Matt James tweeted about finding a therapist following his drama-filled season of The Bachelor.
The Bachelor lead, who split up with his final rose recipient Rachael Kirkconnell after learning of photos that surfaced of her attending an antebellum-themed party in 2018, tweeted on March 16, just one day after the Bachelor finale, "Google Therapist Near me."
Olivia Caridi, who appeared on Ben Higgins' season of The Bachelor, expressed support, tweeting, "We're here for you Matt. I'm so sorry for comments from horrible people. I know it's hard to ignore them, but there are so many people within Bach Nation who care about you. I hope ABC can assist in your quest for therapy, it's necessary (and something I wish I'd gotten)!"
Matt, the first Black lead in Bachelor history, picked Rachael over Michelle Young during the finale, but opted not to propose to her. While the two seemed happy in the final moments of the competition, Matt revealed in the After the Final Rose special that he and Rachael went their separate ways shortly after the show ended.
He recalled, "Before Rachael addressed anything or Chris Harrison spoke on anything, I'm trying to be there for her, and I dismissed them as rumors, because that's what they were to me. You hear things that are heartbreaking and you just pray they're not true. And then, when you find out that they are it just makes you question everything."
Chris, the longtime host of the Bachelor franchise, is taking a step back from the series after he came under fire for vehemently defending Rachael in a conversation with Rachel Lindsay, the first-ever Black lead of The Bachelorette and of the overall franchise. Both Chris and Rachael have apologized for their actions, however, Rachel was bullied by Bachelor Nation fans for her criticism of Rachael and Chris' defense of her.
After speaking with Rachael, who acknowledged she had more to learn about the Black experience and racial equality, Matt decided to end the romance, explaining, "I wasn't OK because it was in that moment and the conversation that I had that—Rachael might not understand what it means to be Black in America."
"Just when you think you found your way, life throws you onto a new path," she wrote. "it's unpredictable, unexplainable, and things might not go the way you hoped for. while i certainly wish things turned out differently, i also believe there is a reason for everything. we may not be able to control situations thrown our way, but we can control how we deal with it, and i believe good can come out every circumstance."
She added, "of course i wish circumstances were different, but i still feel blessed for the time we did have together and the memories we made. i got to fall in love, and i truly believe he was the love of my life. he will always hold a piece of my heart. i'll always be hopeful and believe what's meant to be will be."