Reports have surfaced that Farmer Wants A Wife was keen to add some LGBTQIA+ representation to the next season with a gay or lesbian farmer but it didn’t go as planned.
Seven recently unveiled a new lineup of eight farmers looking for love next season and they’re all straight white men.
Where wasn’t a gay farmer cast?
According to Yahoo! Lifestyle, producers were open to more inclusive casting for Farmer Wants A Wife 2025 but struggled to find enough interested participants.
“Plans for a gay or lesbian farmer have been scrapped due to a lack of interest from the queer community during the application process,” the insider told Yahoo! Lifestyle.
Apparently, this wasn’t an intentional move by the producers or casting team. They just couldn’t track down the right LGBTQIA+ candidates, both farmers and their potential matches.
The source mentioned that there were plenty of discussions about having a “diversity angle” but they couldn’t find many “suitable applicants”.
Seven reportedly wanted to avoid “stunt casting” to tick a diversity box.
“We know that there are strong [LGBTQIA+] communities in regional areas, and we would love to have them take part in the long-running show. It is not for lack of trying,” the insider told Yahoo! Lifestyle.
“The audition process is quite extensive, and while there were a handful of options, in the end, the farmers picked were more suitable based on their personalities this time around.”
The show’s past response to casting a gay farmer
Last year host Samantha Armytage admitted to TV Tonight that getting asked about having a gay farmer on the show is a frequent question she gets asked.
“I get asked every year, ‘Why isn’t there a gay farmer on there?’ Good question,” she told TV Tonight.
“If you know any, and they want to be on TV, let us know, we would love that!”
She went on to say that it can be difficult to find a gay farmer who would be keen on going on television.
“I think the producers would love to have more diversity on the show. But the trick is getting them to agree to appear on television.
“It’s not just about finding a farmer, it’s finding a farmer who’s willing to go on television, which is a big thing to do.”
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