Disney pressured a star of the popular “The Bachelor” reality show to drop out of a Colorado House race, less than a week after he filed to run.
The company, which owns TV network ABC, told Ben Higgins, a Denver Republican, that if he stayed in the race for House District 4 he would be forced to leave behind his career as part of the reality TV show’s network, according to the Colorado Republican Party.
The Bachelor Season 20 heartthrob and fiance Lauren Bushnell would lose their upcoming show, “Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After,” set to premiere in October on Freeform, formerly called ABC Family and part of Disney’s empire. The couple got engaged at the end of the season.
“Disney and ABC’s decision to reportedly threaten Ben Higgins’ future with the network and even his wedding if he did not drop out of the HD 4 race is downright despicable,” said Colorado GOP Chairman Steve House on Sunday.
“It is hard to imagine ABC would have delivered a similar ultimatum to Ben if he were a Democrat, and that is shameful.”
But a representative from Freeform denied the company threatened Higgins.
“These assertions are categorically and patently untrue. Freeform simply shared with Mr. Higgins its concern that broadcasting and promoting a show featuring a campaign for Colorado state office could raise significant compliance issues under Colorado election laws,” a Freeform spokesman wrote Monday.
Higgins dropped out on Friday, less than a week after filing his papers with the Colorado House to run as a Republican for the District 4 seat.
“Ben and our team are incredibly disappointed,” Higgins’ former campaign manager Dustin Olson said.
