Matt James’ time as The Bachelor did not go smoothly. As the show’s first Black lead, Matt was already going to face unfair criticism, but with the added controversies and his breakup with Rachael Kirkconnell, the hate he’s received has reached a fever pitch. Matt has commented about needing therapy after the traumatic season he went through, and now he’s taking further steps to protect his mental health by deactivating his Instagram account.

This last season of The Bachelor did not end with an engagement, but Matt and Rachael left the show in a relationship. However, Matt broke things off after photos surfaced of Rachael attending a racially insensitive Antebellum-themed ball. According to Matt, Rachael, at least at first, didn’t grasp what the problem was, and Matt ended the relationship. The season, and its fallout, were clearly devastating to Matt, and he’s been candid about how the show has been hard for him to watch back.

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Matt has been getting hateful messages from people who support Rachael, even though she has been vocal about wanting them to leave Matt alone. The online harassment got bad enough that Matt recently deactivated his Instagram account. He has not been active on social media at all since the day after the show’s finale when he tweeted about googling therapists near him. Many thought the tweet was at least partially in jest, but now that Matt has gone dark on Instagram, he may have been more serious than fans realized.

matt james on the bachelor

The Bachelor franchise has been notorious for doing nothing to help protect its BIPOC contestants and leads from hateful and racist online harassment. This is not the first time a member of Bachelor Nation has had to retreat from social media. Several contestants from this past season went off social media for a time due to online bullying, and former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay also deactivated her Instagram briefly because of the many racist messages she was receiving. 

Matt is now another alum of The Bachelor who has had to step back from social media to fortify his mental health against the undeserved hate he’s received. Perhaps getting off social media will be a good thing for Matt, who is recovering from the tumultuous season with the help of his friends. But regardless, it is completely unfair that he has had to deal with these sorts of messages, and many think it’s finally time for ABC to do something about it. 

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Source: Matt James