Despite not knowing Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James “personally,” Bachelor Nation’s Jordan Kimball has strong feelings about the pair’s breakup.
“I am going to be Team Rachel with that,” Kimball, 33, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Supermodels Unlimited Magazine presents The Limitless Show on Saturday, February 8, during New York Fashion Week. “And I think that Matt, I think he’s a showman. So, I think that he wants to be perceived a certain way or have her look a certain way on his arm.”
Kimball says he believes James, 33, “was not so supportive” of Kirkconnell, 28, leading up to their split. “Maybe [he] left her in the dark on some things and where they were in their relationship,” he explained. “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.”
Kirkconnell scored James’ final rose on season 25 of The Bachelor in 2021. The pair briefly split after the show but reconnected not long after the season’s After the Final Rose special aired that March. James announced that the two had called it quits after four years of dating in a since-deleted January 16 Instagram post.
“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us a peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding,” he captioned a photo of himself and Kirkconnell on the ABC reality series. “Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord 💔.”
During her January 28 interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Kirkconnell revealed that the two ended things during a trip to Tokyo last month. She told host Alex Cooper that she “felt like I was being punished for crying” after the pair got into an argument over where to grab dinner. The pair broke up the next day, with James supposedly telling her she didn’t possess the qualities he was looking for in a wife.
She also claimed that James didn’t inform her of his breakup announcement post, which she saw go live while at the airport to fly back home from Tokyo. “He didn’t even text me to give me a warning, like, saying, ‘Hey, I’m posting this,’” she said. “It just hurt to know that’s how my friends found out and my family and my little sister. I didn’t get to talk to them about it or grieve privately for, like, a day.” (James has not publicly commented on the pair’s breakup but has since deleted his Instagram announcement post.)
The exes’ split came as a surprise to Kimball, as he told Us, “From what I had seen on social media, they looked very happy. I thought that they were going to make it. I would’ve been rooting for them otherwise.”
Kimball’s own Bachelor Nation romance didn’t last. He and Jenna Cooper split not long after they got engaged on season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2018. He has since found love with his wife, Christina Kimball. The couple wed in January 2022 and welcomed their son, Thomas, in July 2023. The spouses exclusively told Us earlier this month that they are expecting their second baby.
“We did find out boy or girl, we haven’t shared yet, but we’re super excited,” Jordan told Us at Saturday’s event, which he hosted. “We are changing the house around right now and moving Thomas into another room and getting the nursery ready and all kinds of stuff. But Christina’s doing great and it’s been really exciting.” (Whoopi Goldberg’s new line of Prosecco, Whoopi, was the event’s exclusive drink.)
With reporting by Travis Cronin
