Matt James Responds to "Hater" Rachael Kirkconnell Over Remarks About His Dancing Ahead of DWTS

Rachael Kirkconnell couldn't resist teasing boyfriend Matt James about his moves ahead of his debut on Dancing With the Stars, which led the former Bachelor to share his thoughts.

By Ryan Gajewski Sep 10, 2021 7:35 AMTags
Watch: Rachael Kirkconnell Excited for BF Matt James on "DWTS"

Bachelor Nation might not want to hold its collective breath that Matt James will follow in Kaitlyn Bristowe's Dancing With the Stars-winning footsteps. 

On Thursday, Sept. 9, Rachael Kirkconnell posted footage to her Instagram Story of her boyfriend, 29, exuberantly dancing to a Chris Brown song at home in New York City ahead of debuting as a DWTS season 30 contestant later this month. Rachael, who fell in love with Matt during his season of The Bachelor, had recently arrived in the Big Apple for New York Fashion Week

"WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM FOR A MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT," Rachael, 24, playfully shared about the footage of Matt's silly moves. "this AMAZING dancer is SO honored to join the cast of DANCING WITH THE STARS."

She also posted, "I'm SO EXCITED FOR YOU & so proud of you already!!! the other teams don't know what's coming!!!"

Matt reposted the footage to his own Instagram Story to make it clear he was a good sport about her commentary, although he didn't let the posts disappear without lightheartedly pushing back a bit. 

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"Okayy okayy," he replied. He then added, "Lmaooooooooo! Hater," including a crying with tears emoji. 

Around the same time, Matt posted a video to his own Instagram account that showed him having some shirtless fun while grooving and holding a basketball. He captioned it, "When asked if I have any 'dance experience,'" tagging DWTS in the process. 

This led Rachael to quip in the comments section, "Yep looks about right." 

The pair, whose relationship survived scrutiny surrounding resurfaced photos of Rachael attending an Antebellum plantation-themed party, has previously made it clear they enjoy teasing each other. In June, the former Bachelor posted on his Instagram Story that Rachael was "pitching a fit" and shared footage of her giving him a hard time about their lunch plans.

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Matt has a bit more time to hone his fancy footwork, as Dancing With the Stars premieres Monday, Sept. 20 on ABC.

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