<p id=”par-1_90″>Matt James posted a breakup announcement earlier this month, shocking <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/the-bachelor/?swcfpc=1″>Bachelor Nation</a> fans who watched the evolution of<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-bachelor-news-rachael-kirkconnell-confirms-never-getting-back-together-matt-james.html/”> his relationship with Rachael Kirkconnell</a>. The post seemed so out of the blue that some followers wondered if he had been hacked. After all, James and Kirkconnell were traveling and enjoying time together just hours before the post. Kirkconnell has officially broken her silence on the topic during a recent podcast appearance. She admitted that the breakup was just as sudden as it seemed, but the timing of James’ post felt strategic.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-did-matt-james-break-up-with-rachael-kirkconnell”>Why did Matt James break up with Rachael Kirkconnell?</h2>
<p id=”par-2_60″>Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell’s breakup came after a disagreement, admits Kirkconnell. During an appearance on <em><a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3qAkv3oruE” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Call Her Daddy</a></em><a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3qAkv3oruE” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>,</a> she rehashed the end of the romance. She revealed that James had called it quits on their relationship while they were vacationing because he said she couldn’t see himself marrying her. The decision came after they discussed<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/why-did-matt-james-and-rachael-kirkconnell-break-up-the-theories.html/”> a potential proposal timeline.</a></p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Rachael-Kirkconnell-Matt-James.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James holding hands and facing each other during ‘The Bachelor’ Season 25 finale. Rachael is wearing a green dress and Matt is wearing a suit while holding a rose.” class=”wp-image-3764020″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James at the end of ‘The Bachelor’ Season 25 | Craig Sjodin via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_69″>James and Kirkconnell met on the set of <em>The Bachelor</em> in 2020. The season premiered in January 2021. James initially picked Kirkconnell for the final rose, but the relationship was rocky. The couple broke up after photos of Kirkconnell attending an Antebellum-theme event surfaced. They later got back together and have been dating since. While plenty of fans hoped they’d tie the knot, a proposal was apparently never imminent.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-reality-tv-star-was-off-the-grid-when-the-breakup-news-hit-the-internet”>The reality TV star was off the grid when the breakup news hit the internet</h2>
<p id=”par-4_55″>Rachael Kirkconnell admits to having been completely blindsided by James’ breakup. While she accepted the end of the romance, she seems pretty salty over the timing of James’ announcement. Kirkconnell revealed that her ex timed his breakup post to go live when she would be entirely off the grid and unable to respond for hours.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Matt-James-Rachael-Kirkconnell.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”” class=”wp-image-3768544″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>‘The Bachelor’ couple Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell at the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards at Allegiant Stadium on March 7, 2022 | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-5_106″>During her appearance on <em>Call Her Daddy</em>, Kirkconnell revealed that James’ post went live as she buckled up for a long flight. She said that her phone, for unknown reasons, won’t connect to airline Wi-Fi. Kirkconnell explained that the phone hasn’t connected for years, a fact that James likely would have known. A friend texted her as she was about to take off about the breakup. By that point, there was nothing she could do. She lost her signal as the plane departed. Kirkconnell said she had to spend hours on the flight, unable to see what was being said about the end of her relationship.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-large” id=”emb-3″><img decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high” width=”1920″ height=”1080″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Matt-James-The-Bachelor-2021-Promo.jpg?w=1024&h=576&strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Promo photo for ‘The Bachelor’ Season 25 star Matt James in 2021″ class=”wp-image-2150410″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Matt-James-The-Bachelor-2021-Promo.jpg 1920w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Matt-James-The-Bachelor-2021-Promo.jpg?w=640&h=360 640w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Matt-James-The-Bachelor-2021-Promo.jpg?w=768&h=432 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Matt-James-The-Bachelor-2021-Promo.jpg?w=1024&h=576 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Matt-James-The-Bachelor-2021-Promo.jpg?w=1536&h=864 1536w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Matt-James-The-Bachelor-2021-Promo.jpg?w=1200&h=675 1200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Matt-James-The-Bachelor-2021-Promo.jpg?w=107&h=60 107w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Matt-James-The-Bachelor-2021-Promo.jpg?w=150&h=84 150w” sizes=”(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>‘The Bachelor’ Season 25 star Matt James | Billy Kidd via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-6_88″>While Rachael Kirkconnell did attempt to keep it mostly polite, it was clear that she remains hurt by the breakup and the timing of Matt James’ cryptic and downright strange <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/bachelor-nation-divorces-the-first-and-the-latest-and-the-most-shocking.html/”>breakup announcement.</a> In the wake of the breakup, James’ social media accounts have been flooded with comments, many of them lambasting him for the dramatic breakup announcement and, now, for how he did it. He has been hard at work blocking anyone who comments negatively on his posts. The comments on the breakup post have been turned off.</p>