‘The Bachelor’ Star Matt James Posts Poignant Father’s Day Tribute To His Mom, Patty

Matt James sent Father’s Day wishes to his mom. The newly announced Bachelor star, 28, posted a photo of himself and his mom, Patty James, to Instagram as he wished her a happy Father’s Day.

In the photo, Matt was pictured hugging his mother from behind as they posed outdoors on what appeared to be a cruise boat, with the New York City lights shining on the body of water in the background. Matt was wearing a bright blue windbreaker while his mom sported a stylish mauve coat during the chilly outing, and both mother and son were smiling widely.

In the caption to the pic, The Bachelor star also referenced the Bible verse Psalms 68:5, which reads, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”

In comments to the post, several followers said they could relate to Matt when it comes to being raised by a single mom.

“Single moms deserve it all,” one follower wrote.

“We love a mom-dad,” another added.

Others noted the new ABC star’s close relationship with his adorable mom.

“It’s Patty James’ day, every single day,” one follower wrote.

“The way a man treats his Momma, is a good sign of how he will treat his wife. What an awesome picture,” another added.

All eyes will be on Matt in the coming weeks as he starts his journey as the first-ever black male lead on the ABC franchise. Fans will likely get to know a lot more about Patty as Matt starts his quest to find a wife on the reality show.

It’s clear that Matt has a close relationship with his mom. In an interview with Wake Forest Magazine, Matt called his mom his “inspiration.” The future Bachelor star said when he was growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his single mom, money was tight, but their close-knit community rallied around them and made sure he had everything he needed.

Matt, who described his mom as “the most faithful person I’ve ever known,” said Patty backed him in everything he did when he was growing up. As a standout high school football player, Matt received college scholarship offers from both Syracuse University and the University of Kentucky, but he decided to stay close to his mother and ultimately attended Wake Forest University in his home state.

Matt’s mom said her son was “always drawn” to families where the mom and dad were together, but today he uses his life experiences when working with ABC Food Tours. The Bachelor star provides fine dining meals to New York students, many of them homeless or living in single-parent homes, through the non-profit organization he runs with Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron.

“Matt is just do it — before he considers the difficulties and obstacles he just goes in and does it,” his mom told ABC 11 last year. “I’ve just seen him overcome obstacle and hurdle after hurdle, just never giving up.”