A Timeline Of When Matt James Broke Up With Rachael
Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell fell in love but broke up before AFTR. Get a
Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell fell in love but broke up before AFTR. Get a complete timeline of Matt and Rachael’s relationship and breakup.
Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell of The Bachelor fell in love while filming the show but had broken up by the time that they were interviewed on After The Final Rose. All the hints from social media and tips from different sources make a pretty clear timeline of when the couple called it quits. Here’s a complete timeline of Matt and Rachael’s relationship after the show ended.
Pre-Season & The Bachelor Premiere
The Bachelor season 25 started filming in September 2020 and concluded in November 2020. At that point, Matt had chosen Rachael as the winner of the season and they were deeply in love. The first episode of Matt’s season of The Bachelor aired on January 4, 2021. As fans met the girls on the season, new information began surfacing about each of them. Only days after the premiere of the show, alleged former acquaintances of Rachael appeared online saying that she bullied them in high school. The rumors began on TikTok and spread rapidly, as more people said that Rachael made fun of them for liking Black guys. Amid rumors that Rachael was the winner of the season, Matt James made an ambiguous statement about not believing the things that were initially brought up to his attention.
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Pictures of Rachael at an Old South Themed Ball in 2018 Surface
The now-infamous pictures of Rachael attending an Antebellum-themed sorority party in 2018 caused outrage among fans and former The Bachelor contestants. They showed Rachael with other girls wearing Civil War era dresses and posing together at a plantation. Without hearing Rachael’s views on the matter, host Chris Harrison defended her in an interview with The Bachelorette season 13 lead Rachel Lindsay. The interview was very poorly received and resulted in Chris stepping down as host of the show.
Rachael Apologizes For Racist Behavior & Matt Breaks Up With Her
Rachael finally addresses those surfaced photos in an Instagram post that was shared on February 11. “I am sorry to the communities and individuals that my actions harmed and offended,” she wrote, “I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them.” Matt revealed during After The Final Rose that those pictures of Rachael were the last straw for their relationship. While the exact date is unknown, sometime in between Rachael’s apology and Matt’s statement about the controversy is the most likely time when Matt ended their relationship.
The Break Up Becomes Official During The After The Final Rose Special
After The Final Rose aired directly after The Bachelor season 25 finale on April 15. New AFTR host Emmanuel Acho brought out Rachael first to discuss the controversy, then asked Matt to join her to discuss their relationship. There was obvious tension in the air, and Matt even refused to hug Rachael at the end of their talk. The relationship was officially and publicly over. Matt and Rachael have now gone their separate ways. Rachael is continuing to try to educate herself about racism in America, while Matt is focusing on social work. Matt deleted all Bachelor-related posts from his Instagram recently, showing that he is truly trying to move on from this painful relationship. Hopefully, the next lead on The Bachelor will have better luck.
Source: Matt James, Rachael Kirkconnell
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