ABC Matt James.
Matt James has not had the easiest times when it comes to relationships because of things stemming from his childhood. In a candid interview with Tamron Hall, James opened up about the past and what it’s meant for him as an adult navigating the dating world.
James’ parents are divorced, which is something that has weighed heavily on his life in general. In chatting with Hall, he admitted that witnessing infidelity “at a young age” has made dating and relationships a challenge for him over the years.
“There’s very tough conversations that I have with individuals that allude to where I’m at in my life, and why it’s been so difficult for me to be in a relationship… A lot of that stems from my dad and my mom’s relationship. I saw what infidelity looked like at a young age. I saw family members that were against the relationship and doubling down on it after seeing the infidelity between my dad and my mom,” James said.
You can watch the virtual interview in the video below.
And while Matt James is still with the woman he chose in the end, it’s entirely possible that the two didn’t become engaged on the finale. If this is the case, it’s possible that his fear of repeating the past could be the reason.
Here’s what you need to know:
Matt James Said He’s Being Very Particular About ‘The Bachelor’ Process Because He Doesn’t Want to See Anyone Get Hurt
Growing up in a broken home is hard for many kids. Watching a parent suffer due to something that another parent did, whether that be cheating, drinking, or something else, can have lasting effects on kids.
In James’ sit down with Hall, he said that he’s being very careful with how he’s approaching The Bachelor, and explained why he wants to be sure that he’s doing everything right.
“[I’m] not wanting to perpetuate that behavior .. Seeing how it affected my mom, how it affected my brother, and how it affected everything, you know? It’s such a selfish thing to happen, and to take place when you made that commitment to somebody. And knowing how serious I take that commitment is why I want to make sure that I’m going about this process as seamless and as focused as I can so that I’m not putting someone in a situation to be hurt,” James said.
Matt James Previously Opened up About the Pressures People Put on Him to Date a Certain Type of Person
James previously said that he was honored to be chosen as The Bachelor‘s first Black lead. As the show began filming, he opened up to Chris Harrison about the pressures that he feels fans have put on him to end up with “specific person of a specific race.”
“It’s like, people want me to end up with a certain type of person. And I get that… My mom is white, my dad is Black… You’ve got people cheering for you to find love and then you have people cheering for you to end up with a specific person of a specific race. That’s something that kept me up at night,” James told Harrison in a candid interview that previously aired on The Bachelor.
“It’s like, I don’t want to piss off Black people, I don’t want to piss off white people, but I’m both of those, you know what I mean? It’s like, how do I please everybody?” James added.
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