The Bachelor and its spinoffs have been consistently delivering relationship drama to our screens for over two decades, but there likely hasn’t been anything more controversial in that span than the ending to Matt James’ season. A racism scandal involving the eventual winner Rachael Kirkconnell rocked Season 25, causing the couple to temporarily break up, while Chris Harrison — the host since the show’s 2002 inception — lost his job with ABC. Despite everything that happened, James still considers himself a proud alumnus of Bachelor Nation, and he recently opened up about his current relationship with the former host.
How Matt James Feels About His Experience On The Bachelor
Matt James made history as The Bachelor’s first Black lead, so it a huge deal when, in the middle of the season that showed him falling in love with Rachael Kirkconnell, it was learned that Kirkconnell had formerly attended an Antebellum-themed fraternity party and had a history of racially insensitive social media activity. It was a tough time for the franchise — and obviously for James and Kirkconnell too — and the former Bachelor got candid with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes on the Amy & T.J. podcast about why he still looks back fondly at his experience on the show. James said:
It gave me one of the best things that’s ever happened to me, which is my relationship with Rachael. I wouldn’t be in a relationship with the woman I love if it wasn’t for the show, and there was more positive than negative that came from it.
Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell remain a couple three years after they met on The Bachelor Season 25, despite a brief split when the incidents from Kirkconnell’s past resurfaced. The couple got back together about a month after the season finale aired on ABC. James continued:
There’s negativity in everything, but if we decide to dwell on it, then that just tarnishes anything. Like there’s probably an experience we all had in college, but if someone asks you about college, you think about the best times you had. It’s like, ‘Man that one time where I failed that test and I was hungover,’ like no, you don’t think about that stuff. You think about all of the things that made that experience joyful. I’m happy, I’m proud about the experience.
I love Matt James’ perspective on choosing what to take away from the experience, but the controversy served as more than a bad hangover for The Bachelor franchise. Chris Harrison ended up stepping away as host after making insensitive remarks of his own while defending Rachael Kirkconnell’s actions in an interview with Rachel Lindsay.
Has Matt James Spoken With Chris Harrison Since The Controversy?
So is Matt James still in contact with Chris Harrison? It turns out they’re in the same fantasy football league, so the former Bachelor said they’ve had plenty of conversations. He told the podcast hosts:
There’s no bad blood. I understand everyone has a job to do, and the way I look at everything in life is that every single day of my life, I make horrible decisions. Like, I might oversleep, and I miss the train and I’ll be late to something that has a ripple effect to something else. I’ll say something to Rachael that I wish I could take back. And I’m given forgiveness for that, and so if I’m given forgiveness for the things that I do and wrong people, like who am I not to forgive people who I think have had that similar experience?
Matt James spoke out after Chris Harrison’s infamous interview, calling it “troubling and painful to watch,” and saying Harrison’s opinions were indicative of “a much larger issue that The Bachelor franchise has fallen short on addressing adequately for years.”
He also admitted to T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach that there wasn’t much bonding going on between the members of the fantasy football league, but suggested that he wouldn’t be involved in it with Chris Harrison if he had disdain or ill will toward him. James continued:
We had a conversation after everything took place, and it was a good conversation. Like, I didn’t screen his call. Like if he texts me, I’ll respond. There’s no hard feelings for anybody, just based off of the way I look at life and the grace I’m shown.
The Bachelor Season 25 is definitely one that Bachelor Nation won’t forget any time soon, for better or worse, but it seems that Matt James has gotten past the negativity of the experience and is now able to just focus on the love story of it all. James may be less in the public eye these days, but we can still watch Joey Graziadei’s journey to find love of his own on The Bachelor Season 28. New episodes air at 8 p.m. ET Mondays on ABC and can be streamed the next day with a Hulu subscription. Also be sure to check out our 2024 TV schedule to see what premieres are coming up.
