'The Bachelor' couple Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell share engagement plans

Former The Bachelor star Matt James and girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell have updated fans on whether they see an engagement in their near future after three years of dating.


"I think that's the next step," Matt, 32, shared during a recent appearance on the "De-Influenced with Dani + Jordan" podcast.

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But Matt suggested he's not going to pick out just any diamond ring for his The Bachelor 25 winner.

"Having had so many of Rachael's friends go through engagements, I wouldn't dare go look at a ring without consulting Rachael first," Matt quipped.


"That's the problem," Rachael, 28, noted. "I don't even know what I want."

And Rachael agreed that Matt needs to check with her before making such a large purchase and ultimately popping the question.

"I have the finger ready," Rachael joked on the podcast. "I feel that's definitely something we want. I'm on his time... I definitely need to go find a ring I like and everything."

But once Rachael picks out a ring she loves, she acknowledged how "that's on him at that point."

Matt admitted Rachael's indecision when it comes to the symbolic ring is "probably" the only thing standing in his way of proposing marriage right now.


"I've been hinting at marriage for a very long time," Matt said. "I don't think Rachael is taking my hints seriously."

Rachael, who currently resides in Georgia with family and friends, and Matt, who lives in Florida, have been making the distance work.  

"We do spend more time in Georgia than Florida, but I wouldn't mind living in Florida. I do have family in Florida, and I don't think he'd want to put roots down in Georgia, so I would be okay with going to Florida," Rachael explained.

"I'd rather be in that climate than a cold one. I'd much rather be in Miami than New York."

But Matt called Miami a "for now spot" since he and Rachael travel so much together, and the pair envision themselves being under the same roof soon.


"I fully embrace being a stay-at-home dad. I will stay home and take care of the kids," Matt joked.

The former The Bachelor star looked at Rachael and added, "So I'm going to empower you... [to] start your own brand."

Rachael laughed off Matt's comment and revealed that she's also ready to have kids.

"I'll say this, I love the idea of getting married and having that commitment to one another, and kids and family really excite me," Rachael stated.

"But, the idea of planning a wedding really puts me off. Sometimes I'm, like, 'Let's just elope.'"


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Matt and Rachael took to Matt's YouTube page in July and revealed where they see themselves in the next five years.

"[Matt] might have a stroke right here, but next five years, I want to be pregnant," Rachael said in the video.

Matt -- who was sitting right next to Rachael when she dropped the bombshell -- responded, "I agree! No, that's not shocking!"

Matt looked at his girlfriend and confirmed, "I want you to be pregnant."


Rachael smiled big and shared how she'll be 32-years-old at that point.

"Yeah, I feel like I'll be ready to be a mom at that point," Rachael said. "I mean, if it happens tomorrow, great."

Matt glanced over at the camera and raised his eyebrows, and then Rachael continued, "But, yeah, five years, I would love a little baby right here [in my belly]."

Matt proceeded to ask Rachael where she'd like to be living when they're expecting their first child.

"I could live [in New York], I could live in Florida. I mean, I could live anywhere," Rachael insisted.

"Do you want to go live in California? Sure! Do you want to live in Europe? Okay!"


Matt remained quiet as Rachael spoke, but he seemed to agree with everything she was saying.

"Yeah, it's so true. I'd be down [to live anywhere]," Matt said, echoing Rachael's sentiment.

Rachael admitted she'd "love" to have an international chapter of their story, and Matt concluded, "Yeah, I'm getting old."

"In five years," Rachael interjected, "you'll be 37! You'll be pushing 40."

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Matt therefore clarified, "I want to have kids, and I want to have multiple kids. So hopefully at this point in five years, we have, you know, one [in our arms] and one on the way."


Matt put a hand on Rachael's stomach and she gushed, "Really?!"

"Hopefully," Matt noted.

"Whatever God gives us!" Rachael concluded.

Matt and Rachael agreed, however, that they're never going to make decisions just to appease other people when they're not ready -- and that includes getting engaged.

Matt gave his final rose to Rachael on The Bachelor's Season 25 finale, but they proceeded to have a two-month split in early 2021.

Matt and Rachael briefly split in February 2021 during Rachael's memorable racism controversy, which resulted in former The Bachelor host Chris Harrison and ABC agreeing to part ways.


But Rachael was extremely apologetic, and so she and Matt reconciled in April 2021 and have been going strong as a couple ever since April 2021.

Matt teased in February 2024 that he and Rachael are happy doing things at their own pace.

The former The Bachelor star explained at the time, "If you do things that other people want you to do and you don't consider y'all's feelings, then I think that is a recipe for disaster."

But Matt said his marriage proposal to Rachael will be "special" -- not on the couch at home -- when that time comes and he's "definitely excited" about the idea of taking their relationship to the next level.

The Bachelor winner and Matt gushed about how they're extremely happy with their relationship in an interview with Us Weekly last year.

"Matt really is just my best friend," Rachael told the magazine.


"I think at the end of the day, it's just really fun to live the life that we live together. I don't think anything that we do would be nearly as fun if I weren't with him."

Rachael continued, "I love our dynamic, I think that we make each other better people. We bring out the better version of ourselves. I think we have a lot to teach each other."

Matt also agreed that he's been dating his best friend, which "makes everything that much better."

"You get to enjoy life with that person," the former The Bachelor star elaborated. "It's a great come true. We're always telling ourselves how blessed we are."

Rachael told Us in June 2022 of taking her relationship with Matt to the next level, "The only timeline I give him is I was like, 'I've got to have kids before, you know, I can't have kids.' So keep that in mind."

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski