The new season of The Golden Bachelor hasn't even started, and yet the season 2 lead Mel Owens is already apologizing. A little refresh: Mel went viral in July for saying that he wouldn’t date any women over the age of 59—he’s 66, for the record—and fans started calling on ABC to replace him as the next Golden Bachelor lead. Now, Mel is apologizing for his ageist comments in his first interview since the scandal.
“I didn’t know anything about The Golden Bachelor ages,” Mel said in an interview with Glamour when asked why he would agree to star on the show if he didn’t want to date women who were 60-plus. “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.”
So to recap, he didn’t realize The Golden Bachelor’s first season had an age range of 60 to 75, and thus didn’t think his comments were out of place. But does he understand why his comments were hurtful? Sort of, and only thanks to an unnamed 65-year-old female friend who pointed out the hypocrisy of his comments.
“She said, ‘What you said was insensitive, and it’s just not who you are.’ My reference for dating was 39, 40 years old. I hadn’t dated in 26, 27 years. That’s what I told her,” he recounted to Glamour. “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 the feedback he got made sense, and admitted that his “frame of reference” for dating and age ranges was “incorrect.” That said, it’s unclear if he grasps exactly why his comments were so hurtful in the first place. Asked if he understood that fans were upset precisely because The Golden Bachelor is about the idea that you’re never too old for love, he responded, “I’m the perfect example.”
If you’re still skeptical, Mel understands. He told Glamour that the first thing he did when filming on The Golden Bachelor started last month was to apologize. “I said, ‘It was unfair, insensitive. I want to earn it back. Just give me the chance,’” he revealed, adding that he plans on earning the audience’s trust back, too.
