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New Golden Bachelor Mel Owens speaks out about his controversial comments about not dating women over 60
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Owens previously shared that he hopes to find a partner who is between the ages of 45 and 60 and likes to “work out, stay fit, eat, have fun, be energetic and live life”
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The comments sparked an outcry from Bachelor Nation fans, including Chrishell Stause
New Golden Bachelor Mel Owens is addressing his controversial comments about the age range of women who will compete for his heart.
Two months after the retired NFL player-turned-lawyer, 66, said on the MGoBlue Podcast that his “preferences” for dating were between the ages of 45 and 60 (which caused a stir among Bachelor Nation fans), Owens is apologizing.
He told Glamour that he realized his comments — he also said he’d told an executive producer of the show, “If they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them” — were inappropriate after a 65-year-old longtime friend called him out.
“She said, ‘What you said was insensitive, and it’s just not who you are.’ My reference of dating was 39, 40 years old. I hadn’t dated in 26, 27 years. That’s what I told her,” he said. “She goes, ‘It doesn’t matter. You’ve said some things that are just incredibly wrong.’ And I go, ‘I’ve got to apologize.'”
He said that his controversial age range comments came not from a place of malice, but of his lack of understanding of how the show works.
“I didn’t know anything about the Golden Bachelor ages,” he admitted.
Disney/Maarten de Boer
Mel Owens, ABC’s “The Golden Bachelor” Season 2.
“I didn’t know the age range because I wasn’t watching it. I’m thinking, to me, the age range was 45 to 60. That’s my age range. I’m thinking that’s the gold years for me. My reference, again, was when I was dating at 39, 40. I hadn’t dated in 26 years, so I had no clue. And that’s why I said that comment.”
Owens also said he “didn’t know that [Gerry Turner] got married and then divorced” on the show’s first season. “I didn’t know any of it.”
When filming on his season started, Owens made sure to apologize to the women and take responsibility for his hurtful comments.
“I apologized to the women on the show. When I first walked in, I addressed it. I apologized to them. I said, ‘It was unfair, insensitive. I want to earn it back. Just give me the chance,'” he told the outlet.
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He also revealed that several of the contestants on his season have spoken to him directly about his comments. “During our one-on-ones, 12 or 15 of them said, ‘We appreciate the apology, and it meant a lot to us.'”
The women also got the chance to let their feelings be known during a date that included a comedy roast.
“One of the dates was a roast. It was brutal. They were killing me,” he said. “One said, ‘Oh, when Mel was walking with me, he was using me as a cane.’ And I’m from Detroit, right? One said, ‘Like a Detroit pizza, he’s doughy, squishy, square, and crusty.'”
“It was good because I earned that, and I took it and I deserved it, and it landed squarely on me. They were throwing haymakers. It was good.”
On the podcast episode, Owens also shared the type of women he hopes to find on the show’s sophomore season.
The reality star told host Jon Jansen he was looking for someone who is “fit because I’m staying in shape and work out and stuff.”
Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
Mel Owens at Hulu’s Get Real House held at Casa Lago on April 22, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
“And I told them, ‘Try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs, you know, that kind of stuff, right?’” he said on the June podcast episode.
Owens also hoped that his new leading lady would be a “lifetime learner,” who likes to “work out, stay fit, eat, have fun, be energetic and live life.”
Following the interview, there was outcry from fans about Owens’ comments.
Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause responded on her Instagram Stories on June 26, writing, “We love the Golden Bachelor because of how wholesome it is. This type of energy will ruin it,” per Parade.
“That kinda negates the ‘golden’ part. Sounds more like middle-aged bachelor,” one fan shared on X.
Another added, “It’s fine, but just because men think it, do they have to say it? It’s so cringe.”
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On April 22, ABC announced Mel Owens would be the new lead when the ABC series returns this fall, following in the footsteps of Gerry Turner, who served as the inaugural Golden Bachelor in 2023.
Following the announcement, Owens told host Jesse Palmer that he wants to find “someone that’s honest, charming, loving, fit. Someone full of life because it’s go time.”
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The Golden Bachelor is set to return this fall on ABC.
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