Matt James is opening up on his trip as the Bachelor after the end of season 25, which left him single after a public split with winner Rachael Kirkconnell.
“I’m wearing all of my emotion in my beard right now,” he joked, before revealing,”I am good. I’m good right now.”
James also touched upon the way he got involved the The Bachelor franchise at first place, whether he’s forgiven Kirkconnell, 24, and that which he really thought about Chris Harrison’s explosive interview.
The ABC Food Tours creator was named the first Black freshman in franchise history in June 2020, after formerly being cast as a contestant on Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette.
His year expired in January, but while the dates unfolded on air, controversy off display began plaguing his search for love. Back in February, Harrison came under fire for asking fans to have”compassion” regarding contestant Kirkconnell who had been accused of racially charged actions after photos surfaced of her attending a plantation-themed sorority event in 2018, and she”liked” photos using a Confederate flag in the background.
After openly apologizing twice for not denouncing racism during his interview using Rachel Lindsay last month, Harrison, 49, resigned temporarily as the show’s host. Kirkconnell, for her part, also apologized for her past actions, admittingher”ignorance was displaced .”
Throughout the March finale, James picked Kirkconnell since the winner, providing her the last rose and asking her to continue to him. He did not propose, but they finished the show for a couple. As her previous continued to make headlines, however, James pulled the plug on the relationship, which came out during the After the Finale Rose particular .
“You don’t have your mobile phone. You do not have a computer. You’re completely tapped from what is happening, which really allows you to foster these relationships with girls,” the former soccer player told Bill Simmons on Friday, admitting he sense difficult for Kirkconnell. When you get out of that bubble, you’re reintroduced to all these distractions, people’s opinions, and it began to get difficult.”
When he did split using the Georgia native, James stated it was”frustrating” to presume that all the”learning and teaching was set on me” regarding Kirkconnell’s instruction about racism.
Despite how it finished, James stated that the discussions he had with the women during the season caused”lots of personal growth” that made him feel good.
“I can only speak for myself. It felt like three months of treatment. I met incredible women,” he said. “I left a relationship that I believed had the capacity to move the distance. Unfortunately, things played out otherwise , but all things considered, these conversations [that] came from this craziness that followed the season [were good]. I don’t regret going on at all.”
The Raleigh, North Carolina, native, confessed that he is”exhausted” following the emotionally draining process, but being back in New York around family and friends has him”in the right spirit.” He added:”All I attempt to be is a good man at the end of the day.”