“He’s a Showman”: ‘The Bachelorette’ Star Slams Matt James Over Breakup With Rachael Kirkconnell

Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James’ breakup on January 16, 2025, shook Bachelor Nation to the core. While fans and friends have weighed in on the split, fellow Bachelor Nation members who don’t know the duo seem to also have strong opinions. The Bachelorette Season 14 contestant Jordan Kimball is sharing his two cents on The Bachelor Season 25 couple’s breakup.

In an exclusive interview with US Weekly at the Supermodels Unlimited Magazine presents The Limitless Show on February 8, 2025, during New York Fashion Week, Jordan shared “I am going to be Team Rachel with that,” The former contestant expressed that he thinks "Matt is a showman" and doesn’t think he was supportive of Rachael in the days leading up to their split. Jordan believes Matt most likely left his ex in the dark during their relationship.

Matt’James Behavior Was Sad To See

Jordan also shed light on how Matt’s behavior was sad to see and was not becoming of his persona as a leading man on the popular dating show. Jordan noted that he thinks Matt wants to be perceived a certain way and had certain expectations of how Rachael was supposed to act and be viewed by the public. The Bachelorette Season 14 contestant expressed his disgust over Matt’s actions in the following words:

“She got on a flight and found out they were breaking up. It’s not even disrespectful. So, I don’t agree with what he did with that, especially being in the role of Bachelor. He wasn’t just a contestant, right? He was a leading man. That is not how you lead. And it’s sad to see that. That’s not good behavior.”

Rachael Kirkconnell Is Gradually Recovering From Her Shock Split

Rachael is healing from her traumatic split from Matt, her boyfriend of four years. The reality TV star spilled all the tea on her relationship with The Bachelor Season 25 lead and what led to the split on the January 28 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan on February 7, 2025, Rachael shared that she’s currently trying to figure out a new normal. She’s still reeling from the sudden nature of the split and is still waiting for reality to sink in. However, the reality TV star noted that she’s predominantly doing alright.

Rachael has also been leaning on the women in her life for support and even shared that many of the fellow contestants who competed alongside her on The Bachelor Season 25 have been immensely supportive. Rachael thoroughly appreciates that the women are in her corner even after all these years. Dealing with a public split tends to take a toll on an individual, so the reality TV star is just taking things one step at a time, sharing notes on how she’s coping as follows:

“Working a lot on my self-confidence and feeling good about myself regardless of what others say or think about me.”

New episodes of The Bachelor Season 29 air on Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC. The episode will be available to stream on Hulu the day after it airs. You can stream all previous seasons of the show on the same platform.