Why Did Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell Break Up? Fans Think His Post Hints at Guilt
Matt James shocked Bachelor Nation by announcing the end of his relationship with Rachael Kirkconnell in January 2025 via Instagram.
Published Jan. 16 2025, 12:27 p.m. ET
All right, Bachelor Nation, grab your roses and settle in because we need to talk about Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell. More specifically, why did Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell break up? That’s the million-dollar question after Matt randomly dropped a breakup bombshell on Instagram early in the morning on Jan. 16, 2025 — one that read more like a prayer request than a statement.
Matt and Rachael had been together for four years since The Bachelor Season 25. Despite a rocky start (we all remember that controversy), they seemed solid. They traveled, they posted cute videos, and they gave off major “we made it” energy. And then … boom! Out of nowhere, Matt posts a cryptic breakup message, and Rachael? Silence. Fans are confused, suspicious, and, honestly, a little upset.
Why did Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell break up? His post leaves fans with lots of questions.
Now, if you’ve ever followed a Bachelor breakup, you know they usually come with a joint statement, lots of “we still love and respect each other” energy, and a request for privacy. Not this time, though. Matt went solo first thing in the morning and kicked things off with “Father God” —which immediately had people wondering what he did wrong.
His statement went on to talk about healing and peace, which again, sounded more like a person looking for forgiveness versus someone announcing a mutual split. The bizarre tone of his statement didn’t go unnoticed by fans of The Bachelor. One Reddit user admitted they weren’t surprised, "Yeah, she posted something basically implying she wanted to get married ASAP and he was dragging his feet a few years ago. Good for her if it’s actually over."
A second Reddit user pointed out the bizarre timing of the post: “With most other people, I would not think this, but was he hacked? It's so weird to do this while she's in his current IG story and they're still rolling out their London content. And she hasn't posted. It's just such a weird way to do this."
Finally, there were skeptics who were not buying the hacking theory at all: "It’s been hours, and the post is still up. Rachael would’ve spoken up by now if it were a hacker."
Fans are divided over whether Matt or Rachael ended the relationship.
Fans have been divided into two camps: those who think Matt messed up, and those who think Rachael finally got tired of waiting for that ring.
On X (formerly Twitter), fans were especially dramatic, claiming they needed immediate tea on the situation. Others noted they were “heartbroken” as this was one of the most upsetting Bachelor Nation splits.
This breakup has fans feeling frustrated.
One comment on Reddit from a frustrated fan summed up how everyone else was feeling: "If this isn’t real and is a trolling transition to an engagement or something, I am about to become their biggest hater." The comment received over 100 upvotes inside of a few hours echoing that much of Bachelor Nation was on edge following the news of this breakup.
Let’s not forget that Rachael has yet to say anything about this breakup. She hasn’t even posted a vague or cryptic Instagram Story with a sad song playing in the background. Some speculate she’s just taking her time. Others think she was just as blindsided as all of Bachelor Nation was. For now, all fans can do is wait to hear what her side of this story could be.