Mel Owens' Ex-Wife Issues Bold Statement on His Upcoming 'Golden Bachelor' Season: 'It's Going to be Bad'

Mel Owens' Ex-Wife Issues Bold Statement on His Upcoming 'Golden Bachelor' Season: 'It's Going to be Bad' originally appeared on Parade.

Mel Owens' ex-wife, Fabiana Owens, is speaking out amidst backlash against the upcoming Golden Bachelor.

When asked by the Daily Mail about her ex-husband becoming the next Golden Bachelor, Fabiana, 46, issued a warning to his potential suitors.

"Good luck. I mean, it's going to be bad. But anyway, I don't want to be involved in this." she said.

According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Mel and Fabiana's divorce was finalized in December 2024 after a four-year court battle. The two got married in 2002 and share two children together, sons Lucas, 19, and Andre, 18.

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Fabiana's comments come shortly after Mel faced backlash for controversial comments about his upcoming Golden Bachelor season. During a podcast appearance in June, he shared that he would not consider any woman above the age of 60.

"They ask me, 'What's your preferences?' So I just said [ages] 45 to 60, just being honest," he said during the June 4 episode of the MGoBlue podcast with Jon Jansen. "And then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, 'You know, if they're 60 or over, I’m cutting them.'"

Owens claims the executive producer told him, "Mel, you can't. This is not The Silver Bachelor. This is The Golden Bachelor...But they’re going to be hot. Don't worry about it."

Owens, a former professional football player, continued, "[The executive producer] goes, 'You can't use the word cut.' I go, 'Well, that's an NFL term.'"

After Mel's comments went viral online, rumors swirled that he had been ousted as the show's next lead. However, Bachelor franchise host Jesse Palmer shared on Thursday, July 3 that The Golden Bachelor will go ahead as planned, with filming expected to commence later this summer.

The Golden Bachelor season 2 is expected to premiere in fall 2025 on ABC.

Mel Owens' Ex-Wife Issues Bold Statement on His Upcoming 'Golden Bachelor' Season: 'It's Going to be Bad' first appeared on Parade on Jul 4, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.