NEWS'It Came Out of Nowhere': Rachael Kirkconnell Reveals Why Matt James Broke Up With Her
Rachael Kirkconnell revealed more details about her split from Matt James in a juicy tell-all.
Rachael Kirkconnell is finally sharing her side of the story after her unexpected split from Matt James.
During an interview on "Call Her Daddy," the Togeth3r creative director and owner revealed that their breakup went down during a trip to Tokyo earlier this month.
Rachael Kirkconnell talked about the reason behind her breakup with Matt James.
“It was definitely out of nowhere,” Kirkconnell said on Tuesday, January 28. “He said that at the end of the day, there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife.”
The tension started over something small — the reality starlet struggled to pick a dinner spot during their trip and started crying, worried she’d disappoint James since food content played a big role in their online presence.
"He just was trying to express to me like, 'If you get emotional about little things like this, like, what is going to happen in life when something really terrible happens?'" she recalled.
The reality starlet claimed that she and Matt James called it quits during their Japan vacation.
"Like how are you going to be able to react to things that are actually really scary, or disappointing, or sad? I don't know, it just hurt to hear because I'm like, 'I probably would react to things that are terrible in a sad way. Like, what do you mean?' I don't know. I felt like I was being punished for crying,” Kirkconnell continued.
What started as a minor disagreement spiraled into a much bigger conversation, ultimately leading to their split the next day.
"He said that at the end of the day there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife," she shared. "Like at the end of the day, there are things that we aren't compatible with and like, the whole accountability and saying sorry and all that, was really the main thing. It was just one of those things where he, I think, just had this realization that I should want to propose to you by this time.
“Like at this point in our relationship, I should be wanting those things and I should be ready for that. But I'm not still, I still don't feel like we're ready, or I don't feel like I'm ready. I don't know if I ever see myself proposing to you. I can't actually see myself married to you. He said that, you know, maybe one day he would get there, but he doesn't feel ready now,” Kirkconnell added.
Rachael Kirkconnell set the record straight, insisting no third party played a role in their split.
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Kirkconnell and James first met during Season 25 of The Bachelor. Though he didn’t propose during the March 2021 finale, they left the show as a couple.
However, their romance hit a rough patch when James announced on the After the Final Rose special that they broke up after Kirkconnell’s racially insensitive social media posts resurfaced. By April 2021, they were back together.
Four years later, James admitted they might not be meant to be.
"He said like, he just didn't want me to end up resenting him by wasting more of my time if it wouldn't happen. And yeah, he just said, you know, 'You're beautiful, smart and funny, and you'll find someone, you'll find a guy that will love you for you.' But yeah, he just didn't think that it was him. But it was just really...it was just a lot to hear at once because a few days before, you know, I'm hearing the opposite,” she recounted.
Kirkconnell tried to make sense of her then-boyfriend’s struggles, believing his commitment issues might stem from his traumatic childhood and daddy issues.
The social media star mentioned she was 'blindsided' by 'The Bachelor' star.
The timing of it all threw the social media star off since just months earlier, James had taken her ring shopping and talked about marriage and kids. She had even seen him as a walking “green flag.”
"Our third year of dating was when I started to just ask, 'Okay where is this going?'" she said. "He seemed like he was on the same page. It's confusing to look back on now because when we would talk about things he always seemed like he was on the same page, privately or publicly."
As recently as June 2024, James even told Us Weekly that proposing to Kirkconnell was something he’d “always wanted to do” and that he was “excited” about their future together.
Kirkconnell's podcast appearance comes shortly after she addressed the breakup while she was at the airport.
“It’s nothing that you can prepare for. So, you just take it one day at a time,” Kirkconnell, 28, explained. “I think things will start to come out and I’ll speak about it whenever I’m ready, but for now, I’m just protecting my peace.”
She also shut down rumors that infidelity was a factor and made it clear there was no chance of a reconciliation.
James first announced the breakup publicly on January 16 with an emotional Instagram post, as OK! previously reported.
“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,” James captioned a photo from their Bachelor season. “Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord.”
