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Are Bachelor Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell Still Together? Where They Stand in 2025
Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell and leading man Matt James left as a couple during the season 25 finale but did not get engaged. They briefly split amid her social media controversy, though got back together and seemed to be stronger than ever. Are Matt and Rachael still together in 2025?
Are Rachael and Matt Still Together?
Rachael and Matt seemed to be one of the strongest couples to come out of Bachelor Nation, so fans were shocked to learn that they called it quits in January 2025.
“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us a peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding,” Matt captioned a photo of him and Rachael from the show via Instagram on January 16, 2025. “Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord.”
The split came just four months after Matt gushed about their relationship during an exclusive interview with Life & Style. At the time, he reflected on the pressure they faced to get engaged.
“Anything will affect you as much as you let it affect you,” he said during the September 2024 interview. “You just have to have thick skin. Being in New York helps a lot. Being a former athlete helps. You just grow accustomed to it. It just goes back to doing what makes you happy and doing what you feel is right. That’s why I think we’re in such a good place.”
He added, “We just kind of go by the beat of our own drum. I think that’s why it works for us. We just try to make each other happy and no one else. We just kind of live in our own bubble and do the things that make us happy and that seems to have been working for us.”
Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell Broke Up Before After the Final Rose
The leading man’s final two contestants were Rachael and Michelle Young. In the end, Matt chose Rachael, but things got complicated. The real estate analyst did not pop the question, but the season ended with the reality pair as a couple.
The status of their relationship quickly changed following Rachael’s racism scandal, which began after the season 25 premiere in January 2021. “Matt and Rachael Kirkconnell are no longer together,” an insider exclusively told Life & Style on March 8, 2021, one day after Matt released a statement condemning Rachael’s past social media behavior.
“Matt broke up with Rachael mainly due to the backlash. 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 once the finale airs,” added the source.
The leading man talked more about his decision to walk away from their romance during a sit-down with Rachael on After the Final Rose, hosted by Emmanuel Acho. “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,” Matt 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.”
Rachael first came under fire when a TikTok user accused the contestant of mistreating her while they were in high school together. The user claimed Rachael “bullied” her for “liking Black guys.” Shortly after, another TikTok video alleged the reality starlet previously “liked” racist social media posts that included the Confederate flag.
Insensitive photos of Rachael then began surfacing that showed her attending an Old South antebellum-themed fraternity party and another picture of her wearing a Native American costume.
The Georgia native has since apologized for her past insensitive behavior. “At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them. 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,” part of her Instagram statement read on February 11, 2021.
Ten days later, Matt released his own thoughts about the “troubling information that has come to light” since filming wrapped. “This moment has sparked critical conversations and reporting, raised important questions and resulted in inspiring displays of solidarity from The Bachelor nation,” he wrote via Instagram.
“It has also pushed me to reevaluate and process what my experience on The Bachelor represents, not just for me, but for all of the contestants of color, especially the Black contestants of this season and seasons past, and for you, the viewers at home,” his statement continued. “I will continue to process this experience, and you will hear more from me in the end. My greatest prayer is that this is an inflection point that results in real and institutional change for the better.”
Shortly after the scandal broke, an insider told Life & Style Matt was “supportive” of Rachael amid her drama. “He has to be careful what he says on social and to the media, but he definitely wants to protect her and will be there for her,” explained the insider about Matt’s initial reaction.
Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell Got Back Together After The Bachelor
The pair sparked reconciliation rumors after being spotted together in New York in early April 2021 — but Rachael allegedly discovered that Matt was “talking to another girl” at the time, Us Weekly reported. “He flew her to NYC. They’ve been working on their relationship privately over the past few months and taking the next steps to get back together,” a source told the outlet. “She’s very emotional right now because she was very hopeful that things were going to work out. She’s still trying to process this.”
Weeks later, Rachael shared Instagram Story photos and videos from an outing at Piedmont Park in Atlanta with some friends on April 15, 2021, Just hours earlier, Matt had shared a video clip of a silly moment during a flight. “This gonna be a long flight to Atlanta,” he captioned the funny footage. It appeared that the former flames may have plans to meet up with one another during the Bachelor alum’s trip.
On April 23, 2021, Reality Steve reported that Matt and Rachael were spotted at Bear Flag Fish Co in Newport Beach, California, together while having lunch. He shared a candid snapshot of the pair via Twitter and added, “Rachael has been with Matt all week in California.”
Matt vaguely clarified his and Rachael’s relationship status during an interview with People on April 28, 2021. “I’ve seen Rachael a handful of times,” he said. “I’m not pursuing any relationships right now outside of that. I said I was going to focus on my relationship with her and that means focusing on it.”
Days later, the duo was spotted in New York City together — and Matt even had his arm around Rachael as they entered a building on the Lower East Side on May 4, 2021, according to TMZ.
On May 27, 2021, Matt shared a snapshot of Rachael enjoying a moment with a young student during an event with his ABC Food Tours company, the first photo of the season 25 winner since they reunited. Two days later, the couple posed alongside Matt’s BFF Tyler Cameron and his then-girlfriend, Camila Kendra, at a separate event — and even took some steamy PDA-filled photos as a couple.
Matt’s mom, Patty Cuculo James, seemed to approve of the pair’s reconciliation. She shared two sweet photos of her son and his girlfriend while the trio attended a hockey game together on June 8, 2021. “Cozy at the Canes,” Patty captioned one picture of the pair holding each other close. “Can’t get a decent pic with these two,” the proud mama wrote on a second snap of the duo making funny faces alongside herself.
On July 10, 2021, the pair made their red carpet debut as a couple at the ESPY Awards in-person ceremony in New York City. Matt and Rachael posed with friends on the step and repeat, and the Bachelor alum also shared several snapshots to his Instagram Stories.
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