Ben Higgins Dating Ashley Iaconetti? ‘The Bachelor’ Alums Are Doing Something Even Better


Ben Higgins is a single man after ending his engagement to his Bachelor fiancée, Lauren Bushnell, but he already has another woman in his life. TMZ posted photos of Ben Higgins and Bachelor franchise alum Ashley Iaconetti out on a date at a Bryan Adams concert in Los Angeles just days after he announced his split from Lauren.

But before fans get the idea that Ben is rebounding into Ashley’s arms, it should be noted that the two reality stars have been hanging out together to promote their new podcast Ben and Ashley: Almost Famous. Iaconetti even addressed the dating rumors, telling Us Weekly her relationship with Higgins is 100 percent platonic.

“Totally just friends!” Ashley said of her relationship with Ben.

“We went with our podcast manager at iHeart and other friends.”

Last week, Ben and Lauren announced their split in a joint statement, but they gave no details on why they decided to part ways. Now, in a preview of his upcoming podcast, Ben tells listeners that the “joy” in the couple’s relationship had started to “slip away.”

In another sneak peek at the podcast, People magazine reveals that Higgins and Iaconetti will spend a good portion of their premiere podcast talking about the messy aftermath of his relationship with Bushnell.

“I’m looking at Ben’s phone right now and there’s a picture of what his family room looks like right now after Lauren moved all her stuff out,” Iaconetti tells listeners.

“And because it’s technically her furniture, she basically took it all except for one mirror on the wall. It just screams heartbroken.”

Higgins added that he feels a bit empty in his now-empty Denver home.

“My house and I are feeling very similar: sad, mourning, a little empty,” Higgins says.

“And so I feel like this is a bonding time for my house and I. In all seriousness, it’s really sad. But, I do have my whiskey cart left.”

Higgins reveals that while most of the furniture in the house is gone, he still has a TV, an uncomfortable wicker chair, and the bed he purchased when he was in college. If that doesn’t sound all that cozy, Ben says life, in general, is “not comfortable” for him right now. Higgins also rejects his co-star’s idea that he should get a dog to keep him company.

“I don’t need anything else right now,” Ben says.

“Right now, commitments and I are staying far apart.”

With his new podcast set to debut, some fans wonder if Ben Higgins went on The Bachelor for the “right reasons.” The reality star, who was initially rejected by Kaitlyn Bristowe on The Bachelorette, went on to star on The Bachelor. When his name began floating around for Dancing With the Stars last year, Higgins said in a press call that he planned to focus on his life with Lauren instead of worrying about reality TV offers.

“My focus is not on what’s next. It’s on Lauren and I,” Ben said at the time, as per to Variety.

“Right now, a lot of those requests come down through the ABC pipeline so, I don’t want to call it offers, but just people asking if I’m interested comes down from a group that is separate that me. “

Ben Higgins didn’t sign on to compete on DWTS, but he did spin off his leading man role on the ABC dating show with his own a Freeform reality show, Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After as well as some ABC/Disney-related hosting gigs. Now that he is capping off his breakup with a podcast, some fans wonder if Ben was just looking for fame the whole time.

Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti’s Ben and Ashley: Almost Famous podcast premieres on the HeartRadio app on Tuesday, May 23.

[Featured Image by John Lamparski/Getty Images]

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