“Bachelor” star Rachael Kirkconnell defended Matt James from racist slurs after he revealed that they broke up after the show.
James ended up choosing Kirkconnell over all other women this season of “The Bachelor”. However, he revealed during the “After the Final Rose” special that he had broken up with her after an off-screen racism scandal that resulted in longtime host Chris Harrison leaving his role on the show.
Some viewers did not take James’s decision well and attacked the first black bachelor with racial slurs on social media. Kirkconnell clearly saw the online vitriol being addressed to the person, whom he still refers to as the love of his life, and decided to make it clear that he does not want that kind of support.
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Matt James chose Rachael Kirkconnell as the winner of his season of ‘The Bachelor’.
(ABC / Craig Sjodin)
“I am surprised by what I saw tonight. If you think that attacking a person I like with racist insults is what I would always wish for, you have not heard, ”she wrote in her Instagram Story on Thursday. “Some of the things I saw being said about and about Matt are disgusting.”
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“I respect the decisions that Matt had to make during that experience,” continued the reality star. “If you are directing hatred towards him, please stop. Acknowledge someone’s humanity and think about the impact your words have.”
Bachelor star Rachael Kirkconnell defended Matt James from online racism.
(ABC / Craig Sjodin)
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During the “After the Final Rose” special, James admitted that the controversy surrounding the photos resurfaced from Kirkconnell attending an “Old South” party, a TikTok user accusing her of bullying her in the past for dating a black man and allegedly liking racist photos – – everyone played a part in your decision to end things. The scandal also indirectly caused longtime host Chris Harrison to cease to be the host.
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“If you don’t understand that something like this is problematic in 2018, there is a lot of me that you won’t understand. It’s as simple as that, ”he said at the time.