CNN  — 

This story contains spoilers about the season finale of “The Bachelor” that aired Monday night.

It was the finale “Bachelor” fans were waiting for.

Matt James ended up handing out his final rose and, surprisingly, it went to Rachael Kirkconnell, who has been in the headlines recently after photos of her at an antebellum plantation-themed fraternity formal from 2018 resurfaced.

But during the “After the Rose” ceremony, hosted by Emmanuel Acho, James said that he had broken up with Kirkconnell after the controversy.

“When I questioned our relationship, it was in the context of you not fully understanding my Blackness and what it means to be a Black man in America,” James told Kirkconnell during Monday’s episode. “It broke my heart, because this is the last conversation I thought we’d be having. I didn’t sign up to have this conversation.”

Kirkconnell then apologized, saying she had been “living in ignorance” and “never once asked myself what’s the tradition behind this? What does this represent?”

“I could have easily asked myself those questions. I never took the time to make that connection.”

Host Chris Harrison stepped down as host of “The Bachelor” after defending Kirkconnell. It’s unclear if and when he’ll be back.