Ex-Bachelor Ben Flajnik Says Producers Asked Him to 'Stop' Hanging Out with Kris Jenner

At least one of Ben Flajnik's Hollywood connections did not sit well with ABC, the former Bachelor leading man claims.

Flajnik, 40, told the She's All Bach podcast on that Thursday that he was asked to stop spending time with Kris Jenner ahead of his season headlining the dating show in 2012.

According to the vintner, his appearance on Jenner's talk show at the time led to a wine night at Jenner's home, which in turn led to affair rumors when photos of the pair surfaced. (The Kardashians matriarch, now 67, was married to Caitlyn Jenner at the time.)

Bachelor producers got involved, with Flajnik recalling, "[They] called me up and were like, 'What are you doing? Stop.'"

He added, "I was like, 'What? She's really nice!'"

RELATED: Ben Flajnik: Why I Drove Kris Jenner's Bentley (Not What You May Think)

Ben Flajnik/instagram, Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

Flajnik continued to have a friendship with the Kardashian family. "They kept inviting me to things and I'm a friendly guy. We just — they'd come up here. Kayne [West] played a show in Oakland. My buddy and I were just, like, on the stage with Kanye. The normal things that one would do."

He added, "They were very gracious and very nice to me, so I have nothing but kind things to say about that family."

When asked if Flajnik still has Jenner's phone number, he confirmed he does.

RELATED: Bachelor Ben Flajnik Explains Why He Turned Down Jennifer Love Hewitt

Instagram

The former Bachelor also dished on his pre-show dating life on the podcast, confirming long-standing speculation that he casually dated Jennifer Love Hewitt after appearing on Ashley Hebert's season of The Bachelorette.

In fact, according to Flajnik, the I Know What You Did Last Summer star went so far as to ask him not to become the Bachelor.

"I was like, 'Well, there's not much I can do here now,'" he said. "We're dating for a couple weeks — I wasn't going to not do The Bachelor."

Flajnik also said Hewitt, now 43, didn't consider joining the show to win his heart.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Flajnik was engaged to Courtney Robinson on his season of The Bachelor. The pair called it quits for good less than a year later — though they briefly rekindled their romance after a broken engagement.