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Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell were one of Bachelor Nation‘s most successful couples. The lovers had a rocky start, as Rachael faced backlash at the end of The Bachelor Season 25 for allegedly liking racist social media posts and attending a plantation-themed ball. Matt and Rachael made it through their rough patch and dated for four years before Matt posted a confusing breakup post. Here’s what an insider said about Rachael allegedly dumping Matt.

Matt James allegedly knows ‘what he did’ for Rachael Kirkconnell to pull the plug on their romance

Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell had a rough start to their romance. While they seemed destined for love on The Bachelor Season 25, they didn’t immediately pursue a relationship post-show due to the racially insensitive photos involving Rachael. However, the couple mended fences and got back together shortly after the After the Final Rose special in 2021. They’ve been together (and seemingly inseparable) ever since. However, Matt posted an Instagram breakup post on Jan. 16, 2025.

“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts,” he captioned a photo of him and Rachael from The Bachelor. “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.”

A source close to the exes told The U.S. Sun that “everyone is confused” over Matt’s post. “Rachael is being pretty quiet right now, but I know she was blindsided by Matt’s post,” they alleged. “She didn’t know he was going to do that and definitely wouldn’t have approved of it if she did. And she thinks it’s just as weird as everyone else does; she’s humiliated that’s how the news came out.”

So, why did Matt and Rachael break up? The source noted that Rachael was the one to end the romance, and Matt “knows what he did.” They didn’t elaborate further.

While Matt recently posted content of him and Rachael traveling together, the source explained that all of this was pre-filmed. “And the reality is, his content without Rachael doesn’t do as well with views and engagement, so he is continuing to post as much as he can with what he has,” they alleged.

‘The Bachelor’ fans are divided on the post

Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James holding hands and facing each other during 'The Bachelor' Season 25 finale. Rachael is wearing a green dress and Matt is wearing a suit while holding a rose.
Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James at the end of ‘The Bachelor’ Season 25 | Craig Sjodin via Getty Images
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Bachelor Nation fans don’t know what to make of Matt James’ post regarding his and Rachael Kirkconnell’s breakup. Twenty-four hours before the breakup post, Matt was commenting on social media about marriage, rings, and Rachael’s beauty.

“My theory, he’s either getting ahead of something, or they broke up a few days ago but he continued to post and comment his backlog post-breakup … or it’s fake,” a Reddit user wrote.

As for Matt’s social media activity, another user noted that Matt likely has a social media manager or agency commenting for him for organic engagement. “All of those were standard ‘speaking in the client’s voice’ comments,” the user noted.

“My guess: Rachael finally pressed him on getting engaged,” yet another user suggested. “He said something to the effect of, ‘I’m not ready to propose/marry you’ or something else noncommittal. She broke up with him then.”

Rachael Kirkconnell talked about tuning out the ‘noise’ from outsiders regarding their romance

The Bachelor stars Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell once talked about how they deal with outsiders commenting on their romance.

“I don’t think we go out of our way to look at anything. And I think that we try to focus more on the positive of everything,” Kirkconnell told People in July 2023. “I think we’re really used to noise, and we’re really used to being able to tune it out after just our relationship beginning.”

Matt explained that he enjoyed displaying his and Rachael’s love for their supporters. “There’s no pressure,” he said. “Everything that we do is for one another, and that, I think, is what makes our relationship work so well.”

Rachael added that she feels like Matt made her an “all-around more positive, easygoing person,” which she appreciated about him.

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