We’re mere days away from Grant Ellis making his debut on the 2025 TV schedule as The Bachelor’s second Black lead, but for the last week or so, fans’ attention has been laser-focused on the first. Matt James shocked Bachelor Nation with his post announcing that he had split from Rachael Kirkconnell four years after they met on Season 25 of the ABC dating show. Despite the breakup seemingly coming out of nowhere, a source alleges it was a “long time coming,” and fans have gotten to work dissecting Kirkconnell’s social media activity for clues as to what may have happened.
Source Discloses What Allegedly Led To Matt And Rachael’s Split
Given The Bachelor’s racism scandal that Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell weathered following their televised courtship, coupled with their frequent social media posts eating and traveling together, Bachelor Nation had little reason to believe trouble was afoot in this relationship. In fact, the suddenness of it all had fans theorizing that it was a prank or that James had been hacked. An insider for US Weekly, however, claims there was more going on behind the scenes than we realized. They said:
The split may seem abrupt, but this has been brewing for a while. It was a long time coming. Matt just couldn’t commit to her… Rachael really wanted to get married and settle down and they were not on the same page. She felt like she was waiting around, and he would never give her what she wanted.
Rachael Kirkconnell’s sister commented on a TikTok video about the breakup, allegedly saying that Matt James had ended the relationship just three hours before posting the Instagram announcement. With so much tea just begging to be spilled, fans have found several potentially telling clues from Kirkconnell’s own social media activity.
Is Rachael Kirkconnell Subtlely Revealing What Happened With Matt James?
Rachael Kirkconnell’s last post on Instagram is from December — a birthday tribute to the former Bachelor — but within the comments of that post there seems to be a clue regarding the events surrounding the breakup. Kirkconnell “liked” a comment from mac_hodgdon that read:
The more I’m thinking about it, the more I think he completely blindsided her with this. Give her some grace and let her respond in her own time.
A source for US Weekly, however, clarified that Rachael Kirkconnell was blindsided by Matt James’ fast public announcement, not the breakup itself.
Some fans are also wondering if infidelity was involved, after The Bachelor contestant reportedly reposted a couple of TikTok videos that mentioned cheating. In one, a woman hides behind the door at the house of her friend’s supposedly cheating boyfriend and tackles him when he walks in. Another shows visuals from Sex and the City, with Carrie telling Aidan that she misses him and him responding, “You broke my heart!” by cheating on him with Mr. Big.
With Matt James not saying much about the split and Rachael Kirkconnell not really saying anything, all fans can do is speculate on why the couple ended their four-year relationship. While we wait for any official explanation, Bachelor Nation can tune in for Grant Ellis’ journey, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET Monday, January 27, on ABC and streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.
