Is Chad Johnson Dating Robby Hayes' Ex?

If you thought living in a house with 25 guys sounded a little too close for comfort, you’re going to want to brace yourselves for some seriously claustrophobic dating news. On Monday, Chad Johnson from The Bachelorette posted pictures of Chad kissing with Hope Higginbotham. (In case you’re hearing that name for the first time, Hope Higginbotham is the girl fellow contestant, Robby Hayes, allegedly broke up with to be on The Bachelorette, though he has denied doing so in promos for the show.) Bustle has reached out to Chad and Hope for comment, but has yet to hear back. But one thing is for sure: with this post, Chad is adding to the list of things that the guys in the house definitely do not like about him. Not to mention breaking guy code.

But let’s back up for a minute, because this news of Robby Hayes allegedly having a girlfriend before The Bachelorette started filming might be news to some of you. So here’s the deal: Reality Steve alleged before the JoJo’s season began that Robby Hayes had been in a long-term relationship just weeks before leaving his hometown of Florida in order to vie for her heart. None of these rumors have been confirmed by either party involved — with Robby denying the allegations — but there are some clues on social media that suggest that the two were at least pretty close until recently.

For example, there's Hope Higginbotham’s profile picture on Twitter, which appears to be an intimate candid with a man who looks like Robby Hayes. Dashing men in profile sometimes all look the same to me, though. Of course, it’s possible that Higginbotham isn’t as active on social media and has simply forgotten to change the picture since the breakup. As I said, neither party has confirmed that their relationship is in any way recent.

Regardless of whether or not Robby Hayes and Hope Higginbotham were or were not dating in the weeks leading up to The Bachelorette filming, the fact of the matter is that the two definitely did date once, and now Chad, the guy everyone loves to hate, is breaking guy code in a major way by making out with his fellow contestant’s ex-girlfriend, even if it's only for an Instagram photo.

Not that it’s entirely surprising. Since the show aired, Chad has done a number of things to mess with the other guys in the house, both on and off the show. In addition to threatening violence and making fun of the other guys on a number of occasions, he also purchased the domain names of each of the remaining contestants's names and had them rerouted to his Instagram account. As much of a prank as that may seem like, coupled with the acts of violence and the pictures of him making out with Higginbotham on Instagram, I think we can all agree that Chad isn't exactly beloved by the Bachelor Nation.

Let’s all just brace ourselves for the next questionable prank, because there’s no telling where Chad will strike next.

Image: ABC/Rick Rowell