Clare Crawley and Matt James Adela Loconte/Shutterstock; BauerGriffin/INSTARimages.com
Nobody drinks tea like the Tea Lady. Andy Cohen! Matt James’ answers to questions about Clare Crawley —And Tyler Cameron and Rachael Kirkconnell’s friendship — from his appearance on Andy Cohen Live: Watch What HappensBachelor Nation is raising eyebrows.
The 30-year-old appeared on Bravo’s talk show on Sunday, May 15. First Impressions author was asked about the 41-year-old former Bachelorette’s rumored relationship with former contestant Blake Monar. (Crawley was seen spending time with Monar earlier in the year, according to a source. Us Weekly that “their friendship has blossomed into something really special, and she’s letting it roll organically.“)
“I think that, you know, as someone whose struck out a couple times — I’m hoping … happiness. I hope that something comes from that,” James said. “It doesn’t matter where she’s getting it at this point. Hopefully, someone will bring it to her.”
You can also be a guest Real Housewives of AtlantaStar Kenya Moore then declared, “That’s a read! … We need him on our show. That was a read, baby!”
Crawley and James have had an interesting relationship since Crawley was cast to appear as part of season 16. After the show was forced to postpone production due to the coronavirus pandemic, the hairstylist threw shade at the former football player for joining Cameo, tweeting in April 2020, “If you are doing interviews and creating Cameo accounts before you are even on my season… you are in it for the wrong reasons… #dontwasteyourtime.”
While he didn’t respond at the time, James, who never competed for Crawley’s affections because ABC opted to make him the season 25 Bachelor, broke his silence on the drama in his book.
“I’ve never spoken to [Clare] in my entire life,” James said on Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast ahead of the memoir’s May 3 release. “I had nothing to say [when I first saw her tweet]. I was just like, ‘Dang, that’s crazy!’ I was in shock. I was at a loss for words when I saw that.”
James added: “I couldn’t tell my story without including that because it was very pivotal in my journey. If that wouldn’t have happened, then who knows if I would have become the Bachelor. It was just giving the full context of how I ended up where I did.”
The Wake Forest alum also spoke about how he tried to keep his mind open with Crawley when they were cast, despite her previous appearances in the series.
“I just think it would be unfair, especially for someone in her situation with her track record on the show, for me to come in with a preconceived notion of everything,” James told Use. “So I didn’t look into any of it. I knew she had been on other occasions. [seasons of the shows], but, like, I didn’t do any research into it because it didn’t matter — who she was in this moment wasn’t who she was back then and I didn’t, frankly, care because we’re here in this moment. So to be judged by her or anybody to judge somebody on what they think about someone without meeting them, I don’t think is the right way to go about getting to know somebody.”
Elsewhere during His appearance on WWHLCohen was told by James that Cohen met his girlfriend on season 25. The Bachelor has a “love-hate relationship” with his best friend Cameron. He didn’t give more details on the remark, but Kirkconnell laughed from the audience.
Cameron had nothing but positive things to say about Georgian native Cameron in June 2021.
“She was awesome. She’s a beam of light. I enjoyed spending time with and hanging out alongside her. We had a good time,” the Bachelorette season 15 runner-up told Use. “I think they’re great for each other. They seem like they’re spending a lot of time together, getting comfortable with each other and they’ve come a long way. So if they’re happy, I’m happy.”
