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Culture

Rachael Kirkconnell Responds to Breakup on ‘Call Her Daddy’

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

In a shocking turn of events, former Bachelor couple Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell have officially called it quits after four years together. The news, which surfaced through an Instagram post from James just hours after their breakup, has left fans stunned and searching for answers.

Kirkconnell then went on Call Her Daddy, a podcast hosted by Alexandra Cooper. She spent the episode rehashing their relationship and what ultimately led to their breakup. Kirkconnell went on the podcast to share her side of what happened and to get some closure. She also wanted to end speculation online that James had cheated on her. Throughout the interview, Kirkconnell showed nothing but respect and spoke very eloquently about her four-year-long relationship with James and their breakup.

From Reality TV to Real-Life Love

Kirkconnell, 28, originally joined The Bachelor in 2021 after her friends applied on her behalf. When she received a call from a producer, she initially thought it was a prank. Learning she had made it onto the show just two weeks before filming, she decided to take a chance, particularly because it was during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was interesting to learn about the behind-the-scenes recruitment process for The Bachelor.

Despite not securing a one-on-one date with James until Week 5, the couple had already begun falling for each other. During their fantasy suite date, they had deep conversations about their future and mutually agreed not to get engaged in the finale.

However, when the season aired, controversy erupted around past social media activity linked to Kirkconnell, leading to a highly publicized breakup. Their breakup followed resurfaced images of Kirkconnell at an antebellum-themed plantation fraternity formal in 2018 and other controversial social media activity.

She issued an apology for her behavior at the time, but the couple temporarily broke up due to internet backlash. The split coincided with the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, adding further media pressure to their already strained relationship. The couple announced their breakup during the “After the Final Rose” episode.

Previous Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay interviewed the former host of the show, Chris Harrison, about the comments. He replied, asking people to give her grace and allow her to respond. This caused severe backlash, leading to him stepping down from his role.

A Rocky Road to Reconciliation

Even after their initial split, James and Kirkconnell continued to speak daily. Reports later emerged from RealitySteve that James had been in contact with another woman during this period, prompting the pair to go no-contact. However, just a week later, they resumed communication and quickly rekindled their romance.

Over the years, the couple frequently traveled to exotic destinations but never officially moved in together. Kirkconnell maintained her home in Atlanta while James split his time between New York and Miami.

Despite constant discussions about engagement and children, Kirkconnell reportedly felt their talks lacked follow-through. Additionally, she believed there was a power imbalance in their relationship because James was the Bachelor lead who ultimately chose her.

The Breaking Point

The final cracks in their relationship surfaced during a trip to Japan in January. Kirkconnell was feeling the pressure to choose the perfect dining spot for James, a food blogger. She became upset when the restaurant didn’t meet expectations.

Already feeling emotional due to her period, she was disappointed by James’ response because he didn’t seem to understand why she was upset. Though they ended the night on good terms, lingering tensions remained.

The next day, a small disagreement at a market escalated into a more serious discussion about their future. James expressed concerns about Kirkconnell’s accountability and questioned their compatibility, ultimately confessing that he wasn’t sure he could ever see himself proposing to her. This was a stark contrast to his prior public statements about engagement, a topic Kirkconnell had remained quieter about.

The Split and the Social Media Storm

After their final conversation, James declared the relationship over, telling Kirkconnell she would find someone else and that he would never speak ill of her. She immediately packed her bags and left, already scheduled to depart a day early for a baby shower back home in Atlanta.

The real shock, however, came two hours later when James posted about their breakup on Instagram — before Kirkconnell even had a chance to inform her loved ones. As her flight was taking off, she saw the post but had no Wi-Fi to respond or do damage control.

By the time she landed, her friends and family had already learned about the breakup through social media. Feeling overwhelmed, she sent her loved ones a voice message, drove home, went straight to bed, and took several days to process everything. Her sister later joined her for support.

Four or five days post-breakup, James reached out to Kirkconnell. She confronted him about the timing of his Instagram post, and he admitted he could have handled it better.

What’s Next?

With their relationship officially over, both James and Kirkconnell appear to be moving forward separately. James has continued to check in on Kirkconnell post-breakup. In response, Kirkconnell went on Alexandra Cooper’s podcast, Call Her Daddy.

Fans remain outraged on behalf of Kirkconnell following the Instagram post James made immediately after the breakup. As the dust settles, one thing is clear: another Bachelor love story has come to an unexpected end.

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Jessica is a senior at Florida State University majoring in Retail Entrepreneurship and minoring in Anthropology. She is a latina from Hollywood, Florida and loves reading, thrifting, and all things beauty!