Watch Matt James react to those racism accusations towards Rachael Kirkconnell

For those watching The Bachelor season 25, you’ll know there’s currently a lot of talk about Rachael Kirkconnell. Some of it is flattering, but some of it is definitely not.

Many are speculating that she may actually be the winner of

The Bachelor

and of course,

Matt James

‘ heart. After the latest episode in Week 5, the spark between them is undeniable. During their one-on-one, Matt admitted he had his eye on Rachael “since day one” and when they’re together, he said, “it’s just easy.”

On their romantic shopping spree, they had champagne, Rachael snagged a few beautiful outfits, and then Matt surprised her with her first pair of red bottom shoes, like the Prince Charming that Matt is. But the wooing didn’t stop there.

On the second half of their date, they both admitted to falling in love with each other, after never being in love before. Right away, hearts all over the place were melting. Still, no matter how much they vividly care for each other, not everyone has warm, fuzzy feelings about Matt potentially ending up with Rachael.

Is Rachael Kirkconnell racist? Matt James reacts

After accusations surfaced on TikTok about the season 25 contestant’s rumored racist past, the public’s perception of Rachael Kirkconnell shifted, and not for the better. Rumors aside, it seems Matt’s not changing his mind about Rachael, no matter what anybody says. Because whether or not she gets the final rose, Matt is coming to her defense when she needs it the most, reports Entertainment Tonight.

While speaking to Entertainment Tonight host Lauren Zima this week, the current Bachelor lead revealed that his feelings for Rachael were real and that he felt things he “never felt before” when he was with her.

While the 24-year-old contestant from Georgia remains a favorite for many fans, her reputation and character have definitely been also called into question. TikTok users have accused her of bullying people for dating Black men, and alleged that she “liked” racist posts on Instagram. Unfortunately, current contestants on the show can’t defend themselves while the season is airing, but Matt James can. And now, that’s what he seems to be doing.

Of the accusations going around, Matt stated:

"I have not spoken to anybody since the show ended, but I would say that you have to be really careful about what you are doing on social media…Rumors are dark and they’re nasty and they can ruin people’s lives. So I would give people the benefit of the doubt, and hopefully she will have her time to speak on that."

What’s less clear right now is if those “dark and nasty” life-ruining rumors ultimately will affect their relationship. Does Matt believe what we’ve all been hearing about Rachael? Maybe, maybe not. You can watch his full interview with Lauren Zima below.

On the show, Matt James has continuously stated that one of his goals was for the women vying for his heart to be in “a safe space.” And that seems to still be his goal.

In the end, Matt implied in the recent interview that various rumors going around are just rumors, explaining that he thinks people are “very eager to find any tea,” no matter how they come by it. “Lucky for me, I had a very good group of women and I have taken a lot of what I have learned from them and applied it to my life,” he said.

As for Rachael Kirkconnell winning Matt James’ heart or not, he’s not letting any of that tea spill just yet.