It’s over for Matt James of “The Bachelor” and Season 25 winner Rachael Kirkconnell, according to the reality TV star himself.
James, who starred in the 2021 season of the ABC dating competition, announced Thursday on Instagram that he and Kirkconnell had split up after four years together.
“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts,” the former NCAA football player wrote in his post, which featured an image of them from “The Bachelor” and had the comments turned off. “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.”
Kirkconnell, a graphic designer, was tagged in James’ post but has not yet publicly commented or posted about the split. A representative for the reality star did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times’ request for comment.
But some Bachelor Nation fans weren’t buying news of the split, pointing to and commenting on the couple’s trip to London this week and James’ posts from as recently Wednesday featuring their food-filled shenanigans.
Incidentally, Kirkconnell’s most recent Instagram post is from early December and is a birthday tribute to James, whom she described as her best friend, teammate and sous chef.
“[T]he man that has my whole heart. 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,” she captioned the post, which featured a video of moments from their relationship. “thank you for your never ending love and support and smooches and snuggles. to many more adventures, happy birthday my pumpkin “
James, a real estate broker, entrepreneur and community-organization founder, was the first Black man to lead “The Bachelor” and previously appeared on Hannah Brown’s season of “The Bachelorette” as a friend of contestant Tyler Cameron. Prior to him, attorney Rachel Lindsay was the first Black person to lead the franchise when she was “The Bachelorette” in 2017.
“The Bachelor” star gave his final rose to Kirkconnell during the 2021 finale, but the couple made headlines when they decided to continue dating rather than get engaged. Their “After the Final Rose” special, a reunion that often updates viewers on events since the season completed shooting, went sideways when James and Kirkconnell were presented with the racist backlash that tainted much of their season and forced a racial reckoning on the show.
The controversy about an Old South-themed party from Kirkconnell’s past also led to the ouster of longtime “Bachelor” host Chris Harrison, who became embroiled in the fallout when he minimized the 2018 images featuring the contestant during an interview with Lindsay.
Times senior writer Greg Braxton contributed to this report.