Bachelor Nation
‘Golden Bachelor’: What Did Mel Owens Say on That Podcast? Breaking Down the Controversy
Episode 3 of The Golden Bachelor Season 2 will feature Mel Owens getting roasted by the ladies at a comedy show. While promoting the season, the former NFL star has been teasing the roast and promised that the women don’t hold back when it comes to holding him accountable for the controversial comments he made on a podcast in June.
Mel recorded the MGoBlue podcast episode before filming the dating show, and what he said went viral before night one of filming, which meant the ladies got to hear all about it before meeting the leading man. Scroll down for a refresher on the controversy and to find out exactly what Mel said.
What did Mel Owens say on the podcast?
Mel, who is 66, was asked about his preferences in a partner and revealed that he told producers he wanted to date women on the show who were between the ages of 45 and 60. “Just being honest, right?” he added. “And then the process went, and I was selected. Then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, ‘If they’re over 60, I’m cutting them.’ [They said], ‘Oh, no, this is not The Silver Bachelor, this is The Golden Bachelor, but they’re going to be hot, don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it.’ He goes, ‘You can’t use the word cut,’ I go, ‘That’s an NFL term.'”
He also commented on potential cast members’ physical appearances. “I told [producers], ‘Try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs, that kind of stuff,” he said. For the record, the women who were cast on Mel’s season range in ages from 58 to 77.
Did Mel Owens apologize?
Mel addressed the podcast ahead of the first rose ceremony. While giving his night one toast, he told the women, “Every one of you ladies is wonderful, and some of the questions were about the podcast that I did. I sincerely apologize,” he said. “It was insensitive, unfair. It’s truly a privilege for me to be the Golden Bachelor, and I hope you forgive me and let me earn it back. Age is really just a number, and spirit has no age.”
He also apologized to the women who had asked him about it directly. To Diane, a hockey player who asked him “what the puck” that interview was about, he replied, ““I sincerely apologize. It was unfair, unkind. Will you give me a second chance and let me earn it back?”
When 71-year-old Terri told Mel, “I bet you weren’t expecting all these women over 60 to look this hot, right?” he responded, “Correct. I’m so wrong and so apologetic.”
He reiterated in a confessional, “Age doesn’t matter. When they walk out, I’m not thinking age. I’m looking at feelings for connections. It’s the chemistry. I hope these women don’t judge me on what they heard, but they probably do.”
A couple of weeks into filming, Mel also spoke to Glamour for an interview that was published in August, weeks before the show aired. “My reference of dating was 39, 40 years old. I hadn’t dated in 26, 27 years,” Mel explained, referring to the time before he met his ex-wife, whom he was married to from 2002 until their separation in 2020.
It wasn’t until he had a conversation with his 65-year-old female friend that he realized how wrong his comments were. “She goes, ‘Come on, that’s insensitive.’ I told her, I said it because of my frame of reference,’ which I now know was incorrect,” Mel continued.
Mel was asked about why he went on The Golden Bachelor if he wanted to date younger women. “I didn’t know anything about The Golden Bachelor ages. I didn’t,” he claimed. “I had watched the first show when I was younger, when it first launched or something in 2002, until my son was born. But then when he was born, I didn’t watch it anymore. So when these people talk about, ‘Hey, this season and that season,’ 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. I didn’t know.”
He also clarified that he doesn’t care if the person he’s dating has “artificial hips” or knees.
The Golden Bachelor, Season 2, Wednesdays, 9/8c, ABC
