Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s April Fools' pregnancy prank blasted as 'cruel' to people with infertility issues
Bachelor star Arie Luyendyk Jr. is facing more backlash — and this time, it’s not because of a painfully awkward breakup.
The reality star, who famously broke up with his fiancée, Becca Kufrin, as cameras rolled so he could reunite with and eventually propose to runner-up Lauren Burnham, is being slammed for an April Fools’ prank that many have considered to be in bad taste.
Luyendyk Jr. posted a photo of a pregnant woman’s stomach — believed to be Burnham’s — and a note saying the couple had a “bunny in the oven.”
Secrets finally out, we have a bunny in the oven! @laurenburnham91 pic.twitter.com/Mmx50ePDaB
— Arie Luyendyk Jr. (@ariejr) April 1, 2018
Soon afterward, however, he said it was just an April Fools’ joke.
APRIL FOOLS!
— Arie Luyendyk Jr. (@ariejr) April 1, 2018
But few fans are laughing, judging by comments posted by followers who said that faking a pregnancy was “selfish” in light of the struggles many people face to conceive.
Love you guys but hopefully this isn’t a joke. A lot of people struggle with getting pregnant or loosing babies and that would be F’ed up and selfish. Just an odd day to share it is all. Hopefully a congrats will be in order.
— GINA (@GinaMara) April 1, 2018
come on. be better than that. it's not a joke for many struggling families to get pregnant, it's extremely expensive and it's heartbreaking. I wish nothing but the best for Arie and Lauren but this is not funny, it's cruel
— Katie (@kedixo) April 1, 2018
1 in 8 women struggle infertility. I really and truly hope that if this is a joke, when you do try to conceive you aren’t met with the harsh reality that so many face.
— Heather Lang (@heather_flang) April 1, 2018
This just in: If Arie and Lauren weren’t already the most hated couple in bachelor history, they certainly are now! Come on dude, do you live under a rock?! pic.twitter.com/uanOHKdTKU
— Lindsay Jo Ann (@LindsayB33) April 1, 2018
Arie, this isn’t funny. There are people who are struggling to get pregnant, and don’t have kids because of complicated pregnancies.
— julia (@juliaasohoski) April 1, 2018
Shame on y’all for this. So many women are trying everything they can to conceive and then you joke about this? It’s just really in poor taste.. A “we eloped” photo would have been much more appropriate.
— Ariel Amedee (@arielamedee) April 1, 2018
I was never able to have children due to infertility and a miscarriage. Pregnancy isn't something to joke about.
— Elizabeth Austen (@Beth_Creative) April 1, 2018
While the response to the prank was overwhelmingly negative, some fans — including a few who shared their own experiences with infertility — accused critics of being overly sensitive.
But the reason for the backlash may best be summed up by this ABC News article on why pregnancy jokes should be off-limits.
“I’ve known people for a long time who joke that they’re pregnant and this year it hit me that it does hurt,” Chelsey Kimmel, whose social media post slamming this type of prank went viral, told the outlet. “I struggle with real posts of people I know and love when they really are pregnant, but when people make a joke [about it], women like me, who want more than anything in the world to be pregnant… it just really hits home. It can hurt.”
Ironically a story from ABC news. Guess @ariejr didn't get the memo from his ABC producers
— Cayce (@caycelee09) April 1, 2018
Luyendyk Jr. has so far only issued one comment about the backlash, explaining that he and Burnham were making a “Dutch baby” — a puffed pancake confection.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
This mom is donating her embryos to Ohio families who have lost theirs
Woman’s photo shoot celebrates freezing her eggs — by posing with edible ones
This 100-year-old fertility technique can boost your chances of getting pregnant
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