Matt James is a freshly shaven man.
James, 31, showed off his new look — with the help of girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell — featuring a mustache via TikTok on Sunday, February 18. The Bachelor Nation duo kicked the video off with Kirkconnell, 27, telling James “This is my real Valentine’s Day gift,” before grabbing an electric razor and shaving off his beard.
“I don’t even know where your face is,” she said while trimming the length of his beard and joking that his tresses looked like a Brillo sponge. After shaving half his face, she joked that they should “just keep it like that.”
James then quipped it was “stache season” while rocking a manicured mustache.
Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell’s Bachelor love story has been a journey — on and off screen. ABC named the 29-year-old Wake Forest graduate the season 25 lead in June 2020, subsequently revealing that the series received a record number of submissions for contestants. Among the 38 women who had the opportunity to meet Matt […]
“I’m gonna cry, I missed your face,” Kirkconnell said before the season 25 Bachelor asked if she missed his beard yet. “No,” she replied while shaking her head.
“I will never let my girlfriend shave my beard again 😂 🤦🏽♂️💈🙋🏻♀️,” he captioned the post.
Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell. Courtesy of Matt James/TikTok
James previously opened up to Us Weekly about his beard, sharing that Kirkconnell told him he had to “take care of it” if he was going to keep it.
“She’s definitely more accepting this time around,” he exclusively told Us in October 2023, joking that before learning how to take care of his facial hair he looked like “a wild man.”
Matt James. Courtesy of Matt James/TikTok
“I think that she appreciates how much thoughtfulness goes into it. So she’s cool with it, as opposed to me just looking ragged and just letting it go,” he continued.
Although he didn’t see himself shaving in the near future at the time, he did share he’s gone “back and forth” with the idea.
Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James. Courtesy of Matt James/TikTok
James previously ditched his beard in May 2022, during an ad for his book, First Impressions: Off Screen Conversations with a Bachelor on Race, Family, and Forgiveness. In the clip, he acted like he was kidnapped and “forced to cut” his beard.
Some Bachelor Nation couples hit different. The Bachelor franchise has been matchmaking since 2002. Back in 2003, Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter became the first Bachelor Nation couple to walk down the aisle. The twosome, who met while filming the first season of The Bachelorette, celebrated 19 years of marriage in December 2022. Thank You! […]
“The last time I cut it was a big deal,” he told Us. “I like the way it looks and feels … I don’t know if it’s gonna go there [again].”