Clare Crawley, Matt James, Rachael Kirkconnell. Getty Images (3)
Clare Crawley is apparently reflecting on Matt James nearly appearing on her Bachelorette season.
“Catching up on socal news and smh at some of this stuff,” Crawley, 43, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, January 29. “Remember that one time I specifically asked producers to please not allow one specific guy on my season because I knew for a fact he was NOT looking for a serious relationship whatsoever.”
She added, “I didn’t want him to waste anyone’s time. So, instead, they made him the next Bachelor.”
After failed stints on Juan Pablo Galavis’ season 18 of The Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise and Bachelor Winter Games, Crawley was tapped as the franchise lead in 2020. The journey — which was initially delayed amid the coronavirus pandemic — was slated to feature James, now 33, as one of her suitors. By the time production kicked off, James was no longer a cast member. He went on to become the first Black Bachelor. (At the time, James was known as franchise favorite Tyler Cameron’s roommate and college friend.)
As Bachelor Nation waits for Rachael Kirkconnell to break her silence on her split from Matt James, a source is giving Us Weekly exclusive insight into their relationship. “The split may seem abrupt, but this has been brewing for a while. It was a long time coming,” the source says. “Matt just couldn’t commit to […]
On James’ season later in 2020, he fell in love with finalist Rachael Kirkconnell. They dated on and off for four years before calling it quits for good earlier this month. According to Kirkconnell, 28, she was blindsided by James’ decision to end their relationship.
“He said that, at the end of the day, there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife,” Kirkconnell claimed on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast episode that dropped on Tuesday, January 28. “At the end of the day, there are things that we aren’t compatible with and the whole accountability and saying sorry and all that was really the main thing.”
She added, “It was just one of those things where he, I think, just had this realization that ‘I should want to propose to you by this time. Like, at this point in our relationship, I should be wanting those things and I should be ready for that. But I’m not still, I still don’t feel like we’re ready or I don’t feel like I’m ready. I don’t know if I ever see myself proposing to you. I can’t actually see myself married to you.’”
James did not propose to Kirkconnell during his season of The Bachelor, instead opting to date. They briefly broke up after past racially insensitive photos of Kirkconnell resurfaced online.
“He felt so much pressure to just make the right decision and to stand by what was right for him at the time,” she recalled on Tuesday. “And, you know, strangers and people that were really close to him in his life were saying, like, ‘I don’t think you should be with her.’ And so I think at the time, he thought that was the right decision, just to take a step back and not be together.”
As Bachelor Nation continues to reel over Rachael Kirkconnell’s “Call Her Daddy” appearance, Us Weekly went into the archives to give more context about comments she made regarding her first breakup from Matt James. Kirkconnell, 28, and James, 33, briefly split in 2021 as their season of The Bachelor was airing. At the time, Kirkconnell […]
According to Kirkconnell, she was “definitely shocked” when James broke up with her the first time.
“We were very happy together, even with all of the chaos around us when it was just me and him behind closed doors, it was amazing,” she said. “It was so much fun. We were so happy when we decided to not let the outside noise get to us.”
Years after Kirkconnell and James reconciled, they constantly fired back at pressure to get engaged. During her “Call Her Daddy” appearance, the graphic designer also claimed that James recently asked about engagement ring preferences.
James has not publicly addressed any of Kirkconnell or Crawley’s claims outside of his initial faith-driven breakup statement.
“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts,” James wrote via Instagram at the time. “Give us a peace [sic] 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 💔.”
As for Crawley, her Bachelorette season ended within 12 days when she got engaged to Dale Moss. After they broke up, she eventually moved on with now-husband Ryan Dawkins.
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