The Bachelor’s Matt James kisses his bushy beard goodbye after getting trolled on social media

The Bachelor’s Matt James is gearing up for summer by shedding some layers. 

The 29-year-old reality star debuted a new clean cut look on Thursday after burying his chiseled face under a very pronounced beard for the last few months.  

He first shocked audiences when he debuted it on the Women Tell All after a season sans-facial hair, but after getting trolled for the look he took to Instagram to reveal he finally shaved it off, saying ‘it was time.’ 

New look: Clean cut Bachelor Matt James, 29, shocked fans in March when he debuted an uncharacteristically bushy beard on The Women Tell All prompting a flurry of fan comments

Bidding his beard farewell with a peace sign, James showcased only a bit of stubble in his social media selfie. 

Throughout the course of the season, viewers and the ladies alike had come to know him with a very manicured face, before he stepped out with a new look in early March. 

Fans took to Twitter to share their musings on his beard, many thinking it was indicative of his single status. 

One wrote, ‘Matt James’ beard SCREAMS single,’ and another said ‘Nothing says I’m not in a proper relationship like this Matt James beard.’ 

Shedding layers: On Thursday he took to Instagram to share that he had shaved off his facial hair saying 'it was time'

Shedding layers: On Thursday he took to Instagram to share that he had shaved off his facial hair saying ‘it was time’

The other day: Over the weekend he was seen in Las Vegas with his beard still intact; March 27

The other day: Over the weekend he was seen in Las Vegas with his beard still intact; March 27

Though the outcome of the show was not known at the time, fans seemed to pick up that his look was reflective of a major life transition, viewers later finding out that he and finale winner Rachael Kirkconnell had called it quits.  

James was forced to reconsidered their relationship when reports surfaced she had bullied a girl in high school for liking Black guys, and a photo of her at a plantation themed party resurfaced. 

Though he had remained mum on the purported racial controversy surrounding the Georgia native at first, the gravity of the situation hit him like a ton of rocks and it only intensified when she came out with a statement apologizing for her past. 

Calling it quits: His season ended not in proposal but in a committed relationship with Kirkconnell before the series of racial issues from her past came to light and caused James to call it quits

Calling it quits: His season ended not in proposal but in a committed relationship with Kirkconnell before the series of racial issues from her past came to light and caused James to call it quits

Speaking out: He broke his silence following Rachael and Harrison's public apologies, writing that the situation has been 'devastating and heartbreaking to put it bluntly'; February 22

Speaking out: He broke his silence following Rachael and Harrison’s public apologies, writing that the situation has been ‘devastating and heartbreaking to put it bluntly’; February 22

To make matters worse Chris Harrison’s defense of Kirkconnell — which ultimately caused him to step aside from the show following fan outrage — and his treatment of first black Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay only added more hurt to the fraught situation. 

James penned an Instagram post on February 22 where he wrote in excerpt: ‘The reality is that I’m  learning about these situations in real time, and it has been devastating and heartbreaking to put it bluntly,’ though their separation was not made apparent until his After The Final Rose appearance. 

Coming  face to face with Rachael for the first time since the scandal he told her: ‘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. 

‘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.’ 

Tough talk: '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,' he told her on After The Final Rose

Tough talk: ‘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,’ he told her on After The Final Rose 

Though Kirkconnell confessed that him ending things left her ‘confused’ and ‘blindsided,’ she then recognized that he ‘must’ve been very, very hurt by everything.’

Both confessed to have feelings for one another, Rachael calling him ‘the love of her life,’ but James shared that though very hard, he ended things to give her time to put in the work of unlearning her past racial behavior. 

He told temporary show host Emmanuel Acho: ‘As Rachael acknowledged in her apology, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. I have to take a step back and allow her to put in that work — and I’m looking forward to seeing her put in that work.’

Despite being now beard-free with a slew of ladies who would jump at the chance to date him, he told the Bill Simmons podcast two weeks ago: ‘I’m not going to be dating. I’m solely focused on getting back to that meaningful work in the community and centering myself around projects that are going to elevate all the work I’ve been doing…things that I appreciate outside reality television.’

Single life: Despite being now beard-free with a slew of ladies who would jump at the chance to date him, he told the Bill Simmons podcast two weeks ago: 'I'm not going to be dating'; pictured 2019

Single life: Despite being now beard-free with a slew of ladies who would jump at the chance to date him, he told the Bill Simmons podcast two weeks ago: ‘I’m not going to be dating’; pictured 2019