Matt James 'GMA' Appearance Following 'The Bachelor' Finale Distilled Into 11 Bullet Points

- The Bachelor -
Matt James 'GMA' Appearance Following 'The Bachelor' Finale Distilled Into 11 Bullet Points

If you think you're tired after watching The Bachelor finale and After the Final Rose on Monday night, just imagine how Matt James is feeling right about now. But not one to slack off, he still did his Bachelor duty and showed up for his Tuesday morning interview with Good Morning America. Matt's GMA interview after The Bachelor finale with Michael Strahan (aka, Human Chris Harrison Bullshit Detector) covered his experience as the first Black Bachelor, briefly acknowledged the current racial justice movement, and gave an update on where his relationship with Rachael Kirkconnell stands today.

The interview is only five minutes long, but we at The Dipp understand your time is precious. So pour yourself a second cup of coffee (or third or fourth, I'm not here to judge) and read the highlights of Matt's GMA appearance.

  • The conversations with Emmanuel Acho on After The Final Rose made him confront some tough feelings. "It hit me like a ton of bricks, you know. I felt the weight of everything that I was carrying throughout the season and with what we were dealing with as a country and having to explain that why it was problematic to me and our relationship, which was extremely difficult."
  • He had been considering marriage with Rachael during their time post-show... "I think when you're dating somebody, that's what you're hoping for. Anytime I'm in a relationship with somebody, it's because marriage is the ultimate goal."
  • ...but the pictures of Rachael at the antebellum party and her ignorance changed his mind. "When you find out the things like I did, it deters you from that ultimate goal, because, like I stated during the After the Final Rose, there's just things you might not understand what it means to be with someone like me."
  • He doesn't regret not finding His Person. "I would say that the conversations that have come from everything that has taken place are more important than anything I could have left with. And if that means that I leave under the circumstances that I left with then, so be it."
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  • He should've talked to the white contestants more about what it would mean to be in a mixed-race couple. "I think that a lot of time spent during filming and having those conversations [about race] was amongst the other women of color ... I think we could've had those conversations amongst the white women who were there, as well. But hindsight is 20/20. I probably should've asked more clarifying questions."
  • Rachael — and a large portion of America — not realizing how hurtful the photos are to Black Americans is what's so "frustrating" to him. "It's having to explain ... why things like that are problematic. Because we don't have that chance to have that ignorance."
  • He brought up Breonna Taylor and Tamir Rice. "They didn't have that opportunity to have ignorance."
  • He still considers Rachael a "good person" and wants to see what she does next. "Everything that she outlined in her apology and her statement, I'm looking forward to seeing her do because I know she's capable of it."
  • He approves of Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe hosting the next season of The Bachelorette over Harrison. "I'm excited. It's a fresh start and we need more women hosting. It was the right move."
  • He wants more diversity behind-the-scenes in the Bachelor franchise. "As the love stories become more diverse, the people that tell them should become just as diverse. And there's way more qualified women and men of color who can step in and fill those roles and I'm excited to see the institutional change take place and I'm honored to be a part of it."
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  • The door is not currently open for a relationship with Rachael... or anyone else. "I think there's a lot of work that needs to be done before I can think about being in a relationship with anybody. I need time to process everything that's going on and I want to respect Rachael and what she's gotta do as well."

Now, let's let Matt rest.

Read more...

Chris Harrison Had More Screentime In The Bachelor Finale Than In The Bachelor Premiere

The Most Memorable Quotes From The Bachelor's "After The Final Rose"

Release The Michelle-Rachael Tapes From After The Final Rose

Image: ABC

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