Here's How Matt James' Parents' Divorce Affects His 'Bachelor' Decisions

Divorce is tough, whether you go through it yourself or watch someone you love go through it — just ask the Season 25 Bachelor. During a Jan. 27 appearance on the Tamron Hall show, fans learned how Matt James' parents' divorce affects his Bachelor decisons, and his explanation makes a lot of sense. "I saw what infidelity looked like at a young age," he told Hall. "I saw family members that were against the relationship and doubling down on it after seeing the infidelity between my dad and my mom and not wanting to perpetuate that behavior. And seeing how it affected my mom, how it affected my brother, and how it affected everything."

Watching his family go through that pain made James realize the importance of honesty and commitment, and it's something that stuck with him throughout his journey as the Bachelor lead. "You know, it's such a selfish thing to happen and to take place when you made that commitment to somebody," he added. "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.”

This isn't the first time James has spoken out about his parents' divorce. During the Season 25 debut episode, the former college football player opened up about how being the child of divorced parents influences his approach to new relationships. "Growing up in a single-parent home, I feel like I missed out on a lot of what it takes to be in a good relationship," he explained during an on-camera interview. And though it's unclear if James has a close relationship with his dad to these days, he's made it clear he's very close to his mom, Patty.

During his first official interview as the new Bachelor on Good Morning America back in June 2020, James spoke about the values his mom instilled in him and how he planned to carry those values with him on the show. "I'm just going to lean into myself and how my mom raised me," he said, adding, "I'm looking for qualities that my mom embodies, and that's selfless, honest, caring, [and] compassionate." You love to see it!

If James does end up popping the question at the end of his season, then I have a feeling it wasn't a decision he made lightly.