Chad Johnson set to appear on Ben Higgins, Lauren Bushnell spinoff show
The Bachelor isn't quite finished with Chad Johnson.
The Bachelorette villain and exiled Bachelor in Paradise star will appear on Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?, a show rep confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Happily Ever After? will chronicle post-show life for Bachelor couple Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell when it premieres Oct. 11 on Freeform. Details about Chad's appearance remain under wraps, as the spinoff series is currently in production.
After making his debut on ABC's most recent cycle of The Bachelorette with Joelle "JoJo" Fletcher, Chad quickly earned "villain" status by threatening his fellow housemates with acts of violence and was eliminated. The franchise brought him back, along with other castoffs and fan favorites, for Bachelor in Paradise, which is currently airing its third season.
He squandered the second chance, however, by getting intoxicated and launching offensive tirades, again, at his castmembers, as well as at host Chris Harrison. Chad lasted one episode and was kicked off the show, by Chris, on the premiere.
See photos of Ben and Lauren together:
Read more: Chris Harrison Explains Why He Isn't Hosting 'After Paradise'
The polarizing castmember became a viral topic on social media during his run, and his episodes saw results in the ratings department. ABC heavily teased Chad's return on Bachelor in Paradise throughout The Bachelorette — including giving him the floor during the Men Tell All reunion special. The first episode saw a 30 percent jump from the prior season premiere.
Freeform, sister network to ABC, announced Ben and Lauren's series — the first Bachelor couple spinoff — with promises of appearances by franchise fan favorites. Chad is the first guest to be confirmed.
See photos of Chad Johnson:
When previously speaking to THR about their return to reality TV, Ben and Lauren categorized Happily Ever After? as a docuseries that will follow the newly engaged pair exploring wedding planning and cohabitation in Ben's hometown in Colorado. They planned to show Ben's political interests, but the Denver native has since dropped his plans to run for a seat in the Colorado House of Representatives.
At the time, they said they hadn't yet watched JoJo's season of The Bachelorette (JoJo was the runner-up from Ben's season of The Bachelor), but Lauren admitted that talk of the infamous Chad was luring her back in. "Now I definitely want to get caught up — I keep hearing so much about this Chad guy," she said.
Happily Ever After? is being produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television with Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss, Martin Hilton and Jason Ehrlich as the executive producers.
The series is the fourth spinoff for the long-running Bachelor franchise, including ABC's The Bachelorette, Bachelor Pad and Bachelor in Paradise. The network also debuted two one-hour aftershows, Bachelor Live, hosted by Harrison, and After Paradise.
In its second season, After Paradise is no longer hosted by Harrison. In his place is past Bachelor Sean Lowe and franchise superfan Michelle Collins, formerly of The View.
Read more: 'The Bachelor's' Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell: Why We're Returning to Reality TV
RELATED: Why Ben Higgins isn't running for office:
