NEED TO KNOW
- Mel Owens is the star of The Golden Bachelor season 2
- After retiring from the NFL, Owens became a lawyer
- The Michigan native shares two sons with his ex-wife
The Golden Bachelor is back, and season 2 has a new leading man: Mel Owens.
Owens’ journey to find love kicks off on Sept. 24, where 23 women will be vying for his heart. He hopes to rediscover a love “rooted in the simple joys of companionship — sharing life’s everyday moments, making plans for the future and growing stronger together as a couple,” per ABC’s press release.
On April 22, ABC revealed that the 66-year-old retired NFL player-turned-lawyer would take center stage to search for love with Bachelor Nation’s next group of senior women. When host Jesse Palmer asked Owens what he was looking for during Hulu’s “Get Real” event the next day, he said he wanted a partner who’s “honest, charming, loving, fit and full of life.”
“I was married for 25 years,” he continued. “I’ve missed that companionship.”
So, who is the Golden Bachelor? Here’s everything to know about Mel Owens.
He is from Michigan
Owens was born and raised in a “close-knit Midwestern family” in Detroit, per ABC. According to the South Florida Tribune, he was born on Dec. 7, 1958.
After being involved in athletics throughout his childhood, he went on to attend and play football at the University of Michigan.
According to ABC, he has since moved to Orange County, Calif.
He became a lawyer after playing in the NFL for eight years
Following his graduation from the University of Michigan, Owens was selected as the ninth overall pick in the 1981 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he played as a linebacker until 1989.
During an April 2024 interview with the South Florida Tribune, Owens reflected on his NFL career, sharing that the highlight was being drafted.
“Two bookends. Everything in the middle is work,” he said. “But I played with a lot of great players, I had a great time … we built the NFL to where it is now. It was just before the TV contracts got big in the early 90s.”
Owens eventually retired from football and transitioned into a career in law, “dedicating himself to helping others — particularly those seeking justice for sports-related injuries,” per ABC.
During his conversation with the South Florida Tribune, Owens explained that his sports-related legal work helps him continue to feel “connected to the game.”
He was previously married
Owens was married for over two decades before he and his ex-wife, Fabiana Pimentel Owens, divorced.
Fabiana filed for divorce in February 2020, according to court documents. Their divorce was later finalized in December 2024.
He has two sons
Owens has two sons, Lucas and Andre, whom he welcomed with his ex-wife. Per ABC, following his divorce and the death of his father, Owens “channeled his energy into being the best father he could be, focusing on raising his sons and coaching their extracurricular sports teams.”
As Owens shared at Disney’s “Get Real” Event, both of his children plan to play baseball in college — and his younger son is to thank for him landing the leading role in Bachelor Nation.
“We were watching the regular Bachelor earlier on. He goes, ‘Yeah dad, you should be the Bachelor,’ ” Owens recalled. “The ad came out for [The Golden Bachelor]. He goes, ‘But you should be the real one though.’ “
Owens also shared his son’s special request: he wants to be standing next to his dad when the women “come out” to meet their potential match.
“I go, ‘Maybe if I get it, maybe I’ll pitch it to him,’ ” Owens said.
He made controversial age comments prior to going on the show
Owens faced backlash in June 2025 after making age-related remarks during his appearance on the MGoBlue Podcasts with Jon Jansen.
“[The producers] asked me, ‘What [are] your preferences?’ So I just said [ages] 45 to 60, just being honest,” he recalled. “And then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, ‘You know, if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.’ ”
The executive producer allegedly shut that plan down, telling him, “‘Mel, you can’t. This is not The Silver Bachelor. This is The Golden Bachelor.’ They’re going to be hot. Don’t worry about it.’ ”
Owens later addressed his controversial comments with Glamour in August 2025.
“I didn’t know anything about The Golden Bachelor ages. I didn’t,” he said, sharing that he apologized to the women on the show during the premiere. “When I first walked in, I addressed it. I apologized to them. I said, ‘It was unfair, insensitive. I want to earn [your trust] back. Just give me the chance.’ “
Owens noted that most of the women accepted his apology, but teased that viewers will still see a group date “roast,” where the ladies don’t shy away from calling him out.
“Some were so harsh. I deserved it,” he added.
