Golden Bachelor star Mel Owens is a divorced man looking for love on the ABC reality show. Fans didn’t know much about him before the new season premiered earlier this week. In a candid moment, he revealed the heartbreaking reason his wife left after nearly twenty years of marriage. Keep reading for all the details.
Golden Bachelor Season 2 Ratings Are In
Bachelor Nation fans vowed to boycott the new Golden Bachelor season. Mel Owens sparked outrage earlier this summer in his first interview after being announced as the lead. He shared some pretty harsh requirements for the female contestants on his season.
The former NFL player revealed that he told producers his dating age range was between 45 and 60. He threatened to eliminate any contestants over 60 years old. Even worse, he made disparaging comments about the type of woman he was looking for.
“Well, they got to be fit because I stay in shape, should work out and stuff. And I told them, you know, try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs, you know, that kind of stuff, right,” Mel Owens said on the University of Michigan’s podcast.
The future Golden Bachelor star began his football career at the college. After graduating, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams. The Detroit native moved to Los Angeles, where he has lived for decades. He became a lawyer after his football career ended.
But did fans of the franchise really tune out of the Season 2 premiere? It seems like it. TV Series Finale shared the ratings for The Golden Bachelor episode. It brought in a little over 2.6 million viewers.
In comparison, over 4 million viewers tuned in to the premiere of Gerry Turner’s season in 2023.
Mel Owens Reveals Heartbreaking Reason Wife Left Him
The Season 2 premiere kicked off with Mel Owens apologizing for his ageist comments. He also opened up about his previous marriage. The former football player was married to Fabiana Pimentel for eighteen years. She filed for divorce four years ago.
“In 2020, during COVID, my Dad died. And then my wife filed for divorce. She had found someone new. I was shocked,” he said during the introduction package.
Mel’s ex wife was 19 years younger than him…
He meant what he said#GoldenBachelor #TheGoldenBachelor pic.twitter.com/SshoSIljM5
— .99centmemery (@LisaHatesItHere) September 25, 2025
Mel Owens continued, “It’s heart-wrenching. I mean, it’s the toughest thing I’ve ever gone through. In the quest for love, along the way, you’re gonna get knocked down even sometimes when it’s unexpected. But you have to get back up and try to find it again. Since the divorce, I haven’t really dated. I had to stay focused on my kids.”
How He Got Through Divorce
The Golden Bachelor star shares two adult children with his ex-wife, Lucas, 20, and Andre, 18. They both encouraged him to join the reality TV dating show.
He credited his two sons for helping him through the difficult divorce, which was only settled in 2024.
“You live in the moment. Plus, I had kids, so I had to think about them before me. So, that was the main focus. And there were younger kids at the time — not infants, but teenagers. I let things work itself out, and it did. And have patience and understanding,” Mel said.
Let us know in the comments if it surprises you that Mel Owens’ wife initiated the divorce.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
