Matt’s family history weighs heavy on his mind when making a final decision on the show. “There’s still a lot of fear based on what I’ve seen in my family in the past,” Matt said in a voiceover, as you see him sit down with his father, Manny, last episode. “When I needed you, you weren’t there,” Matt says, as his dad responds, “Do you know what I went through with your mom?” Enter Patty who, in a separate sit-down with Matt, says, “Feelings come and go. You know, people falling in love is not the end-all, be-all.” And then there are clips of pretty much everyone on the show—Matt included—crying. So…yeah. But who is Patty, exactly? Here’s what you need to know about Matt James’ mom Patty.
Patty is super close with Matt
Matt told Wake Forest Magazinethat his mom always supported him in what he wanted to do. He also said he decided to go to college at Wake Forest so that he would be close to home—and so that his mom could see his games. Matt’s mom also shows up in some of his Instagram posts, like this one of the two of them eating chicken sandwiches: This one of them by the Statue of Liberty: And this sweet birthday shoutout:
She works in sales
Patty is a sales consultant at Fendol Farms, a 55+ active adult community in Durham, North Carolina. She’s held the job since 2018, according to her Facebook profile.
Patty is divorced from Matt’s father, Manny
Matt hasn’t shared an exact timeline of his parents’ divorce, but he has said that it happened when he was young. Matt suggested on The Tamron Hall Show in January that cheating led to his parents’ divorce. “There are 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,” he said. “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.” Matt also said that he went into the show “not wanting to perpetuate that behavior” that led to his parents’ divorce.
She struggled financially while Matt was growing up
Manny was “absent” while Matt and his brother John were growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to a 2019 article from Wake Forest Magazine. The magazine describes Patty as a “financially struggling single mom” when Matt was younger. “The community really rallied around us and made sure I had what I needed,” Matt said.
She’s religious
In the same Wake Forest Magazine article, Matt called his mom, “the most faithful person I’ve ever known. He pointed out that Patty raised him in the church, and inspired him to have faith, too. He also told Good Morning America in early January that his mom recommended that he pray a lot on his Bachelor journey. “I was raised in a Christian household, so a lot of what her advice was was just to be prayerful,” he said. “All she said is be prayerful about it and make sure that you’re doing the right things. Just a mom thing to say. I’m like, ‘Yes ma’am.’”
She’s been a mother and father to Matt and his brother John
Matt made it pretty clear on Father’s Day how it feels about his upbringing. “Happy Fathers Day Mom,” he wrote next to a photo of the two of them hugging by the Brooklyn Bridge. He also name-checked the Bible verse Psalms 68:5 which reads, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”
She’s inspiring
Matt said on Good Morning America in early January that he wants someone who has some of his mom’s personality traits. “Just someone who you can experience life together with. Someone who is trustworthy, someone who is themselves, someone who’s caring, honest, compassionate,” he said. “Everything that she sacrificed for myself and my brother to be in the position that we’re at, I want to be that for somebody else. And the way that she loved myself and John is how I want to love somebody and how I want to be loved.”
She needs to be the next Pandora jewelry spokesperson!
Patty shared several photos on Instagram of a Pandora bracelet that Matt got her for her birthday back in 2013. She also later thanked him for new Christmas charms.
She wants grandkids
Matt joked on The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Everthat Patty is ready to be a grandma. “I think that the grandkid counter for my mom started when that [Bachelor] announcement was made,” Matt said. “She wants a basketball team! I’ll have a minivan, that’s the max.” Next, see how Bachelor Nation reacted to Matt James’ beard!
