Jesse Palmer Breaks Silence on Mel Owens’ Ageist Comments: ‘I’ve Seen the Headlines’

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The new season of “Bachelor in Paradise” is almost here, set to air soon according to the 2025 TV lineup, and “The Bachelor” has been renewed for an impressive 30th season in 2026. Despite the anticipation, Bachelor Nation is once again embroiled in trouble. A month following the controversial podcast remarks by Mel Owens from “The Golden Bachelor” Season 2, both Jesse Palmer and Gerry Turner, the lead of Season 1, have spoken up about the issue.

Jesse Palmer Responds To Mel Owens Saying He’s ‘Cutting’ Any Woman Over 60

In a recent podcast discussion in June, ABC’s Golden Bachelor Mel Owens (shown above) has faced criticism for his comments. During the conversation, he expressed a preference for dating women aged 45 to 60 and mentioned that he would swiftly eliminate any females outside this age group. He further requested the producers to avoid contestants with artificial hips or wigs. Following this, the host of The Bachelor franchise, Jesse Palmer, spoke up on the matter in an interview with US Weekly.

I’ve caught the news headlines since I’m active on social media, but I haven’t listened to his podcast yet. As for our TV series ‘Golden,’ we haven’t begun filming it just yet, so my interactions with Mel have been limited. However, the brief time we’ve spent together gives me a positive impression of him. Soon, though, I expect to get to know him better and, undoubtedly, discuss more about that experience.

Jesse Palmer kept his comments about The Golden Bachelor rather tactful, hinting that he may address the topic with Mel Owens when filming begins, which suggests, according to what Palmer understands, that ABC is probably progressing with NFL star-turned-lawyer as their main lead.

There’s been some disagreement about the news since the podcast comments became popular, suggesting that “The Golden Bachelor” might be changing its main character for Season 2. Reality Steve claimed on X that he heard Mel Owens was no longer part of the show and an official announcement would follow soon. However, this story was contradicted by The Sun, who reported that ABC is still keeping Mel Owens. During his July 4 podcast, Reality Steve partially retracted his earlier statement but continued to say that nothing has been finalized yet, explaining it’s not a certainty.

The circumstances remain uncertain, and a final choice hasn’t been completely confirmed yet. There’s a chance Mel could become The Golden Bachelor, and there’s also a possibility they might reconsider and choose someone else for the role.

Meanwhile, as we anticipate updates from ABC, another significant figure within Bachelor Nation shared their perspective on the matter.

Former Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner Weighs In On Mel Owens Controversy

As a devoted cinema enthusiast, I’m not new to the buzz surrounding the unprecedented winner of the Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner. However, his path hasn’t been without its fair share of turbulence; many in ‘Bachelor Nation’ found themselves at odds with him following the brief dissolution of his marriage to Theresa Nist, which lasted only three months. Despite being able to understand his predicament from a compassionate perspective, even Turner himself is said to have found Mel Owens’ remarks unsavory.

According to Gerry Turner’s account, he claimed that Mel Owens might be making a mistake by limiting his dating pool to only women of certain ages. He mentioned that during discussions with producers, he suggested 65 as the youngest age for a woman in his age range, but they advised him to consider dating women as young as 60 instead.

Absolutely, persuading Gerry Turner to date younger women isn’t the same as convincing Mel Owens to date older people. However, Turner argues that factors like age and replacement hips should not be significant — he mentioned a pickleball buddy of his with an artificial hip who consistently outperforms him on the court.

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It’s intriguing to find out whether “The Golden Bachelor” tackles this predicament and if Mel Owens remains the leader for Season 2. For now, fans can look forward to seeing some beloved alumni from “The Golden Bachelor” on “Bachelor in Paradise” Season 10. This new season starts at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 7, on ABC and is also available to stream with a Hulu subscription.

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2025-07-04 22:37