Matt James chose Rachael Kirkconnell as the recipient of his final rose on the season finale of “The Bachelor” on Monday — but within minutes, James recounted their breakup on the “After the Finale Rose” special with guest host Emmanuel Acho.
“You want to believe that you know your person better than anyone else knows your person,” James said, referencing resurfaced pictures of Kirkconnell at a plantation-themed party and other racially insensitive behavior. “I tried to be there for her … I dismissed them as rumors because that’s what I hoped they would be.”
Kirkconnell has publicly apologized for the posts, but James said he needed to “take a step back” from the relationship.