"The Bachelor" alum Ben Higgins recently made headlines when he announced his interest in the Colorado Government office. Now, he has withdrawn his candidacy amid rumors that ABC is the reason that he changed his mind.
It was only last Wednesday when Ben Higgins announced that he is running for office in the Denver state House district, according to People. However, on Friday he regretfully announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy. Thus, he will no longer be going head to head against Democratic Rep. Dan Pabon.
"Despite my best efforts to pursue this opportunity in good faith, I recently received information that has made such a pursuit unworkable," Higgins also said in the statement.
He cited "unforeseen circumstances" as the reason and stated nothing else in particular. Following the Friday announcement of the 28-year-old star, talks have surfaced that Disney that owns "The Bachelor" home network ABC, may be behind his withdrawal from the House District 4 candidacy.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Disney may have played a huge role in Higgins' most recent decision. Moreover, an insider has reportedly said that the company gave the star an ultimatum.
Disney allegedly asked Higgins to choose between keeping his career with the Bachelor family in the succeeding years or pursue the Republican office. In other words, if Higgins chose to continue his candidacy he will be forfeiting his involvement with "The Bachelor" franchise.
His choice was obvious. Thus, his upcoming projects will push through, including the upcoming reality show with fiancé Lauren Bushnell. "Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After" is set to begin in October in Freeform, a Disney/ABC-controlled network.
The star also has his own spinoff, a wedding special for him and Bushnell and an episode of "Celebrity Family Feud." The handsome "The Bachelor" alum would likely suffer a substantial financial loss if he loses these engagements. Thus, withdrawing his candidacy seemed like the best financial move.
Needless to say that there was no announcement officially made when he filed his application to run for the government position. Instead, Higgins had a website made for fans to render their support for his supposed campaign.
The talks surrounding Disney as the reason that Higgins is not running for office anymore has yet to be confirmed. What is certain is that Ben Higgins is rather continuing his celebrity status.