EXCLUSIVE New Golden Bachelor star's future on the show revealed amid calls to FIRE him for ageist comments
Rumors are swirling that leading man Mel Owens, 66, is being replaced on the show after sparking backlash from Bachelor fans for ageist comments he made in a recent interview.
Owens, a former NFL star, shocked longtime viewers of the show when he said that he wouldn't date a woman over 60.
The fallout from his comments led to some fans threatening to boycott the new season.
Bachelor blogger Reality Steve then reported that the 'negative publicity' around Owens' comments had led to the network axing him from the series and that his replacement would be announced soon.
However, DailyMail.com can confirm that Owens has not been replaced and the season will go ahead as planned.
The backlash started last week when Owens recalled his initial meeting with Bachelor producers during an interview on the MGoBlue podcast.
'They ask me, 'What's your preference?' So I just said [ages] 45 to 60, just being honest,' he said.
However, while having lunch with the show's executive producer, he thought better of it and said, 'You know, if they're 60 or over, I'm cutting them.'
When reminded that the name of the show was The Golden Bachelor, Owens said he was told, ''You can't use the word cut.'
'I go, "Well, that's an NFL term,"' he said.
He then shared his other demands for the women.
'They asked me, "What is my profile?" Well, [the women] have got to be fit because I'm staying in shape and work out and stuff,' he said
'And I told them, "Try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs, you know, that kind of stuff, right?"'
Numerous fans of the franchise have made their feelings quite clear about what Owens said.
'Based on his podcast interview I won't be watching or supporting. We need to stop supporting men who think they're so great that they won't date women their own age. This dude needs to go back home,' wrote one.
'This is so sad. I can't believe [producers] knew this man didn't want a golden lady and cast him anyway,' wrote another.
Even Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause weighed in on the drama.
'We love the Golden Bachelor because of how wholesome it is,' she wrote on Instgram, adding, 'This type of energy will ruin it.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Donald Trump kisses Melania at July 4th party
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were caught kissing from the Truman Balcony on Friday ahead of Washington, D.C.'s grand Fourth of July fireworks display. The first couple kissed and hugged as supporters down below 'awww'-ed the scene. Trump hosted military families on the South Lawn for the occasion, marking the holiday with a picnic. Earlier in the night, he delivered a speech from the balcony before signing his 'Big Beautiful Bill' into law, as Congress made good on a promise to pass the mega piece of legislation before the Trump-imposed July 4 deadline. There were also a trio of military flyovers, including B-2 bombers, the stealth jets used in recent military action over Iran. The Trumps had slipped into the West Wing but returned to watch the annual fireworks display over the National Mall. The DJ played patriotic tunes — but also a number of eyebrow-raising pop songs from artists like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, who vocally supported Trump's Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris. Perry's song "Firework" was played. Other tracks included HOT TO GO! by Chappell Roan and Defying Gravity, sung by Cynthia Erivo in Wicked — both popular LGBTQ artists. A number of country hits were also in the mix. Audience members shouted 'four more years' and 'eight more years.' Trump is three and a half years into his second term and is Constitutionally ineligible to run again — despite some Republicans backing an amendment to allow it, citing his unique situation of serving two non-consecutive terms. His walk-on song, Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA," was played multiple times during the event. As the fireworks ended, YMCA played — Trump's traditional walk-off tune. He did his trademark dance and even got Melania to briefly join in, though neither performed the YMCA letter moves. The crowd included Cabinet members and Trump officials such as Joint Chiefs Chair Dan 'Razin' Caine, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and EPA Secretary Lee Zeldin. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was photographed holding up the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' after Trump's signing. Wiles was seen in conversation with Katie Miller, wife of top adviser Stephen Miller, who worked for VP Mike Pence in the previous administration and has been working with Elon Musk in this one. After weeks of tension over the bill, Musk is now threatening to start a political party and support Republicans like Rep. Thomas Massie. Trump and Melania departed for their Bedminster, New Jersey golf resort after the celebration, with the president pumping his fist as they boarded Air Force One.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Horror hooks movie-goers, injecting cinemas with fresh energy
Murderous toys, vampires and zombies are killing it in movie theaters, at a time when saviors, sequels and reboots have grown stale among audiences – entertainment industry veterans say. Lauren Roback reports.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Bikini-clad Livvy Dunne hits the beach as she celebrates July 4th weekend with girls' trip to The Hamptons
Social media sensation Livvy Dunne spent her July 4th weekend with a girls' trip to The Hamptons, where she hit the beach and hung out with her friends. Dunne shared the details of her Independence Day on her Instagram story, first offering up some relatable content by sitting in standstill traffic to get to Bridgehampton, New York. Then came Dunne's selfie from the beach, a photo she captioned with red, white, and blue heart emojis. Dunne wore a straw hat while also donning a red and white bikini, laying stomach-first on the beach, just feet from the water. The former LSU gymnast also shared a photo in a white dress, wearing a pair of sunglasses and her tongue sticking out next to friend Lauren Maitland. Not in The Hamptons to celebrate the holiday with Dunne was her boyfriend, Paul Skenes, who was in Seattle with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dunne has maintained her social-media profile since departing LSU, where she was one of the highest NIL earners in the country. Earlier this month, Dunne was in New York City for Fanatics Fest, and competed against the greatest competitive eater of all-time, Joey Chestnut, in an all-star chicken finger-eating contest. Dunne, DJ Khaled, Fanatics founder Michael Rubin and Julian Edelman all took part in the eating challenge alongside the legendary Chestnut. Dunne stunned attendees of an SI Swimsuit Party by performing the splits back on May 31 The 41-year-old holds dozens of eating records including the most hot dogs (76) in 10 minutes and the most chicken wings (182) in 30 minutes. Chestnut dominated a Raising Cane's contest, putting away 40 tenders in just five minutes. And Dunne's hilarious reaction to Chestnut was caught on camera. In a clip that flooded social media, the gymnast was seen open-mouthed as Chestnut demolished the chicken. At one point, Dunne appeared to retch as she struggled to keep the chicken down. She and Chestnut also posed for a picture to mark the occasion.
