Four years after Rachael Kirkconnell’s racism scandal rocked Bachelor Nation, she and former The Bachelor lead Matt James have called it quits.
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James confirmed the break-up in a post on Instagram.
“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts,” he wrote in the post’s caption. The post features a sweet photo of the couple during their reality TV days. “Give us a peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding. Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord.”
Hours before he made the announcement, Matt James had shared a video of him and Rachael Kirkconnell. They were eating pizza at the hotspot Crisp Pizza W6 in London. This caused Bachelor fans to flood the post’s comment section with questions.
“So you are eating 36” total pizza together, and 12 hours later, you are doing a break-up press release?” a commenter asked.
Another commenter admitted to being confused by both of the posts.
“With all due respect, the math ain’t mathing on this one, Matt … have you been hacked?” they stated.
Kirkconnell hasn’t publicly commented about the situation. Her most recent Instagram post was a special birthday tribute to James.
“Happiest of birthdays to my best friend, my teammate, my sous chef, the man that has my whole heart,” Kirkconnell wrote in the Dec. 5 post. “You fill it (and my tummy) with so much love and laughter, and I’m so thankful I get to dance through this life with you. thank you for your never ending love and support and smooches and snuggles. to many more adventures, happy birthday, my pumpkin.”
Kirkconnell and James have been together since the 24th season of The Bachelor.
Rachael Kirkconnell Was Accused Of Being Racist Amid Matt James’ ‘The Bachelor’ Season
While Matt James’ The Bachelor season was airing in 2021, Rachael Kirkconnell came under fire after photos of her attending an Antebellum plantation-themed fraternity formal from 2018 surfaced.
“At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them,” Kirkconnell said while addressing the photos. “My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not ok or acceptable in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.”
She apologized to the “communities and individuals” that her actions harmed and offended.
“I am learning and will continue to learn how to be antiracist because it’s important to speak up in the moment and not after you’re called out,” she noted. “If you are a person who doesn’t understand the offense in question, I urge you to learn from my mistakes and encourage you to use them as a teachable moment.”
Former The Bachelor host Chris Harrison defended Kirkconnell amid the criticism. During an interview with Rachel Lindsay, Harrison sympathized with Kirkconnell and implied that the criticism was unfair.
Harrison later admitted he made a mistake during the interview.
“I am an imperfect man; I made a mistake, and I own that,” Harrison explained on Good Morning America. “I believe that mistake doesn’t reflect who I am or what I stand for.”
He then added that he was committed to progress, not just for himself but for the franchise.
Months after the interview, Harrison was forced to step down from his long-running host role in The Bachelor franchise. Former Bachelor star Jesse Palmer has since taken over the role.