Who Is Mel Owens? What to Know About ‘the Golden Bachelor’ Controversy | Invesloan.com

The newest “Golden Bachelor” will officially kick off his journey to find love on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, former NFL star Mel Owens, 66, was announced as the star of season two of the ABC reality TV show centered on people finding love in their golden years.

“As the Golden Bachelor, he’s eager to meet someone who shares this vision and finally find that perfect teammate he’s been waiting for in his golden years,” ABC said in its announcement in April.

While fans were initially excited about the casting, some of Owens’ comments regarding the ages of his potential suitors rubbed fans the wrong way. He has since apologized both on and off-camera for his remarks.

Here’s everything we know about Owens and his season of “The Golden Bachelor.”

Mel Owens was a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams for 9 seasons

Owens is from Detroit and attended the University of Michigan.

After graduating, he was selected as the ninth overall pick in the LA Rams’ 1981 NFL draft. He played linebacker for the team for nine seasons.

After retiring from football, he became a lawyer

According to his LinkedIn profile, he has been a partner at LBO Law, a firm based in Newport Beach, California, since April 2006.

However, he didn’t fully leave behind the sports world when he pivoted to a career as a lawyer. Mel represents athletes, specifically concerning injuries, disability benefits, and workers’ compensation.

He shares 2 sons with his ex-wife

The press release that announced Owens as the Golden Bachelor said that he met his “first love” when he moved to Orange County, California, to pursue his law career. It was later reported that her name is Fabiana Pimentel.

They had two sons together and later divorced in December 2024.

“While life took an unexpected turn with the passing of his father and the end of his marriage, Owens channeled his energy into being the best father he could be, focusing on raising his sons and coaching their extracurricular sports teams,” ABC said in its announcement.

So, what exactly did Owens say that made people mad?

Two months after he was announced as the lead, Owens appeared on “In the Trenches,” a podcast about University of Michigan athletics.

On it, the 66-year-old said that he’d prefer to date women between the ages of 45 and 60.

He also said he told a producer something else: “I said, ‘You know, if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.'”

“I told them, you know, try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs, you know, that kind of stuff, right,” he continued.

The backlash was swift.

At least one member of Bachelor Nation cut Owens some slack, though. In a July interview with Entertainment Weekly, “Golden Bachelor” season 1 contestant Kathy Swarts (who is 72) said she thinks “Mel is a guy looking for love” and that “he said something without really thinking about it.”

She added, “I think that if Mel Owens met me — and I’m over 70 — that line would just not even be in his mouth. It’d be like, ‘Whoa, I never knew someone could be this fabulous over 60, over 70.'”

Has he apologized?

He’s apologized multiple times since the podcast aired. First, during an August interview with Glamour.

Owens said he didn’t have a “frame of reference” regarding the age ranges on the show. He added that he hadn’t dated since he was in his late 30s/early 40s and felt out of touch.

He also said he apologized to the women who were cast. By his own estimate, he said that he apologized for his comments at least “20 times” in the first episode to the contestants.

“I apologized to the women on the show. When I first walked in, I addressed it. I apologized to them. I said, ‘It was unfair, insensitive. I want to earn it back. Just give me the chance.'”

He added that he “deserved” the backlash and was trying to earn the respect of viewers. “Watch the show and see if I earn it back,” he said.

In a September 2025 interview with USA Today, Owens said that he was grateful to ABC as they “stood by” him.

“I had a great time, and was appreciative of [ABC] giving me a second chance. Again, I have apologized,” Owens said. “I have asked for forgiveness. I said, ‘Let me earn it back.’ And you know, hopefully I did.”

Owens will choose between 23 women from all over the country, ranging in age from 58 to 77. And in the end, only one woman on his season is under 60: 58-year-old Maia Dreyer, a sports consultant.

“I had no idea how old they were, and it didn’t matter,” he said.

ABC did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Season 2 of ‘The Golden Bachelor’ premieres on September 24

Viewers can decide for themselves how they feel about Owens by watching the two-episode premiere of “The Golden Bachelor” on Wednesday, September 24, on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Episodes will also be available to stream the next day on Hulu.