Rachael Kirkconnell Opens Up About Matt James’ Breakup Bombshell

Rachael Kirkconnell Opens Up About Matt James’ Breakup Bombshell

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In a heartfelt and candid conversation on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Rachael Kirkconnell revealed that she was blindsided by Matt James’ unexpected social media announcement of their breakup.

The 28-year-old reality star, who found love with James during The Bachelor season 25, shared that she had no prior warning before James, 33, took to Instagram on January 16 to disclose the end of their relationship.

“He didn’t even text me to give me a warning, like, saying, ‘Hey, I’m posting this,’” Kirkconnell recalled during her January 28 interview with host Alex Cooper. “It just hurt to know that’s how my friends found out, my family, and my little sister. I didn’t get to talk to them about it or grieve privately for, like, a day.”

James’ breakup post featured a throwback photo of the couple from their time on The Bachelor, along with a deeply emotional caption that read, “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. Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us.”

While the post was shocking to fans, it was even more so to Kirkconnell, who confirmed that the couple had officially broken up on the very day James made the post public.

Expressing her confusion about his motivations, she speculated, “I don’t know if it was out of just him being so worked up, if it was out of anger, or if it was one of those things where he felt like he needed to do it to really finally just put a nail in the coffin.”

Despite the hurt caused by the unexpected breakup announcement, Kirkconnell shared that she and James have since spoken about the situation. Recounting a 1 a.m. call from James less than a week after his post, she recalled confronting him about his decision.

“He just asked how I was doing. Like, how do you think I’m doing?” she said. “I confronted him about the post … and that’s when he was like, yeah, I fully admit that I could have handled this a lot better. And he apologized.”

This wasn’t the first time the couple had called it quits. Kirkconnell and James initially broke up shortly after The Bachelor finale aired in 2021 but rekindled their romance a month later.

Their second and seemingly final breakup came as a major surprise to fans, especially after James hinted at marriage plans as recently as October 2024 during an appearance on the De-Influenced with Dani + Jordan podcast.

“I think that’s the next step,” James had said at the time, adding that he would never pick out an engagement ring without Kirkconnell’s input.

Now, looking back, Kirkconnell acknowledges that James had underlying concerns about their compatibility. “He said that at the end of the day there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife,” she explained.

“At the end of the day, there are things that we aren’t compatible with, and the whole accountability and saying sorry and all that was really the main thing.”

Although she described James’ breakup approach as “f—d up,” Kirkconnell was careful to clarify that she doesn’t want people to think negatively of him. “Obviously, he made a mistake … I think he regrets it,” she admitted.

While fans are still digesting the couple’s split, Kirkconnell’s interview sheds light on the emotional toll of their breakup and the importance of handling relationships—and their endings—with care and communication.