.
For more information on James, read our newsobserver.com recap of his “Bachelor” finale, which includes links to recaps of all of his episodes.
