'I've seen Rachael a handful of times,' the 'Bachelor' alum reveals.
Matt James is focusing on his relationship with Rachael Kirkconnell.
The Bachelor star revealed in a new interview that he's trying to work things out with Kirkconnell following their highly publicized split and fallout from her racism controversy. "I've seen Rachael a handful of times," James told People. "I'm not pursuing any relationships right now outside of that. I said I was going to focus on my relationship with her and that means focusing on it."
Kirkconnell received backlash earlier this year after photos surfaced of her attending an antebellum-themed college party in 2018. She apologized in February, promising to "continue to learn how to be antiracist." During After the Final Rose, James said that he wanted to "take a step back" from their relationship at the time and "allow her to put in that work."
When asked if he believes Kirkconnell has been doing that work, and educating herself about racism since the fallout, James told People, "That's something you could talk to her about."
James also told the outlet that he hopes to personally continue to be a voice in his community. "A lot of what I'm focused on right now is the work that I'm doing in the community...," he continued. "Just being at the center of meaningful conversations, that's what I'm looking to do."
"I really enjoyed the conversations I had over the past few months and I think it'd be a lot of fun to be a voice on important issues," he added. "That's where I see my future and where I'm pursuing opportunities."
The news comes just days after James and Kirkconnell were spotted out and about in Los Angeles over the weekend, marking the second time they've been seen together since their breakup was revealed on After the Final Rose in March.
The pair was spotted out with friends twice over the weekend: once on Friday at Bear Flag Fish Co. in Newport Beach, California, and again on Saturday evening at JuneShine in Santa Monica. According to multiple outlets, Kirkconnell also visited James earlier this month in New York City, where he now lives.
The recent sightings have had many fans in Bachelor Nation questioning what's been going on between the ex-couple. A source told E! News earlier this week that the Bachelor alums "aren't back together, but definitely still have feelings. They are having a good time right now and everything feels back to normal between them."
"They have been staying at a friend's house [in Orange County] trying to be low-key," the source added. "Matt felt horrible about what went down with him and Rachael recently and wanted to see her. He initiated the visit."
Hear more in the video below.
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