In June, the retired NFL player-turned-lawyer said on the MGoBlue Podcast that his dating “preferences” were between 45 and 60. He also explained that he didn’t want to date any women who had “artificial hips and the wigs.” His comments were met with immediate backlash, and now he’s apologizing for his polarizing statements.
He told Glamour that he learned his comments were wrong when a good friend, who was 65 years old, called him out. “She said, ‘What you said was insensitive, and it’s just not who you are.’ My reference of dating was 39, 40 years old. I hadn’t dated in 26, 27 years. That’s what I told her,” he said. “She goes, ‘It doesn’t matter. You’ve said some things that are just incredibly wrong.’ And I go, ‘I’ve got to apologize.'”
Mel explained that his comments about the age range were due to his lack of knowledge about the Bachelor franchise. “I didn’t know anything about the Golden Bachelor ages,” he said.
The Bachelor franchise began in 2002 and was recently renewed for its 30th season. There have been many spinoffs, including the popular The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. The Golden Bachelor is only on its second season. Mel was announced as the new lead for the ABC series on April 22. The Golden Bachelor is set to return this fall on ABC.
During filming, Mel said he apologized to the women and took responsibility for his comments. “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.'”
According to his interview, the women of the sophomore season even had an opportunity to roast Mel. “One of the dates was a roast. It was brutal. They were killing me,” he said. “One said, ‘Oh, when Mel was walking with me, he was using me as a cane.’ And I’m from Detroit, right? One said, ‘Like a Detroit pizza, he’s doughy, squishy, square, and crusty.’ It was good because I earned that, and I took it and I deserved it, and it landed squarely on me. They were throwing haymakers. It was good.”
Read the full interview here.