The Bachelor’s biggest topic of conversation right now is whether or not Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell have reconciled after breaking up over two months ago.
Earlier this week, reports claimed that Rachael and Matt were secretly meeting up in New York City. This had fans thinking that the couple had inevitably gotten back together.
A source close to James confirms that, yes, the two have seen each other. But it is certainly not in a romantic sense.
Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell are just friends
The infamous spoiler account, Reality Steve, posted a cryptic tweet earlier this week that broke the news of Rachael and Matt’s secret NYC rendezvous.
Today, Page Six reported that a close friend of Matt actually confirmed the meeting.
“Matt and Rachael are not back together,” the anonymous source spilled. “They are working on building a friendship outside of the show and away from the noise. The past few months have been extremely difficult for Matt.”
They added, “He is not ready to throw himself into a relationship right now.”
During a March appearance on the Bill Simmons Podcast, Matt confessed that the immense amounts of hate he received on social media was too much for him.
Even though Kirkconnell herself has pleaded with The Bachelor fan base to stop hating on James, the damage was already done. At one point, James decided to deactivate his Instagram account to stop the flood of hate.
James also confided to Simmons that he wanted to put a pause on his dating life as a whole. He also said that “being back up in New York and being around friends and family; it’s put [him] in the right spirit.”
So it seems that while James got back out into the world, his and Rachael’s paths crossed. And that is all audiences will know until Matt, Rachael, or even Reality Steve spills all the tea.
The Bachelor’s most recent failed relationship, from then to now
When Season 25 of The Bachelor ended with Matt choosing to spend his life with Rachael, no one would have guessed that they would have such a sour ending.
While the season aired, photos resurfaced of Kirkconnell at a plantation-themed party in 2018, which caused outrage amongst audiences.
Although she apologized for her behavior, James felt that Rachael had a lot to learn before their relationship could continue.
It all came to a head when Rachael and Matt were reunited at The Bachelor After the Final Rose special back in March. There, the two confirmed that they were no longer seeing each other.
And ever since, fans have been wondering if the two former lovers would ever be able to work through their differences.
The couple had many unspoken issues that needed to be resolved to continue a relationship. Constantly being in the public eye certainly did not help their situation.
So maybe Kirkconnell and James are taking this time in New York to get away from the “noise” and get to the root of their issues.
Recently, rumors swirled that Matt and Heather Martin, a contestant on his season, had reconnected after they were both spotted visiting San Clemente, California. But she denied them, saying Matt needs time for himself.
James has since reactivated his Instagram account but removed all traces of The Bachelor from it. So the question remains: Is James going to keep Rachael at a distance, or will feelings unexpectedly grow between them again?
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus.