Is ‘The Bachelorette’ Canceled? Fans Confused After Matt James Named As The Next ‘Bachelor’

Fans of The Bachelorette are revealing their confusion over whether or not Clare Crawley’s season has been canceled after it was announced on Good Morning America that Matt James would be the next star of The Bachelor. Matt will helm the series’ 25th season and become the first black man to lead the franchise in the show’s history.

After Clare was announced as the newest star of The Bachelorette on March 2 of this year, her season of the series came to a screeching halt on March 13, just days before filming was set to begin, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Clare and her contestants were reportedly set to reconvene at the mansion two weeks after production initially shut down, but as the virus escalated, production was suspended altogether.

Fans of the series took to the comments section of the above Instagram post to reveal their confusion over whether or not Clare’s season would resume at a later date or if the franchise would scrap her season altogether.

“I think they are still filming her season. It was just put on hold for the virus. I think hers will be a short season,” shared one fan of their thoughts for what to expect moving forward during this season of The Bachelorette.

“I’m confused because he [Matt] was supposed to be on Clare’s season and now he’s got his own lead as The Bachelor. Does that mean they are going to put her on hold or cancel her season altogether?” questioned a second Instagram user.

“I still think her season will still air. Filming is just postponed due to Covid-19,” remarked a third follower.

Entertainment Tonight reported that series host Chris Harrison stated in April that he was hopeful production for Clare’s season would resume at some point. He did add, however, that if things didn’t go as planned with this virus and quarantine, “maybe we won’t have time to do it all.” Chris also commented that even if production could resume, it would be unlikely that the same group of men would be available to film again after the shutdown.

However, it was also mentioned by fans in the Instagram comment thread that they show might have to find a new way around filming due to the pandemic. This could include the use of tools such as Zoom or Skype as a way for the contestants of Clare’s season to get to know their potential mate in a more organic way than the path the show has normally taken over the past 17 years.

Good Morning America reported that Clare’s season will air this fall before Matt’s. In response to the news, Matt stated that he looked forward to meeting Clare and was “super excited” for her and her season.