'The Bachelor': Did Matt James disrespect Michelle Young when he dumped her? Here's what happened when they split
After what seems to be the most disappointing season finale of 'The Bachelor' Season 25, at the end of which Matt James didn't propose but said 'I love you' to Rachael Kirkconnell, an 'After The Final Rose' special aired and along came a new set of startling revelations. One of them included Season 25 finalist Michelle Young blaming Matt for not giving her the closure she needed after she was dumped by him.
Fans of the show were enraged after she was dumped right after she brought out the matching Mr and Mrs James jerseys during the evening portion of their final date. Everything seemed to be going well until she brought out those jerseys that she meant to gift him. That is when Matt said he realized he wasn't there yet with Michelle and he was ridden by a lot of doubts about their future as a couple. At that moment, he knew he couldn't carry forward the relationship and told Michelle exactly how he felt and broke up with her.
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In the previous seasons, the finalist and the lead usually have a final conversation to discuss what went wrong, which more or less turns out to be closure. In this case, with Michelle and Matt, they just hugged and he bolted out of the room leaving her to weep alone. In the 'ATFR' episode, Michelle opened up about not feeling respected enough in those moments as Matt chose to shut her out completely without giving her an opportunity to say her piece to him after he dumped her.
Did Matt James disrespect Michelle Young on 'The Bachelor'?
"I had to walk away without closure and had to fill in the gaps of what our relationship really was," Michelle told Matt on the 'ATFR' episode which was their first meeting since 'The Bachelor'. She further added, "I wasn't okay. I asked you for a conversation. I wasn't trying to change your trajectory or your mind or have a conversation where I was going to fight for you. I wanted inner peace before leaving Pennsylvania and you said no."
Matt James apologized to Michelle without offering any justification for why he acted the way he did at that point in time. "I want to start by saying sorry. I don't have a justification for my actions but if I had known that you were feeling like this, I would have fought to have that conversation," he said.
Does Michelle Young still love Matt James?
The answer is no and Michelle very clearly put it across that she had moved ahead in life. Articulating her present-day feelings for Matt, she said "I care about you. I am a very forgiving person. I am not in love like I was while leaving the show but it gives me hope to hear we were on the same page," she said. For her final words to Matt, she took one too many digs at him as she said, "You thought me a lot about relationships, what I am looking for and not looking for at times. You will always have a piece of my heart. I hope you find your love and move forward kissing with your eyes closed and using more words than the phrase 'thanks for sharing that with me'."
