'Golden Bachelor' Mel Owens breaks silence on 'insensitive' age cutoff controversy

USA Today

5 days ago

The incoming "Golden Bachelor" Mel Owens is speaking out about the controversy surrounding his cutoff age comments.
In June, the NFL veteran-turned-lawyer and father sparked backlash when he revealed he would eliminate any of the dating show's female contestants aged 60 or over – even if they were there for the right reasons. But Owens, 66, clarified his comments and apologized to Bachelor Nation fans in a Glamour magazine interview published Friday, Aug. 1.
Owens – who admitted that he now knows his belief "was incorrect" – told the outlet that "my friend called me from Michigan. She's 65, and I went to school with her, and she's an attorney and a hot shot for the Big Ten in administration," adding that he "didn't know she's also a big fan" of "The Bachelor."
The new 'Golden Bachelor' Mel Owens says he will 'cut' any woman older than 60
"She said to me, 'Mel…no. What are you doing?' She goes, 'I'm reading all about it.' I didn't know that it hit that hard. She goes, 'You've got to right the wrong.' So I listened to her," Owens told Glamour. "That's how I found out, basically."
He is set to star on Season 2 of the ABC reality TV dating franchise's male edition for older contestants, succeeding the inaugural lead Gerry Turner, who also sparked backlash for offscreen behavior.
When asked by Glamour why he decided to go on a show called "The Golden Bachelor" if he didn't want to date women over 60, Owens said it was "because I didn't know anything about 'The Golden Bachelor' ages."
"I'm thinking, to me, the age range was 45 to 60," the ex-linebacker told Glamour. "That's my age range. I'm thinking that's the gold years for me." Despite this, Owens said he "apologized to the women on the show."
"When I first walked in, I addressed it. I apologized to them," Owens added. "I said, 'It was unfair, insensitive. I want to earn it back. Just give me the chance.' And hopefully, these last two weeks I earned some of that back." Owens also said that his season's contestants' ages are "60, 65, maybe 70," and they gave him a hard time about his comments.
Why Mel Owens' age cutoff comments garnered backlash
Owens first stirred fan outrage in a June 4 interview on the "In The Trenches" podcast, hosted by Jon Jansen for the University of Michigan Athletics (where Owens attended college).
"It's blind up until they get out of the limo. But they asked me, 'What's your preferences?' So, I just said 45 to 60, just being honest," Owens shared.
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Who is the new 'Golden Bachelor'? Meet Mel Owens, the Season 2 leading man
"And then the process went, and I was selected, right? And then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, 'you know, if they're 60 or over, I'm cutting them,'" Owens said. "Oh Mel, you can't, you know, this is not the 'Silver Bachelor.' It's the 'Golden Bachelor.'" Owens said the executive producer told him not to "worry about it" and the women were still "going to be hot."
The former NFL first round draft pick also garnered controversy for other comments: "Well, I don't think they're (there are) going to be artificial hips or wigs there, right?" he asked on the same podcast. "Because I know there's amazing women out there."
When does the 'Golden Bachelor' 2025 season air?
Season 2 of "The Golden Bachelor" premieres Wednesday, Sept. 24. Originally a Michigan native, the Los Angeles Rams alum now lives in Orange County, California, and works at a local law firm.
Contributing: Amaris Encinas