Jesse Palmer has reacted to Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell's split and shared if he thinks the show would welcome Matt back as The Bachelor star again.
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While Matt tagged Rachael in his post, she has remained silent other than making cryptic posts about cheating and being blindsided on social media.
"First off, I was really sad to read that and see that as well," Jesse told Us Weekly of The Bachelor's Season 25 couple.
"I certainly hope they're both doing okay."
Jesse added, "This must be a really tough time for the both of them, and I know they want time -- and are going to need time -- to process everything that happened."
Now that Matt is single again, Jesse believes that The Bachelor executives would "absolutely" consider giving Matt a chance to star on the series again.
But The Bachelor franchise host noted amid the aftermath of his breakup with Rachael, "I think the last thing they want to think about is rushing back into the show."
Jesse pointed out that regardless of how Matt is feeling, those decisions "go way above" his head and pay grade.
"I absolutely think, though, that the show would consider having one or both back at some point down the road, if they were open to it, absolutely," Jesse concluded of Matt and Rachael.
A source recently told Us that Rachael was blindsided by Matt's breakup announcement.
"The split may seem abrupt, but this has been brewing for a while. It was a long time coming. Matt just couldn't commit to her," the source said.
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According to the source, it was "hard for Rachael to trust" Matt during the course of their relationship.
"Rachael really wanted to get married and settle down and they were not on the same page," the source explained.
"She felt like she was waiting around, and he would never give her what she wanted."
While "they are both very upset" about parting ways, the source added that Rachael is "ready to move on" and knows "it's for the best."
Rachael's sister Trinity shed some light on Matt's split announcement considering he had just posted sweet and flirty posts with Rachael one day earlier from their recent trips to London and Aspen.
"Yea so they were still together when he was posting all that... just to give some perspective on the timeline of things," Trinity wrote on social media, adding how Matt had posted about his breakup from Rachael just three hours after their official split.
On January 16, Matt posted a photo of himself meeting Rachael on Night 1 of The Bachelor's 25th season, which had filmed in late 2020 in Pennsylvania and aired in early 2021 on ABC.
"Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts," Matt wrote.
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The former The Bachelor star concluded his post, "Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord."
Matt added a broken-heart emoji.
But as recently as December 2024, Rachael and Matt's relationship was going strong. In fact, Rachael had penned a beautiful message to Matt on his birthday, calling him her best friend, teammate, sous chef, and her "whole heart."
Rachael gushed on Instagram at the time, "You fill it (and my tummy) with so much love and laughter and I'm so thankful I get to dance through this life with you. Thank you for your never ending love and support and smooches and snuggles. To many more adventures, happy birthday my pumpkin."
In October 2024, Matt teased how an engagement was "the next step" with Rachael during a joint appearance on the "De-Influenced with Dani + Jordan" podcast.
But Matt suggested that Rachael needed to pick out the engagement ring she wanted first.
"That's the problem," Rachael noted on the podcast.
"I don't even know what I want... [But] I have the finger ready. I feel that's definitely something we want. I'm on his time... I definitely need to go find a ring I like and everything."
Matt claimed that Rachael's indecision when it came to the symbolic ring was "probably" the only thing standing in his way of proposing marriage.
"I've been hinting at marriage for a very long time," Matt said. "I don't think Rachael is taking my hints seriously."
Rachael, who currently resides in Georgia with family and friends, and Matt, who lives in Florida, had also been discussing where to put down roots. Rachael had said she'd be happy to move to Florida to be with Matt.
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The former The Bachelor star looked at Rachael and added, "So I'm going to empower you... [to] start your own brand."
Rachael laughed off Matt's comment and revealed that she was also ready to have kids.
"I'll say this, I love the idea of getting married and having that commitment to one another, and kids and family really excite me," Rachael stated at the time.
"But, the idea of planning a wedding really puts me off. Sometimes I'm, like, 'Let's just elope.'"
In July 2024, Rachael said on Matt's YouTube page how she had envisioned herself being pregnant in the next five years.
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Matt -- who was sitting right next to Rachael when she dropped the bombshell -- responded, "I agree! No, that's not shocking!"
Matt looked at his girlfriend and confirmed, "I want you to be pregnant."
Rachael smiled big and elaborated, "Yeah, I feel like I'll be ready to be a mom at that point. I mean, if it happens tomorrow, great."
Matt went on to clarify, "I want to have kids, and I want to have multiple kids. So hopefully at this point in five years, we have, you know, one [in our arms] and one on the way."
Rachael concluded, "Whatever God gives us!"
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Matt and Rachael briefly split in February 2021 during Rachael's memorable racism controversy, which resulted in former The Bachelor host Chris Harrison and ABC agreeing to part ways.
But Rachael was extremely apologetic, and so she and Matt reconciled in April 2021.
But right before the reconciliation, Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone reported that Matt had attempted to hook up with a Florida-based woman named Grace.
Matt allegedly texted Grace to come see him before he left Florida allegedly knowing Rachael would be visiting him in New York "not as friends" about 48 hours later.
"He has a past with Grace. That past, once he was with Rachael, never overlapped because he basically ghosted Grace once he got on [The Bachelor]... But after Matt and Rachael broke up around Valentine's Day, he immediately hit Grace back up... [for a booty call]. Let's call it what it is," Carbone claimed at the time.
Grace, however, reportedly turned down Matt's invitation to hang out and then Matt allegedly told Rachael that Grace meant nothing to him and his intentions were honorable.
The spoiler blogger added, "I just want to applaud Matt on the effort he's putting into playing two women at the same time."
Despite Matt's denial about Grace, "Rachael essentially walked out on Matt and [said], 'We're done,'" according to Carbone.
"Matt got caught with his pants down and she left and called her [The Bachelor] girls and hung out with them... She left Matt's apartment in a huff very upset and crying," Carbone said.
Rachael also reportedly contacted Grace directly to compare stories and the two women ultimately determined Matt had been playing them both.
However, Rachael took Matt back and they stayed together for years.
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The former The Bachelor star explained at the time, "If you do things that other people want you to do and you don't consider y'all's feelings, then I think that is a recipe for disaster."
But Matt said his marriage proposal to Rachael would be "special" -- not on the couch at home -- and he was "definitely excited" about the idea of taking their relationship to the next level.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski