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Hold Up, Did Rachael Kirkconnell Subtly Confirm That She & Matt James Are Over?

ICYMI, Bachelor alum Matt James shocked the internet on Jan. 16 when he randomly announced that he and Rachael Kirkconnell broke up after nearly four years of being together. Despite the many theories that the couple hadn’t actually split, it appears Kirkconnell has confirmed she and James are no longer together. 

When he announced their split, James shared a throwback photo of him and Kirkconnell first meeting on The Bachelor. The Instagram post was accompanied by a very religious caption announcing they had gone their separate ways. This rightfully shocked Bachelor fans because James and Kirkconnell were in London together at the time of the post, leading some to believe the reality star might have been hacked. 

After much fan speculation, Kirkconnell seemed to her two cents on the situation in very discreet way. TikTok creator Julia Page shared a video pointing out that Kirkconnell had liked a comment on her Dec. 5 Instagram post.  The comment read, “The more I’m thinking about it the more I think he completely blindsided her with this. Give her some grace and let her respond in her own time.” Page said Kirkconnell liking the comment led her and other internet users to believe the reality star had subtly confirmed that she was “blindsided” but her breakup from James.

The Instagram post was a celebratory video Kirkconnell made for James to commemorate his birthday. My heart is literally breaking, y’all. I did some personal sleuthing and scrolled through the comments of Kirkconnell’s Dec. 5 post and saw she also liked a few other telling comments. “I’m so sorry,” one user wrote, while another added, “Praying for you, babe for your peace and healing.” 

It’s so disheartening to scroll through Kirkconnell’s comments when just a mere six weeks ago, people were cheering her and James on after he hinted at a potential proposal. “When will u propose to him??” one user questioned, with Kirkconnell responding, “next thursday!” 

Was Kirkconnell expecting a proposal from James on their trip to London and he just didn’t follow through? Maybe, but there’s really no telling what led to the reported demise of their relationship. I mean, the couple met on The Bachelor a little over four years ago, and while Kirkconnell received James’s final rose, they notably did not get engaged on the show. 

They also briefly broke up due to controversy surrounding Kirkconnell after the series began airing in early 2021. They announced their first split in March 2021 during the final episode of The Bachelor but swiftly got back together one month later in April of that same year, which may have led some of their supporters to think that James’s 2024 breakup announcement was a total sham, but it’s not shaping out like that.

Kirkconnell hasn’t released an official statement about her split from James, but she’s definitely sent us a message about the breakup by liking those comments on Instagram. TBH, I absolutely thought James was hacked and that this couple wasn’t going their separate ways. But now, with these subtle confirmations from Kirkconnell, I think it’s safe to say they may have broken up. 

McKinley Franklin is a writer and recent college graduate from East Carolina University. She was Her Campus' fall 2022 entertainment and culture intern and is a current national writer. McKinley specializes in entertainment coverage, though her favorite niche of the industry is reality television.