Matt James eventually handed out his last rose and, surprisingly, it went to Rachael Kirkconnell, who recently made headlines after photos of her at a pre-war plantation-themed fraternity formally resurfaced from 2018.
But at the “After the Rose” ceremony hosted by Emmanuel Acho, James said he broke up with Kirkconnell after the controversy.
“When I questioned our relationship, it was in the context of your not fully understanding my blackness and what it means to be a black man in America,” James Kirkconnell told Monday’s episode. ‘It broke my heart because this is the last conversation I thought we would have. I have not signed up to have this interview. ‘
Kirkconnell then apologized, saying she had ‘lived in ignorance’ and ‘never once wondered what the tradition is behind this? What does this represent? ‘
“I could have easily asked myself those questions. I never took the time to make that connection.”