Mike Johnsonis opening up about the precise moment he learned he wouldn’t beThe Bachelor‘s next leading man.
During an interview on theBachelor Happy Hour With Rachel & Alipodcast, Johnson, 31, told co-host and former BacheloretteRachel Lindsaythat he was told he was not the next Bachelor just before theBachelor in Paradiseseason 6 reunion began filming.
“Right before going on stage, they told me I wasn’t going to be the Bachelor,” said Johnson, who originally appeared onHannah Brown‘sBacheloretteseason earlier this year. “And so, you got me out here, flew me to L.A. There was no need for me to be there, and you just told me I’m not gonna be the Bachelor. So I just didn’t want to be there at all.”
The financial analyst clarified to Lindsay that he was indeed in talks to become the Bachelor for season 24 — a position that ultimately went toPeter Weber, a.k.a. “Pilot Pete,” also from Brown’s season.
Mike Johnson.John Fleenor/ABC
Had Johnson landed the role, he would’ve become the first African-American Bachelor ever, which was one of the main reasons he wanted it.
“It was bigger than me and I wanted to represent for all people of color,” he explained to Lindsay. “And then also, talking about people of color, they need to have an Asian Bachelor, they need to have an Indian Bachelor, they need to have other people outside of just black and white and I wanted to speak on that as well. But I did audition to be the Bachelor, and I 100 percent did want to be the Bachelor.”
Before learning the news, Johnson said he was already expecting things to not go the way he hoped they would.
“I found out in the trailers before you go onBachelor in Paradisereunion. And, I knew it. I already knew in my head,” he said. “Yes I wanted to be the Bachelor, yes I auditioned to be the Bachelor. I went in there with the right intentions of wanting to find love and wanting to be true to myself. You might have seen du-rag king come back. I had a list, a word document, of the type of women I wanted, what I was scared of and what I wasn’t scared of.”
However, the formerBachelorettecontestant now feels that the show “chose the right person for what they want, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all.”
After Weber, 28, wasnamed the new Bachelorat the conclusion of Tuesday’sBiPfinale, Lindsay — who was the first (and so far, only) black Bachelorette —slammed the franchisefor passing over Johnson.
Peter Weber.ABC/John Fleenor
“I think Peter seems like a very nice guy. He seems lovely. This is absolutely nothing against him, but how many Peters have we seen before? What season are we on? Twenty-four. So, we’ve seen 24 Peters,” Lindsay toldEntertainment Tonight. “I’m bored. And it’s nothing personal against him.”
“For the first time, I was very confident that we were going to see our first black Bachelor,” she explained. “And so if no one else is going to speak on it, then I guess it’s my duty to say it.”
While Johnson will not get his chance at love on ABC, he has recently been linked toDemi Lovato. Along with several instances ofonline flirty banterbetween the duo, a source told PEOPLE that the pair is “having funand getting to know each other.”
“They’ve been talking privately for a bit and hanging out,” the source added.
Demi Lovato, Mike Johnson.JB Lacroix/Getty Images; ABC
“We have not connected and we have not exchanged any freaky texts at all,” he said with a smile. “No to both.”
“She would definitely be cool to reach out to, but neither one of us have reached out to each other,” he said. “I think she’s sexy, she’s got a nice little booty on her and she has good voice.”
Season 24 ofThe Bachelorwill premiere on Jan. 6, 2020 on ABC.
source: people.com
