Early on in the season, many declared Rachael Kirkconnell the one to watch. The Georgia peach had Matt fumbling to find adjectives to describe her, that’s how enthralled he was with her. But Kirkconnell has been a bigger part of Bachelor Nation in recent weeks, and her activities have had people deeply upset and questioning the intentions and actions of the higher-ups in Bachelor Nation. Eager to learn more about Kirkconnell and the controversy surrounding her social media activity? Here’s everything we know about Kirkconnell—but, uh, fair warning: This is not a spoiler-free zone. Tread carefully!
Rachael Kirkconnell’s age and hometown
The Bachelor has always been great at picking Southern belles, and Kirkconnell is no exception. She hails from Cumming, Georgia, which is a suburb of Atlanta. Kirkconnell graduated from Georgia College & State University in 2019 with a degree in marketing. She’s 24, five years Matt’s junior.
What does Rachael Kirkconnell do for a living?
She now works as a graphic designer in Atlanta, so it seems from her Instagram.
Rachael Kirkconnell’s Instagram is full of fun with friends
On the topic of her Instagram: it’s a vibe—full of pictures of her traveling, hanging with friends, beach fun and beautiful skies. What a life!
What about that TikTok video about Rachael?
Of course, you can’t make an appearance on one of the biggest shows in America without having some of your skeletons emerge. Rumors of Kirkconnell maybe having some problematic views when it comes to racial equality came up right quick on Reddit and TikTok, with one user even going so far as to ask “Remember when you bullied me in high school for liking black guys???” We’re not speculating on Kirkconnell’s views, but Cumming, GA was a sundown town with a racist history, and we would be remiss not to mention it, especially while celebrating such a monumental time in the series’ history. To make matters worse, photographs have surfaced of Kirkconnell at what appears to be a plantation-themed ball in college. She was wearing what looked like an antebellum-themed dress. Chris Harrison was protective of her on Extra when speaking to Rachel Lindsay.
What did Chris Harrison say about Rachael Kirkconnell?
His interview with Lindsay wasn’t pretty. “I haven’t talked to Rachael about it. And this is, again, where we all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion,” he said. “Because I’ve seen some stuff online—again this judge-jury-executioner thing—where people are just tearing this girl’s life apart and diving into, like, her parents and her parents’ voting record. It’s unbelievably alarming to watch this. I haven’t heard Rachael speak on this yet. And until I actually hear this woman have a chance to speak, who am I to say any of this?” He dug the hole deeper when Lindsay said that photo from the Deep South party wasn’t a “good look.” “Well, Rachel, is it a good look in 2018? Or, is it not a good look in 2021?” he asked. “Because there’s a big difference.” He continued, “That was not the case in 2018. And again, I’m not defending Rachael. I just know that, I don’t know, 50 million people did that in 2018. That was a type of party that a lot of people went to. And again, I’m not defending it; I didn’t go to it.” We’ll just leave this quote of his here: “The woke police is out there…And this poor girl Rachael, who has just been thrown to the lions, I don’t know how you are equipped when you have never done this before, to be woke enough, to be eloquent enough, to be ready to handle this.”
Rachael Kirkconnell took to Instagram to apologize
Let’s just say that the backlash to Harrison’s interview was swift and loud, with a majority of Bachelor Nation’s biggest names condemning his actions as well as Harrison’s apology (which many have characterized as…lacking) for his actions and behavior. So it’s not incredibly surprising that he just announced he’s “stepping aside” from the show for a bit. When the tornado was at its peak, Kirkconnell posted an apology on Instagram and condemned those who are speaking on her behalf (a.k.a keep her name outcha mouth, Chris Harrison.) “I’m here to say I was wrong,” Kirkconnell posted on Instagram. “I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist. She continued by saying that just because she was ignorant to the racism, doesn’t make her behavior OK. “My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not acceptable or okay in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.” She also points out that her ignorance was shameful, and she promised to continue “learning and will continue to learn how to be antiracist.” “I want to put my energy towards preventing people from making the same offensive mistakes that I made in the first place, and I hope I can prove this to you moving forward,” she adds. She also noted how exhausting this pattern must have become for those swimming in a sea of public figures making public apologies for past bad behaviors. “Racial progress and unity are impossible without (white) accountability, and I deserve to be held accountable for my actions,” Kirkconnell concludes. “I will never grow unless I recognize what I have done is wrong. I don’t think one apology means that I deserve your forgiveness, but rather I hope I can earn your forgiveness through my future actions.” Shortly after posting her apology, Kirkconnell also re-shared a post from 25 of the women from the current season of TheBachelor denouncing the defense of racism. “We are the women of Bachelor Season 25. Twenty-five women who identify as BIPOC were cast on this historic season that was meant to represent change,” the cast statement began. “We are deeply disappointed and want to make it clear that we denounce any defense of racism. Any defense of racist behavior denies the lived and continued experiences of BIPOC individuals. These experiences are not to be exploited or tokenized.” Kirkconnell also shared on her Instagram story that her apology is for the people of color that she offended, an important distinction for those yelling “you don’t need to apologize for anything, honey” in comment sections.
Spoiler alert: She won Matt’s final rose
As stated before, Kirkconnell was rumored to win. And she did, beating out Michelle Young for Matt’s final rose in the end.
She’s a hopeless romantic
According to her ABC bio, Kirkconnell is a “hopeless romantic to her core,” but has one thing in common with Matt: They’ve both never been in love. Kirkconnell hopes that a relationship with Matt can be the “huge and life altering” love story she’s always wanted. And from the first episode, it looks like that might be the case. After holding a prayer, Kirkconnell was moved to tears by Matt’s actions, shocked by how one move can mean so much to her. When they had a moment alone, she pointed out that they may have enough in common for a real relationship: “We’re on the same page with everything,” she shared in last Monday’s episode. The season preview shows a lot of Kirkconnell, particularly with her touching on interracial relationships and seemingly staying out of the fray of this season’s drama to come.
Matt and Rachael have broken up
That was confirmed during the After the Final Rose special. The breakup came after James came to terms with her controversial, racially-insensitive past behaviors on social media.
Where is Rachael now after The Bachelor?
According to her Instagram, she’s taking “time for self-reflection.” She’s shared that she is dedicated to learning about race and filling in her blind spots that led to those insensitive posts by educating herself. She implied during the ATFR that she’s listening to podcasts, watching movies and reading about race. She’s single, too, and heartbroken. She made it clear that she isn’t over Matt and doesn’t think she’ll ever love someone like that again. Next, find out who went home on Matt James’ Bachelor premiere.
