Lauren B. would like to be excluded from this rewatch. Lauren Bushnell confirmed that she didn’t tune into her ex-fiancé Ben Higgins’ episode of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! on Monday, June 22.
“Woah! So many questions about why I’m not promoting the seasons of the bachelor re-airing of if I’m watching,” the 30-year-old former flight attendant began in a message to her followers on Monday via Instagram. “Chris and I won’t be watching but it sounds like a fun walk down memory lane! I’m very thankful for the show and the experience. Have nothing but respect for everyone I shared that chapter with including the producers, Ben, and all the lifelong friendships I made.”
Bushnell and Higgins, 31, got engaged during the March 2016 finale of season 20. They announced their decision to call it quits in May 2017.
“I know with all my heart that it lead me to where I am today,” Bushnell wrote on Monday, referring to husband Chris Lane. “I’m not sure I would have met my husband had I not put myself out there and gone on the show. I’m a better person for it — but that chapter doesn’t define who I am and it never did! Thanks for all the love and support always.”
The Portland, Oregon, native then acknowledged why she doesn’t “always talk” about her time on in the Bachelor franchise.
“I’d rather let others do all the talking, but that’s not because I didn’t enjoy the experience,” she wrote. “I’ve just moved on and am incredibly happy now.”
Bushnell and Lane, 35, wed in October 2019. Higgins, for his part, got engaged to girlfriend Jessica Clarke earlier this year. Days before his episode of The Bachelor: GOAT aired, the “Almost Famous” podcast host told Us Weekly that he didn’t keep in touch with his ex-fiancée.
“We haven’t talked [about the show re-airing]. She’s married. I’m happy for her, and she found her partner,” Higgins told Us. “I mean, if she reached out saying, ‘Hey, how are you going to handle this? This is what’s sensitive to me …’ I would love to take that call from her, but I don’t think I’m needed in this moment for her.”
During a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Higgins added that he and Bushnell were “looking for an out” to end their relationship.
“I don’t think we wanted to make it work, because I think internally we knew just how unhealthy it probably was to continue to go on. We were just looking for an out, but trying our best to make it last as long as we could to see if maybe we found the secret sauce,” he said. “At some point, we never did.”
The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
