The Bachelor’s Matt James may have dumped Season 25 winner Rachael Kirkconnell amid controversy of Kirkconnell’s unflattering history when it comes to race coming to light, but that hasn’t stopped the two from staying away.

Viewers of the show remember photos of Kirkconnell at an antebellum-themed party that surfaced during the airing of the show. During the After the Rose special, James says he confronted Kirkconnell about the photos when he began hearing initial rumblings and he believed her story. He later says he learned she wasn’t as truthful as he hoped. 

After examining the photos and having additional conversations, he says Kirkconnell’s participation in the racially-themed party was insensitive and further questioned whether she understood his plight of being a Black man. James also admits he wishes he asked the contestants more questions regarding race to avoid such. 

Kirkconnell was devastated by the split and hopeful for a reconciliation. James insisted they could remain friends and there was true love there. But insiders alleged all along that the split was never final and many speculated that James only did so due to outside pressure.

Rumors of the two spending intimate time with one another continued, as camps from both parties denied such. Us Weekly confirmed on April 8 that James and Kirkconnell were spending time together in New York City, with Kirkconnell making the first move.

As for their recent outing, the two were spotted hanging out in Santa Monica on Saturday, April 24. TMZ published the photos. The pair went to JuneShine bar with friends. They were seen talking and walking around the city, as James carried a skateboard.

James wore a blue LA Rams hoodie, shorts, dark sunglasses and a black baseball cap. Kirkconnell wore a black oversized sweatshirt and a matching face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic. From the looks of the photos, the two were trying to keep a low profile.