The Bachelorseason 25 starMatt James caused confusion when he deleted his Instagram post in which he announced his breakup with his girlfriend of four years and final rose recipient, Rachael Kirkconnell.Matt and Rachael fell in love duringThe Bachelorseason 25in 2021, and left the show together as a couple, rather than engaged. Rachael said on theCall Her Daddypodcast that the producers made her feel like a failure because of this outcome, and that the season was a waste. However, Matt and Rachael dated for four years until their January 2025 breakup.
The Bachelorseason 25 star Matt James caused confusion when he deleted his Instagram post in which he announced his breakup with his girlfriend of four years, and final rose recipient, Rachael Kirkconnell.
Now, a visit toMatt’sInstagram page revealed that he deleted his post about his breakup with Rachael. In the July 14, 2025 post, he’d shared a photograph of them meeting duringThe Bachelorseason 25 premiere night, with the caption,“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us a peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding. Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord.”
On the August 21, 2025 episode ofCall Her Daddy,Rachael revealed that she was blindsided by the breakup. She said that she and Matt had taken a trip to Tokyo, and they were even talking about rings and wedding dates, but she felt that they were irritating each other after spending three weeks together. When they broke up, Matt told Rachael that there were qualities about her that he worried about having in a wife, and he should want to propose to her by that point, but he didn’t feel that he could ever see himself married to her.
Matt shared his Instagram post about the breakup just a few hours after it happened, which also shocked Rachael. She shared that her best friend texted her about it right before she was about to take off on a 12-hour flight from Tokyo to Atlanta with no cell phone service. Rachael said that she was"freaking out"because of it. Rachael revealed that Matt called her at 1 a.m. four or five days after he broke up with her, and has tried to check in with her a few times after that.
What Matt James Deleting Breakup Post Means For Him & Rachael
Rachael Has Said That She Won’t Get Back Together With Matt
During herCall Her Daddyappearance,Rachael shared that she confronted Matt about his Instagram post, and he admitted that he could’ve handled the breakup a lot better. He also apologized to her. Rachael stated that she doesn’t think that she could ever get back together with him because of the things that he said to her and how he showed her disrespect with his Instagram post.Rachael added that she forgives Matt, but, even if it’s hard, she has to stand up for herself and be on her own.
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It’s interesting that Matt deleted his Instagram breakup post weeks after he initially shared it. After some reflection,he might’ve realized how disrespectful it was to announce the breakup on Instagram without consulting Rachael first. There’s also the possibility that he wants to get back together with her, but that doesn’t seem likely after what Rachael said.
Our Take On Matt James Deleting Rachael Kirkconnell Breakup Post
It’s Too Little Too Late
Although it’s a good thing that Matt finally deleted his Instagram post in which he announced his breakup with Rachael, it’s really too little too late.He should never have posted about it without letting her know about it first. In the past,BachelorNation couples have issued joint statements when they’ve broken up, indicating that they had mutual respect for each other.Matt’s impulsive decision to post about the splitjust hours after it happened without consulting Rachael first proves that he didn’t care about how she felt.
Matt and Rachael’s relationship began with controversywhen they broke up before theBachelorseason 25 finale aired because of her questionable past with racism. She’d liked social media posts that depicted the Confederate flag and had attended an Old South-themed college party, which made Matt, who’s Black, believe that she couldn’t understand what it meant to be Black in America. He worried for their future children. However, they eventually reconciled and seemed to be happy together.
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Matt made a mistake when he posted about his and Rachael’s breakup on Instagram without telling her first.While deleting his post was a step in the right direction, he can never undo the hurt he caused herby making the decision to blindside her with the breakup and the post. Hopefully, Matt and Rachael will be able to get past this difficult experience in their lives, but it’s probably going to take a lot more time for them both to heal.
The Bachelorseason 29 starring Grant Ellis airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
