A Bachelor Nation falling out? Tyler Cameron and Matt James were friends for years before the latter got the gig as the season 25 Bachelor, but some fans are convinced his romance with Rachael Kirkconnell has put a strain on his bromance with Cameron.
Prior to their time on reality TV, Cameron and James met while attending Wake Forest in North Carolina.
“He was the older cool kid who took me under his wing,” the Bachelorette season 15 runner-up said of James in September 2020 on the “Bachelor Party” podcast. “We’ve just been boys ever since. Super grateful for that friendship and what he’s shown me in the city.”
The two former football players even moved in together in New York City after Cameron’s stint on Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette.
“That’s my guy. I was gonna get a one-bedroom, but I think it’s important to surround yourself with people that are doing good things, and that’s my partner with ABC Food Tours,” he continued. “I’ve been living on his couch for a while now, and he hasn’t gotten sick of me.”
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, James was among Cameron’s friends who moved into his house in Jupiter, Florida, to quarantine. That June, ABC opted to make James the next Bachelor after he nearly appeared on season 16 of The Bachelorette. The First Impressions author later revealed that Cameron’s late mother was the one who encouraged him to join Bachelor Nation.
“I wouldn’t have gone on the show if it hadn’t been for Tyler’s mom,” James said on the “Almost Famous” podcast in February 2021. “She was so adamant about me having been a part of this experience because she saw what it did for Tyler and his relationship with Hannah … I felt like I owed it to her to see it through.”
When James left to film The Bachelor in fall 2020, Cameron visited and made a cameo on one of the one-on-one dates. During the finale, James picked Kirkconnell over Michelle Young but didn’t propose. As the season was airing, the twosome split after the Georgia native’s past racially insensitive actions resurfaced. They reconciled, however, in April 2021 and Cameron was (initially) happy to have her visit them at their NYC digs.
“She got him to pick up his s—t!” the Real Dirty Dancing alum told Us in June 2021. “You know, like, he’s cleaning up his clothes, he’s not leaving them all over the doors and stuff after he sweats in them, so I like it.”
The trio continued to hang out on double dates in the Hamptons, Cameron and Kirkconnell supported James on Dancing With the Stars in fall 2021 and she returned the favor when the men ran the New York City Marathon that November. By 2022, however, fans began to question whether Cameron and James were still friends after the former Bachelor referred to Cameron and Kirkconnell’s relationship as “love-hate” that May.
When addressing the speculation in July 2022, Cameron told Us: “I think people think [Matt and I aren’t friends] because we’re just not in each other’s everyday lives like we used to be. I think it’s part of growing up. It’s part of entering a relationship. … We all have those friends that they grow up, they start dating their person, they get married, they do their thing and you see him when you see him.”
Scroll through for more from Cameron on Kirkconnell:
After James and Kirkconnell split amid the season’s drama, Cameron gave Us an update on how his pal was coping. “He’s going through it [but] he’s doing good. We just have to take care of ourselves,” he said. “I always support Matt. I’m always a sounding board for him. If he’s asked to speak on something, I’m here for him and he does the same for me. That’s what brothers do for each other. He’s been working hard.” Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
After James and Kirkconnell got back together, Cameron approved. “She was awesome. She’s a beam of light. I really enjoyed hanging out with her, spending time with her. We had a good time,” Cameron told Us. “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.” Jason Merritt/Radarpics/Shutterstock
"He's definitely softened up a little bit, you know, because he's tough. He's a guy's guy, but I think she's kind of relaxing him and softening him up a little bit,” Cameron told People. "I think they'll take their time and they'll [get engaged] when it's right and if it's right for them." Joey Andrew/Startraks
When asked about James’ “love-hate” remark, Cameron joked, “There's love?" "I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. No, Rachael's great, and she makes Matt happy and they're happy,” he told E! News. “And it's fun to see, you know, them do their thing and they always are traveling and doing stuff. [Do] we have a love-hate relationship? I think it's just we have two strong opinions and way we see things and we sometimes clash. But at the end of the day, we're all cool. You know, it is what it is." Shutterstock (2)
Cameron shed light on his dynamic with Kirkconnell during an interview with Us. “I was definitely going through my own s—t. … We just have our own ways of clashing. I don’t like listening to people sometimes. And she’s strong and she has a really good opinion on a lot of things. And sometimes I don’t want to hear it,” he told Us. “They’re very happy and I think we clash just because we’re both passionate people in what we believe in. But we’ve also learned from each other, so that’s good.” He added: “I think they’re good for each other. They keep each other happy and keep each other going and that’s what’s important.” Shutterstock; Michael Simon/Startraks
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