Matt James AND Rachael KirkconnellS ‘ Bachelor the love story was a journey – on and off screen.
ABC named Matt the host of season 25 in June 2020, subsequently revealing that the series received a record number of contestant applications. Among the 38 women who had the chance to meet Matt was Rachael, a graphic designer from Georgia. While she didn’t get the coveted first impression rose (Abigail Heringer she did), she caught Matt’s eye the first night. (Season 25 i Bachelor filmed at Nemacolin Resort in Fall 2020 and premiered in January 2021.)
While Matt and Rachael were dropping L-bombs on the show, she was making headlines for her past racially insensitive actions, including photos of herself at an “Old South” themed party in 2018. The controversy escalated after Chris Harrison asked fans to have “grace” for Rachael as they move past the scandal. The Georgia native broke her silence in February 2021, two days after the host’s interview and more than a month since she was first attacked. Rachel’s mother, Kim Kirkconnell, also defended her daughter and hinted at how the situation could affect their potential happy ending.
“If he chooses Rachael and sticks by her, then you know Matt really loves her,” Kim said. sun. “If he chooses Rachael and then leaves her, then it wasn’t meant to be, and there’s someone else out there for him.”
Long The Bachelor: After the Final Rose in March 2021, fans learned that Matt and Rachael had called it quits while the show aired. A month later, the pair rekindled their relationship. Matt and Rachael dated for four years before he announced their split in January 2025.
Scroll through for a complete timeline of Matt and Rachael’s relationship:
