Ben Higgins Admits He ‘Felt Weird’ About Now-Viral Photo With Ex Lauren Bushnell and Chris Lane

Ben Higgins isn’t fond of a resurfaced photo of himself with then-fiancée Lauren Bushnell and her now-husband, Chris Lane, which has gone viral. iHeartMedia Chief Programming Officer, Tom Poleman, celebrated the iHeartRadioCountry Festival on May 5, by posting a throwback photo with the love triangle trio.

“I thought it put Chris and Lauren in a very awkward situation,” Ben, 35, told his “Almost Famous” podcast cohost Ashley Iaconetti during the Wednesday, May 8, episode. “These pictures, I thought, would feel weird to them. As a result, I felt weird about that. I also just felt weird that there [were] pictures of Lauren and I together again. I haven’t seen a picture of Lauren I posted in a long time.”

Tom’s post in question included ​then-and-now photos of Lauren, 34, and Chris, 39, who got married in 2019. The first photo was a backstage photo at the 2016 iHeartCountry Festival of Tom chatting with then-engaged Ben and Lauren, with Chris was spotted in the background. Ben proposed to the Oregon native earlier that year during the season 20 finale of The Bachelor. They called it quits one year later. ​

The next picture captured a moment at the 2024 festival where Lauren and Tom chatted as Chris smiled beside them. However, the following photos from 2016 really had people in shock, as Chris stood in between Ben and Lauren during a group photo.

Although the former Bachelor may have felt like the post put his ex and the “Find Another Bar” artist in an uncomfortable spot, it seems like that’s far from the truth.

Shortly after Tom posted the photos, Chris uploaded them on his ​own Instagram account while celebrating his relationship with Lauren.

“The year was 2016 … just had my first song on the radio..I was playing the @iheartcountry festival in Austin Texas … i didn’t know it at the time but @tompoleman introduced me to my future wife that night,” Chris captioned the post. “4 years after meeting / this photo we were dating and then engaged. Yesterday-8 years later I played the festival for my second time and we got to reminisce on that night and I got to personally Thank Tom for that introduction on April 30, 2016 – by the way who let me wear my hair that high.”

The snapshots came across the Bachelor Nation star’s Instagram feed and he sent his well wishes to the happy couple.

“I had big big plans for the two of you,” Ben wrote, referencing to Chris’ hit song about Lauren. “Life works out exactly as it should my man.”

While Chris has yet to respond to Ben’s comment, former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe replied with laughing emojis.