For better or worse, Mel Owens, a former NFL athlete, will lead season 2 of The Golden Bachelor. Fans weren’t sold on the unknown as the lead in April when the network announced he’d take on the role. Comments he made about age on a podcast just weeks before leaving for the bachelor mansion cemented viewers’ feelings. Despite the controversy, ABC has opted to move forward with him, but Owens’ recent comments about his podcast appearance aren’t giving us hope for his season. The 66-year-old claims he had no idea his words were offensive until someone else pointed them out to him. It sounds pretty unbelievable.

What did Mel Owens say to offend ‘The Golden Bachelor’ fans?

In June, Mel Owens appeared on In the Trenches, a football podcast focused on the University of Michigan. Despite the podcast’s usual content, Owens was asked about his dating show plans. He did more than spill a bit of tea. Owens chatted about what he told producers he was looking for in potential contestants, and it wasn’t a good look.

The former NFL star said he told producers to avoid “artificial hips and wigs.” He also admitted he would be “cutting” any woman over the age of 60, as he would prefer to date women aged 45 to 60. After his comments, fans did some digging and discovered that Owens was married to a woman decades younger than him. From the sounds of it, things didn’t end well, as his ex-wife wished all the contestants good luck.

The backlash was swift. Fans of the franchise called for his dismissal. Gerry Turner spoke out against Owens’ perspective, and rumors swirled that ABC was replacing him. He was not dismissed. The season is set to premiere in late September, and Owens is currently dating the contestants. Now, he’s offered an explanation for his offensive comments. It’s not doing much for his image.

Mel Owens claims he had no idea what he said was offensive

Mel Owens has finally addressed the offensive comments he made two months ago. The soon-to-be-reality-TV-star told Glamour that he knows Bachelor Nation is angry with him. He admitted he likely deserves those feelings. Still, he claimed ignorance about the comments he made.

Owens told the publication in an exclusive sit-down interview that he hadn’t understood how what he said about artificial hips and wigs, as well as his preferred dating age, was offensive at first. In fact, he claims he hadn’t a clue anyone was even talking about the comments until a friend called him up to let him know.  He said that a friend, whom he did not name, filled him in on how problematic what he said was. Owens told Glamour that he was basing his preferences on what it was like dating decades ago.

Did the next golden bachelor just give fans a bad cover story?

Mel Owens’ season of The Golden Bachelor was already in jeopardy with fans after his ageist comments. He might have made it worse by speaking out now. Owens’ explanation isn’t sitting right with fans of the franchise. They just aren’t buying the half-hearted apology and excuses.

Viewers’ lack of buy-in is understandable. It’s pretty hard to believe that someone like Owens, who worked as a lawyer following his NFL career, would not understand the power of his words. It feels nearly impossible to believe that he didn’t realize that speaking about women as if they were trying out for a sports team would be offensive. Furthermore, anyone who has interacted with a woman in the last few decades should know that negging them based on age alone, especially if you are planning on going on a dating show designed for seniors, was a bad idea. Clearly, Owens is trying to do damage control, likely at the request of ABC. We have to say, it doesn’t seem to be working. Feigning ignorance seems like a weird way to try to shore up his image. We think his season might be doomed.