Old flames. Bachelor star Matt James and ex Rachael Kirkconnell fueled reconciliation rumors on Tuesday, April 6, following their split after season 25. Are they back together? Keep reading for everything we know.
A blurry fan photo posted online claimed to be Matt, 29, and Rachael, 24, walking together in the Brooklyn neighborhood Williamsburg. The picture showed what appeared to be a tall man wearing a grey sweatshirt with the hood up holding hands with a woman who had her brown hair tied up.
“It’s been a while but here’s some news: Matt and Rachael? Yeah, they’re not over. They’re currently in New York together,” Reality Steve tweeted shortly before the photo in question began circulating.
Neither has confirmed they are hanging out again, but Matt has been posting videos on his Instagram Story confirming he’s back in the Big Apple, where he lives with Bachelor Nation alum Tyler Cameron.
The season 25 star chose Rachael during his finale, but they did not get engaged. He broke things off shortly after amid the controversy surrounding her past racist behavior.
Life & Style confirmed the reality couple was “no longer together” on March 8, one day after Matt released a statement condemning Rachael’s past actions.
“Matt broke up with Rachael mainly due to the backlash,” a source told Life & Style at the time. “At the end of the day, he cared more about protecting himself, supporting his friend [former Bachelorette] Rachel Lindsay and speaking out against the franchise. Rachael can’t wait until she can finally share her side of the story.”
Rachael was accused of mistreating a girl during high school for “liking Black guys” and “liking” racist social media photos, including ones that featured the Confederate flag. Photos also surfaced of the graphic designer attending an “Old South” antebellum-themed fraternity party in 2018. She released a written apology on February 11.
“At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them,” the former contestant wrote via Instagram. “My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not acceptable or OK in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.”
“I am sorry to the communities and individuals that my actions harmed and offended,” she continued. “I am ashamed about my lack of education, but it is no one’s responsibility to educate me. 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.”
Matt and Rachael came face-to-face following their split during After the Final Rose, which premiered on March 15.
“As someone who grew up in the South, it takes me to a place that I don’t often like to think about. I wasn’t OK,” the real estate analyst said about the controversy. “It was in that moment and the conversation that I had, that Rachael might not understand what it means to be Black in America. It’s heartbreaking. If you don’t understand that something like that is problematic in 2018, there’s a lot of me that you won’t understand. It’s as simple as that.”
Time will tell what the future holds for these exes!