Jesse Palmer is facing some backlash.
After the Bachelor in Paradise host shared that he hopes to see an age-gap relationship on the forthcoming season of the series, Bachelor Nation alums Rachael Kirkconnell and Jade Roper spoke out against the idea.
For Rachael's part, she didn't think producers of the upcoming 10th installment—which will feature stars from Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette, in addition to Bachelor and Bachelorette cast members—should be intentionally trying to spark romances between people who have massive age differences.
Commenting under a June 5 Instagram post highlighting his remarks, the Bachelor season 25 winner wrote, "Hm don't think we should be encouraging 50 year age gaps."
As for Jade, the Bachelor in Paradise alum expressed her distaste with one word, commenting simply, "Ew."
Jesse first expressed his hopes of an age-gap love story unfolding on Bachelor in Paradise two days prior, sharing that he thought the crossover would create a unique relationship dynamic.
"I’m really interested to see the perspectives that the Golden cast bring, educating our younger cast on life and love," Jesse told Us Weekly in an interview published June 3. "I think there’s a lot of value there.”
And Bachelor in Paradise bartender Wells Adam seconded the sentiment, pointing to Bill Belichick's 48-year age gap with his girlfriend Jordon Hudson as an example.
"This happens all of the time in the real world," Wells told Us Weekly. "Look at Bill Belichick right now. It's happening in front of us."
And while the TV personality noted that he was "not sure" a crossover romance between a Golden alum and a younger star would actually go down on the reality show, which premieres July 7 on ABC, he shared that he was still excited to see the cast members bond.
"The thing that I love about The Golden Bachelor so much is they’ve lived so much more life that their advice, their conversations, the stakes for them are just so much bigger," Wells explained. "I think that’ll be a good thing for them to impart on all these young kids.”
To check in on the Bachelor Nation love stories that already have happened on the franchise, keep reading.
Grant Ellis may have met 25 potential love interests on his first night in the Bachelor mansion, but in the end, it was Juliana Pasquarosa who scored his final rose. And as the couple look ahead to their nuptials, the bride-to-be revealed her top priority for her wedding day.
"The most important thing, no matter where or what it looks like, is that it's surrounded with love and that all of our family is there," she told E! News in March 2025. "We're going to have a good time no matter what we do."
