Mel opened up about his divorce on the show
GOLDEN Bachelor Mel Owens has had to pay a staggering amount to settle his nasty divorce.
Mel, 67, who was the leading man on the latest season of The Golden Bachelor, finally paid off the debt he owed his ex-wife, Brazilian-born hospitality executive Fabiana Owens.
On Wednesday, TMZ reported that the former NFL star paid over $1 million he owed Fabiana under their December 2024 divorce agreement, according to court documents.
However, it apparently took some pushing on Fabiana’s end to make it happen, as she reportedly asked the courts for Mel to sell his 2,768-square-foot Orange County mansion if he couldn’t come up with the cash.
The total amount Mel owed was $1,024,887, which a court ordered him to fork over by November 7, 2025.
He was also told he’d have to vacate his home if he didn’t make the payment.
The outlet reported that Mel obtained a $1.1 million loan against the property in December, and the judgment lien for the divorce settlement was later released.
They noted that he allegedly used the money to pay Fabiana.
Mel opened up about his relationship with Fabiana on The Golden Bachelor, revealing that they’d split after she fell in love with someone else.
“In 2020, during COVID, my dad died. And then my wife filed for divorce. She had found someone new. I was shocked,” the retired football star said about the end of his 20-year-long marriage.
“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.
The exes share sons Lucas, 20, and Andre, 18, who appeared on the show when it was time to meet the final three women competing for their dad’s heart.
Mel again spoke about the divorce in an interview with Us Weekly.
“I’m never going to get in the way of someone’s happiness,” the athlete confessed.
“If you want to find somebody else in a different phase in your life — it hurts — but I can’t get in the way of your happiness. And what’s your happiness may not be my happiness.
“That’d be a real conflict — you can’t stop somebody, say, ‘I’m over here now.’ You can beg and plead, but I’m fine. Life is short, and if you’re in love with somebody else, that’s fine.”
Mel eventually found love with retired Las Vegas firefighter, Peg Munson, who received his final rose in the Season 2 finale.
However, it appears their relationship has struggled away from the ABC cameras.
An insider exclusively told The U.S. Sun that the pair were “already having problems” before the season finale even aired due to their clashing personalities.
Still, they came out as a “united front” at the live After the Final Rose segment, and revealed they were enjoying their time together rather than rushing to the altar.
