Moving on! While Lauren Bushnell rose to fame after competing on The Bachelor, she has since chosen to take a step back from the reality TV spotlight.
“I wouldn’t say I don’t associate with [The Bachelor],” the Oregon native, 31, wrote during an Instagram Story Q&A on Thursday, January 13, after a social media follower asked about her status within the franchise. “It’s just not relevant in my life currently. I wasn’t an avid viewer before I went on and I’m not now, so nothing has really changed there.”
She continued in her post: “I never got asked to remain a part of the franchise in any capacity, so it wasn’t necessarily me choosing it, just was a mutual moving on, I guess?”
The former flight attendant competed on Ben Higgins’ 20th season of the ABC dating show in 2016, eventually earning the final rose and a Neil Lane engagement ring. However, after less than two years together, the pair called it quits.
While Higgins, 32, found love with Jessica Clarke — whom he wed in November 2021 — his former fiancée sparked a romance with musician Chris Lane. The couple wed in October 2019 before welcoming son Dutton in June 2021.
“I am very happy I did the show — it’s blessed me beyond belief and I met my husband through an event I would have never been at had I not done the show, so overall, I’m extremely grateful for the experience but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have it’s hardships and challenges too,” the lifestyle blogger added in her social media message on Thursday.
Bushnell has previously been candid about taking a break from Bachelor Nation, noting that she might let Dutton, now 7 months, watch footage from her reality TV experience in the future.
“We don’t really watch it a ton, although we did watch last night’s episode of The Bachelorette,” the Famous in Love alum exclusively dished to Us Weekly in November 2021. “I feel like I’ll let him watch it when he’s age-appropriate, if he wants to.”
At the time, she noted that she and the “Big, Big Plans” crooner, 37, want to limit their little one’s screen time. “One of my friends said the other day: ‘Screen time is me time.’ So I’ll probably do some,” she explained. “But Chris and I … grew up, like, playing outside with friends, and I want to make sure that he gets outside, uses his imagination and isn’t glued in front of the screen. I think it will be a balance for sure.”