Who is Rachael Kirkconnell? The Bachelor alum Matt James’ girlfriend slams sports announcer for calling her boyfriend "single"

Rachael Kirkconnell has been in a relationship with the famous American basketball player Matt James since April 2021. Despite a lot of pressure from The Bachelor fans, the couple is not engaged and is concentrating on spending some time on themselves.

In a recent basketball tournament, Monster Energy Big3 Celebrity Game in Atlanta, an announcer repeatedly said that Matt was single whenever he played well. Racheal clapped back at him and said he had wrongly stated that Matt was single at least ten times during the game.

Rachael slams sports reporter (Image via rachaelkirkconnell/ Instagram Story and post)

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Rachael Kirkconnell was previously accused of being racist

26-year-old Rachael Kirkconnell grew up in Cumming, Georgia, and graduated from West Forsyth High School in 2015. She has two siblings, a sister named Trinity and a brother named Greyson. Rachael later graduated from Georgia College & State University in 2019 and received a degree in marketing. She was also a part of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority but later left the group after visiting the Antebellum South plantation-themed formal.

She later started working as a graphic designer in Atlanta. She was a contestant on The Bachelor and won the love and trust of Matt James even though he did not propose to her in the end. The couple later broke up after Rachael Kirkconnell was accused of making racist comments and liking several racist posts on social media. She was also accused of bullying other girls in high school.

Kirkconnell posted a public apology for being 'ignorant and racist' in February 2021. She asked people not to defend her past actions. Subsequently, she got back together with James in April 2021.

She said on Us Weekly's Here for the Right Reasons podcast that she wanted to marry Matt. Kirkconnell's exact words were,

"I wouldn't be with someone that I wasn't considering marrying, especially at this point in my life. We’ve talked about living in the same city and what those next steps look like. Everything's on the table."

James had also previously called Rachael his best friend.

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Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell's relationship timeline

In June 2020, ABC announced 29-year-old Matt James to be the lead of The Bachelor Season 25. Rachael Kirkconnell was one of the 38 women who participated in the popular dating show. She did not get a first impression rose from Matt, but she did leave a mark on his mind on Night One itself. Matt had stated that Rachael looked beautiful as she stepped out of the limo.

After a few group dates, Rachael was finally able to win some one-on-one time with James, and the couple stated that they were falling in love with each other. On Us Weekly's Here for the Right Reasons podcast, James stated,

"I hadn’t had that one-on-one time with her yet. And when I had that day to spend with her and really get to know her better, it just affirmed everything I had already felt."

Rachael Kirkconnell went under the heat after some photos of her in the Old South-themed frat party were released, including some racist actions in the past.

Matt did ultimately choose Rachael over the other women, but it was revealed on The Bachelor: After the Final Rose that the couple had broken up. The couple later got back together in April. With regards to their engagement, Rachel said there was a lot of pressure, but the two were in a 'great place.' She stated,

"We just needed to take that time away from everyone and really figure everything out."

The couple is currently focusing on their relationship, according to an interview at New York Fashion Week.