Did Matt James Delete His Instagram?
Is Matt James starting over? Just four days after his ‘uncomfortable’ conversation with Rachael Kirkconnell, it looks like he has wiped his Instagram clean. During those four days, the first Black lead on The Bachelor received a massive amount of hate directed at him. The hate sometimes included racist messages.
It also came days after he tweeted that he was seeking therapy. Fans were confused and concerned about the reality TV show newbie.
Matt James Posts He’s Seeking Therapy
During the last two episodes of The Bachelor, viewers got a glimpse at Matt James’ demons. On the March 8th episode, Matt had fantasy suite dates with his final three women. He then had to choose which two would get roses, sending one home. Michelle Young and Rachael Kirkconnell ultimately received roses, meaning Bri Springs went home.
But first, Matt had a difficult confrontation with his estranged father about their relationship. During the tough talk, Matt tried to find closure regarding his parents’ relationship and the mistakes he hopes not to make in his own.
However, it was Matt’s conversation with his mother during the March 15th finale that seemed to rattle him the most. His mother stressed that love isn’t always permanent. She also raised concerns about Matt getting engaged to either Rachael or Michelle.
His mom got deep in his head, resulting in Matt offering Rachael a rose/relationship, but not an engagement ring. Fans lambasted Matt for being wishy-washy. Why did he even join the show, if not to get engaged?, they tweeted. Multiple fans suggested that Matt needs therapy to get over his commitment issues.
Well, Matt James saw those tweets. The day after the finale, he made a post on Twitter that simply said “Google Therapist near me.” The tweet included three writing emojis, as if he was making a note to himself.
While many fans took the tweet as a joke, others were concerned for Matt James’ well-being.
✍🏾 Google ✍🏾 Therapist ✍🏾 Near me
— Matt James (@mattjames919) March 16, 2021
Fans Concerned For Matt’s Mental State
Not only was Matt James the first Black Bachelor, he was the first total Bachelor Nation newbie as lead. Most leads are chosen from a wide pool of previous Bachelor/Bachelorette contestants. Matt James is best friends with Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron. However, he has never experienced being under the microscope the way leads and contestants are.
Matt James may have been joking about his circumstances with his ‘therapy’ tweet, but some people weren’t so sure. He received several supportive comments about the idea of therapy.
Olivia Caridi was a contestant on Season 10 of The Bachelor.
TMZ reports that the franchise has a wide range of mental health services if Matt James was serious about seeking help.
Matt James Erases Instagram Amid Backlash??
Viewers suggesting Matt James seek therapy is just the tip of the iceberg. He received an onslaught of hateful messages after it was revealed on After the Final Rose that he had dumped Rachael Kirkconnell in the intervening months.
Shortly after it became clear she was the Season 25 frontrunner, rumors began swirling online. Then came photos of her attending an antebellum-themed sorority party in 2018. The photos were labeled racially insensitive and kicked off a firestorm of criticism for Rachael and Bachelor Nation.
Even Chris Harrison got caught up in the storm after his insensitive comments to Rachel Lindsay during an interview. He was trying to defend Rachael Kirkconnell, but only ended up making things worse.
Many viewers took Rachael Kirkconnell and Chris Harrison’s side, though both apologized and asked fans to fall back. Rachael Kirkconnell bluntly told her followers to stop defending her.
But her fans clearly didn’t heed her request. In the days after the finale aired, the hate against Matt James took an uglier turn. Rachael Kirkconnell posted on her Instagram Stories calling her supporters out for sending racist hate to Matt James.
Sometime between Rachael’s post on March 17 and the afternoon of March 19, Matt James erased every photo from his Instagram. His Twitter is still up.
However, that may not be the whole story. His Instagram posts being gone may have indicated a bigger problem with the social media site.
Everyone‘s IG is down.
Once Instagram is back up, we will find out if Matt James really wiped his Instagram or if it was an internal error.
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