Fans have been watching Matt James on The Bachelor as he journey for love took viewers on countless twists and turns. And in the season finale on Monday night, it was Rachael Kirkconnell who received Matt’s final rose, though he did not propose.
But the question on everyone’s mind is: Are Matt and Rachael still together today?
Although they appeared together in the “After the Final Rose” special, viewers learned their romantic days are behind them when Matt revealed that he had broken up with Rachael.
What caused them to break up, though? It turns out fans played major role in their breakup by discovering and discussing Rachael’s racially problematic history online.
On social media, investigative fans dug up photos of Rachael attending an Antebellum-themed party and wearing a Native American outfit to an event (which many fans saw as cultural appropriation). And more sleuthing uncovered Rachael’s history of “liking” social media posts featuring Confederate flags.
In light of these discoveries, Matt decided they should no longer be a couple. On Feb. 22, he wrote an Instagram post discussing the revelations about Rachael. He also addressed how Bachelor host Chris Harrison defended Rachael’s actions in a Feb. 9 interview on Extra. (After receiving backlash from the interview, Harrison apologized and stepped down as host.)
“The reality is that I’m learning about these situations in real time, and it has been devastating and heartbreaking to put it bluntly,” Matt wrote.
In Monday’s “After the Final Rose” special, Matt opened up to Bachelor fill-in host and former NFL pro Emmanuel Acho about the breakup. Matt revealed that Rachael had told him these discoveries about her past were true. “And I wasn’t okay,” Matt said, “because it was in that moment and the conversation that I had [the realization] that Rachael might not understand what it means to be Black in America.”
Rachael apologized to Matt on the special, saying she had been “living in ignorance.”
Matt acknowledged her apology and her need for space to work on herself. “I have to take a step back and allow her to put in that work,” he said. But if he committed to a relationship with Rachael, he had concerns about “what it would mean for our kids when I saw those things that were floating around the internet.”
Ultimately, Matt decided the best course of action was to end the relationship.
Meanwhile, in an Instagram post on Monday, Rachael called Matt “the love of my life.”
“While I never expected this outcome, I respect his decision completely,” she wrote. “Of course I wish circumstances were different, but I still feel blessed for the time we did have together and the memories we made.”