Rachael Kirkconnell has yet to release a statement on her split from Matt James, but she has been shedding some light on the breakup by interacting with fan comments on Instagram, including one that speculated she was "completely blindsided" by his announcement.

James chose Rachael as his Bachelor winner during season 25, which aired in early 2021. However, by the After the Final Rose special in March of that year, James said they had broken up after Rachael’s past racially insensitive social media activity resurfaced. The couple reconciled a month later.

Days ahead of The Bachelor Season 29 premiere on the 2025 TV schedule, rumors are flying on social media after Matt James sent up a prayer to mend his and Rachael Kirkconnell’s broken hearts in a somber breakup post that included an image from The Bachelor. He wrote: