After a huge, monthslong campaign to make Mike Johnson the next star of The Bachelor, ABC announced on Tuesday night it has selected Peter Weber instead.
Fans are...not happy.
i knew they were gonna be basic and pick peter and not mike. but still so annoyed & sad #BachelorInParadise
When they bring out Peter for bachelor and not Mike #BachelorInParadisefinale #MikeForBachelor
What we wanted vs what we got. @BachelorABC #BachelorInParadise #TheBachelor #MikeForBachelor
Here's how we got here.
Both Johnson, who is black, and Weber, who is part Cuban, appeared on Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette this past spring. Weber was eliminated in week 9, and Johnson was eliminated in week 7.
Johnson was a fan favorite early on, with fans tweeting about his potential as the next star of the show as early as Episode 1.
Is it too early for #MikeForBachelor???? #TheBachelorette
Many soon fell in love, even prominent Bachelor journalists like Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly.
Mike... is handsome ✅ has an emotional backstory ✅ even looks good in red pants ✅ #MikeForBachelor #TheBachelorette
It wasn't just that fans were falling in love with Johnson. In case you didn't know, despite this being the year of our lord 2019, ABC has never cast a black Bachelor.
The only black star of the franchise was Rachel Lindsay, the 13th Bachelorette. This from a show that has been on the air for 17 YEARS and has had 23 seasons of The Bachelor alone.
So, to say it is time for a black Bachelor would be an understatement for many fans. They quickly made their support for Johnson known.
When producer Mike Fleiss asked fans on Twitter a few weeks into the season who they saw as the next star of the show, the response was overwhelming.
Over time, the movement only grew as fans saw more of Johnson's personality onscreen and off.
Mike is a gift and should be protected at all times #TheBachelorette #MikeForBachelor
Respects women and hasn’t called one a pig on Instagram? ✅ Mature, ready to settle down? ✅ Has the most amazing smile? ✅ Excited to see people he once loved happy, even if it wasn’t with him? ✅ Honest with his emotions? ✅ #MikeForBachelor #BachelorinParadise
Just your weekly reminder that this man is pure and wonderful and kind and did not have a girlfriend when he came on the show and he 100% deserves to be The Bachelor. #TheBacheloretteFinale #MikeForBachelor
Many fans began to tweet that it was "about damn time."
Sooo here for this #MikeForBachelor #TheBachlorette
@BachelorABC mike deserves to be the bachelor. He had depth, heart, and America loves him. It’s time for a bachelor of color. Make history.
If Mike isn’t the next bachelor, we riot. It’s LOOOOOONG past overdue that we have a POC as the lead, but beyond that, he’s the perfect man. #TheBachelorette #TheBachelor
Even Brown's parents loved him, unlike....some people......she dated.
hannah's parents... is all of us #thebachelorette #mikeforbachelor
Johnson also appeared on Bachelor in Paradise this summer, and left the show single and without causing any drama. The thirst only grew.
Mike: where’s my wife at? #BachelorInParadise #MikeForBachelor
How I feel watching Mike leave paradise knowing he deserves so much better #BachelorInParadise #MikeForBachelor
A few weeks ago, rumors began to swirl that Weber had been confirmed as the next star of the show.
Johnson addressed the rumors in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, saying he thought "history repeats itself."
"He'd be a safe Bachelor, meaning that he won't do anything crazy obnoxious," Johnson said. "I think it'd be a good, safe, clean season if he were the Bachelor."
To be fair, many fans liked him as well. However, many were disappointed that it seemed ABC was choosing not to pick a black man, despite a huge online campaign.
Pilot peter as the bachelor is the least surprising news ever. He was planned to be the bachelor before he started filming Hannah B’s season. ABC would rather cast Sean Spicer than have a black bachelor #bachelorsowhite #thebachelor #mikeforbachelor
A Bachelor podcast even made a change.org petition begging producers to pick him.
So when the news was confirmed Tuesday that Weber had been chosen, many fans were very upset.
Some began using the hashtag #BachelorSoWhite.
#bachelorsowhite & none of them had charisma. #MikeForBachelor
They said if Johnson couldn't nab the gig, would a black man ever be chosen?
At least now @BachelorABC can stop saying they’re just waiting for the right black man right? #bacheloreinparadise #bachelorsowhite #MikeForBachelor
bach producers were like “ok we had a black bachelorette and a lesbian couple that’s enough of that ‘representation’ thing”🙄 #MikeForBachelor #bachelorsowhite
They trashed the mentions on the show's announcement tweet as well.
And of course, some are vowing not to watch.
Definitely won’t be watching #thebachelor next year. I’ll keep up though through @RealitySteve bc god knows this show would not be as entertaining without him! #bachelorsowhite
BOYCOTT BACHELOR NATION FOR SENDING MIKE HOME #bacheloreinparadise
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly last month, ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke said that the network is "evolving" on diversity in the show. ABC didn't return a request for comment from BuzzFeed News.
"I do think the show has worked hard to increase diversity in its casting and is continuing to evolve," she said. "And as it evolves, we'll continue to see more diversity from the franchise."
And maybe don't feel toooooo bad for Johnson. According to E! News, Johnson recently went on a date with Demi Lovato after shooting his shot on Instagram.
Bachelor Nation: Mike should have been bachelor! Demi Lovato: #TheBachelor #BachelorInParadise