Matt James breaks up with 'racist' Rachael Kirkconnell, here's how this could affect 'The Bachelor' finale
Rumor has it that ABC arm twisted 'The Bachelor' Season 25 lead Matt James into breaking up with his top pick, the 'racist' Bachelor star Rachael Kirkconnell from Georgia. Matt and Rachael looked like they were end game from whatever interactions they've had on the show. The finale episode is scheduled to air in two weeks, however, audiences already knew he chose Rachael, courtesy blogger Reality Steve's revelations.
Rachael's racism row has eclipsed this season entirely after a Redditor revealed how she was bullied by her in high school for liking Black guys. The blame then shifted partly to Chris Harrison after his distasteful statements during his interview with Bachelor alumnus Rachel Lindsay for which he apologized later. Matt had stood behind his 'friend' Lindsay and lent his support to her via an Instagram story. The text read, "I am beyond grateful to have Rachel as a mentor during this season. Your advocacy of BIPOC people in the franchise is invaluable, I stand with you and the rest of the women advocating for change and accountability." Matt hadn't directly addressed the part Chris or Rachael had to play in causing the furor but that changed ahead of Monday (February 22) night's episode featuring the hometown dates.
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Matt took to his Instagram to break his silence over Rachael's racism row and wrote, "It is important that I take time to address the troubling information that has come to light since we wrapped filming," Matt's statement began addressing "the incredibly disappointing photos of Rachael Kirkconnell and the interview between Rachel Lindsay and Chris Harrison."
"The reality is that I’m learning about these situations in real-time, and it has been devastating and heartbreaking, to put it bluntly," he wrote clarifying. "Chris's [sic] failure to receive and understand the emotional labor that my friend Rachel Lindsay was taking on by graciously and patiently explaining the racist history of the Antebellum South, a painful history that every American should understand intimately, was troubling and painful to watch," Matt wrote. He also joined the voices of the millions who have been talking about the rather whitewashed 'Bachelor' franchise and wrote, "It was a clear reflection of a much larger issue that 'The Bachelor' franchise has fallen short on addressing adequately for years," Matt's statement continued.
"It has also pushed me to reevaluate and process what my experience on The Bachelor represents," he added making a subtle statement about breaking up with Rachael. Reality Steve too confirmed that Matt indeed broke up with Rachael but an insider reveals he did so against his wishes and it was some arm twisting on ABC's end that led to this.
Will ABC change 'The Bachelor' finale after Rachael's racism controversy?
An insider spoke to The Sun after Matt put out that statement alleging that Matt was "happy" with Rachael up until Monday (February 22) night. “Matt got a call from production today and shortly after, he posted his statement and broke up with Rachael,” the informant said. "He previously had NO issues with those photos until ABC kept pressing the issue. Matt literally just told her that he feels so bad no one is supporting her and everyone will see her true heart and how she did nothing wrong. But it seems Matt decided that his image was being tarnished too much and he gave in," the insider added.
Catch new episodes of 'The Bachelor' Mondays at 8 pm ET on ABC.