‘Bachelor’ star Matt James says he and Rachael Kirkconnell have split after nearly 4 years
Former “Bachelor” star Matt James is back on the market after announcing he and his longtime girlfriend, Rachael Kirkconnell, have broken up.
James, whose season of the ABC dating competition aired in 2021, announced his split from Kirkconnell in an Instagram post on Jan. 16.
“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us a peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding,” he captioned the post. “Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord 💔.”
The entrepreneur tagged his former girlfriend in the post but blocked comments. Kirkconnell has not acknowledged the breakup on her own Instagram page yet, and TODAY.com has reached out to her for comment.
Kirkconnell last posted about her relationship with James on Dec. 5 when she shared a video montage on his birthday, calling him “my best friend, my teammate, my sous chef, the man that has my whole heart.”
“Thank you for your never ending love and support and smooches and snuggles. to many more adventures, happy birthday my pumpkin ♡,” she captioned the post.
The former couple met during Season 25 of “The Bachelor,” which featured James as the first Black male lead in the series’ history. In the season finale, James selected Kirkconnell but did not propose, explaining that he wanted to “make sure my love is enough for you” before committing to spending the rest of their lives together.
During the “After the Final Rose” special, the couple revealed that they were no longer together. James explained that he broke up with Kirkconnell after old photos resurfaced of her attending an antebellum-themed party in 2018. There were also claims that she had liked photos featuring Confederate flags on social media.
Despite Kirkconnell’s public apology, James did not move forward with their relationship at the time.
He explained his decision while speaking with Kirkconnell during the special, saying, “When I questioned our relationship, it was in the context of you not fully understanding my Blackness and what it means to be a Black man in America, and what it would mean for our kids when I saw those things that were floating around the Internet.”
James added that he ended their relationship so Kirkconnell could work on herself. Meanwhile, she said she felt blindsided.
“I thought about how strong I thought our relationship was, so for him to end things, he must have been very, very hurt by everything,” she said. “It was hard because I lost the love of my life and in the process of doing that, I hurt him. … I love him so much and I always will.”
The couple later reunited and went on to date for several years.
In February 2024, James talked to People about getting engaged to Kirkconnell in the future.
“We wouldn’t be together if that wasn’t the same goal,” he shared at the time. “I’m definitely excited for what the future looks like with us.”
He added that the proposal is “going to be something special because Rachael’s very special.”
