Who Is Gerry Turner, 71, The First ‘Golden Bachelor’?

ABC has announced that 71-year-old Gerry Turner will be the first golden bachelor and the oldest contest the show has ever had in the upcoming season – but who is this senior mystery man?

The news was shared on ABC’s new Golden Bachelor Twitter account, captioning the video of Turner, “Entering our golden era 💛  Meet Gerry, #TheGoldenBachelor, coming to ABC this fall, and stream on Hulu. @goldenbachabc.” 

The short clip was set to “Golden Hour” by JVKE, with the voiceover cracking jokes about Turner’s age. 

“He posts his thirst traps in a leather-bound album. His DMs have postage. He gets the Early Bird Special anytime he wants. If you call him he’ll answer the phone. He doesn’t have gray hair, he has wisdom-highlights. Florida wants to retire and move to him. He’s Gerry.”

The video ended with Turner introducing himself saying, “And I’m your first Golden Bachelor,” while holding a rose and leaning against a car. 

ABC additionally released Turner’s bio, which revealed that he is a father and grandfather from Indiana. He has been a widow since 2017, when his high school sweetheart and wife, Toni, died. The couple had been together for 43 years.

Turner’s children encouraged him to sign up for the Bachelor and to not give up, hoping that their father will find another partner and happiness. Turner also stated that he believes his late wife would be supportive of his decision and stated, “She’s up there rooting [for me].”

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The bio also shared Turner’s hobbies, which include “hosting barbecues, playing pickleball, cheering on his favorite Chicago sports teams, four-wheeling, and spending time with friends and family at restaurants and local haunts.”

This reveal has been three years in the making since the Bachelor and Bachelorette first announced back in 2020 that they were searching for “seniors looking for love.” 

ABC has yet to announce the show’s contestants but has assured their viewers that they will “have a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss, and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities.”

The series will air this fall in September.