'Golden Bachelor' star Mel Owens walks back controversial comments on dating women over 60
“The Golden Bachelor” star Mel Owens is addressing his questionable comments about dating women over 60 ahead of the show’s premiere.
Owens sparked controversy in June when he appeared on the “in the Trenches” podcast, explaining that he told producers he was only interested in dating women between the ages of 45 and 60.
"[Producers] asked me, 'What's your preferences?' So I just said, '45 to 60,' just being honest," Owens said at the time. "The process ended and I was selected, and then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, 'If they're 60 or over, I'm cutting them.' [They said], 'Oh no, you can't. This is not The Silver Bachelor, it's The Golden Bachelor.' He goes, 'But they're gonna be hot, don't worry about it.'"
He added later that he told producers the Golden bachelorettes "gotta be fit, because I stay in shape, I work out and stuff. And I told [producers], 'Try and stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs,' that kind of stuff."
Owens’ comments didn’t go over very well, and he’s saying he realized the negative implications in what he said.
The 66-year-old told Glamour a friend called him out on the comments.
"She said, 'What you said was insensitive, and it's just not who you are,'" he told the outlet. "My reference of dating was 39, 40 years old. I hadn't dated in 26, 27 years. That's what I told her. She goes, 'It doesn't matter. You've said some things that are just incredibly wrong.' And I go, 'I've got to apologize.'"
Owens claims he “didn’t know anything” about “The Golden Bachelor” and hadn’t seen the original “Bachelor” since it’s premiere in 2002.
"I'm thinking, to me, the age range was 45 to 60," he said, "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 addressed his mention of not wanting to date anyone with a hip replacement, saying it was "part of the reference of age."
"I'm an attorney," he said. "I represent athletes with injuries, and most of them are football, hockey a lot of them have artificial so I know that people have them."
Owens revealed he apologized to the women competing for his affection on the show, which premieres September 24.
"When I first walked in, I addressed it," he said. "I apologized to them. 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."
He also promised to win back the trust of viewers during the show.
"Watch the show and see if I earn it back," Owens said. "Because I apologized [night one]. You have to be earnest in your work to get the trust back. Everybody there is smart, and they can see through you if you're lying or you don't mean what you say. That's why I say tune in. Hopefully the show will show that the women that are in their golden years are doing these amazing things. It's inspirational."
