Arie Luyendyk Jr. criticized for April Fool's Day pregnancy joke

April 2 (UPI) -- Arie Luyendyk, Jr., drew criticism for a pregnancy joke on April Fool's Day.

The 36-year-old television personality faced backlash on Twitter after falsely announcing that fiancée Lauren Burnham is expecting their first child.

Luyendyk posted a photo Sunday morning of Burnham appearing to show off a baby bump. He said in the caption that the 26-year-old reality star is pregnant.

"Secrets finally out, we have a bunny in the oven! @laurenburnham91," the star wrote.

Luyendyk followed up 90 minutes later by tweeting the announcement was an April Fool's Day joke.

"APRIL FOOLS!" he wrote.

Fans responded by criticizing The Bachelor star on Twitter, with many saying the joke was offensive to women struggling with fertility issues.

"So distasteful. You thought the world was against you before. You just poured gas on that fire," one person wrote. "Hopefully you two don't have to struggle with this issue so many women face each day."

"I'm going to pretend you're actually this stupid. This isn't a joke. It's sick," another added. "They're acting like they're pregnant when they're not and there are millions of women struggling with their identity because they can't get pregnant or can't stay pregnant."

Luyendyk previously faced backlash after ending his engagement to Becca Kufrin on The Bachelor Season 22 finale. He proposed to Burnham on the After the Final Rose special, and has since helped the star move in with him.