The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner has revealed that he was diagnosed with incurable bone marrow cancer in the spring of 2024, and I believe that the producers of the show now owe him an apology for painting him as the villain of his season because he didn't deserve it. During The Golden Bachelor season 1, Gerry, a now-73-year-old retired restaurateur from Hudson, Indiana, and Theresa Nist, a now 71-year-old financial services professional from Shrewsbury, New Jersey, fell in love and got engaged. Gerry and Theresa had both lost their spouses years before, and they gave people hope that they could find love again at any age.
After The Golden Bachelor season 1, Gerry and Theresa got married in a live, televised event called the Golden Wedding. However, just three months later, they announced that they were getting a divorce because they couldn't decide where to live because neither one of them wanted to leave their family. However, in December 2024, Gerry revealed that, in the spring of 2024, he was diagnosed with cancer, and it also played a role in their breakup. Now I believe that, after months of Gerry being portrayed as a villain, the Golden Bachelor producers should apologize to him.
The Golden Bachelor's Gerry Turner's Cancer Diagnosis Played A Role In His & Theresa's Divorce
Gerry's Priorities Shifted After He Found Out He Had Cancer
For many fans, including me, the Golden Bachelor divorce simply never made any sense. When Gerry and Theresa announced their breakup, it appeared to come out of nowhere. They seemed happy and in love. Although they weren't living together, it wasn't too concerning because many Bachelor Nation couples have long-distance relationships as they figure out how to blend their lives together. During the divorce announcement, they even both said that they still loved each other.
However, now that Gerry has come forward about his cancer diagnosis, I see why they split up. Gerry has an incurable, slow-growing form of bone marrow cancer called Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. It's a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that is also sometimes called lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. The disease changes white blood cells into cancer cells, which build up in the bone marrow, and crowd out the healthy blood cells.
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After his diagnosis, Gerry's priorities understandably shifted. His focus was no longer on where he and Theresa would live, but instead on his family, including his two daughters and their husbands, and his granddaughters. Working things out with Theresa was still important to him, but it was less of a priority for him. Although the Golden Bachelor producers couldn't have known about Gerry's diagnosis, they should've realized that something was very wrong when Gerry and Theresa suddenly split up. They did nothing to help the situation, and I believe that they should apologize for that.
The Golden Bachelor Producers Lied About Gerry Turner's Past
They Created A Persona For Him That He Could Never Live Up To
The Golden Bachelor producers also owe Gerry an apology because they're the reason that fans turned on him in the first place. I was shocked to find out that Gerry wasn't the innocent widower who hadn't dated much after the sudden passing of his wife, Toni, due to a bacterial infection six years earlier, that he was portrayed as on the show. I was floored when it came to light that Gerry had dated someone for about three years before The Golden Bachelor.
Because the Golden Bachelor producers created a persona for Gerry that he could never live up to, fans viewed him as a villain who'd lied about his past. However, I don't think that it was Gerry's fault that the show made him out to be something that he wasn't. He then spent months being portrayed as a villain, and, during some of that time, he was also dealing with the crushing uncertainty, and then the frightening reality, that comes when being diagnosed with cancer. It's unforgivable that the Golden Bachelor producers never once stepped in on Gerry's behalf and took the blame for how they portrayed him.
Gerry's Golden Bachelor Ending Turned Him Into A Villain
Gerry Was Portrayed As A Heartbreaker
Although The Golden Bachelor had a happy ending for Gerry and Theresa, runner-up Leslie Fhima and third place finisher Faith Martin were devastated by their breakups with him. Gerry and Faith had declared their love for each other during their hometown date in front of her family, while Gerry gave Leslie the impression that he'd choose her when he told her that he loved her, and that he thought that she was The One.
This led to Gerry's reputation as a heartbreaker. During the final episodes of his season, he was portrayed as an indecisive mess, but, as is the case for many Bachelor franchise shows, I believe that a lot of that drama was manufactured in order to make the show more interesting. Because the Golden Bachelor producers used Gerry's weakest moments in order to get ratings, they owe him an apology. I think that they were the main reason that Gerry was seen as such a villain by viewers.
Gerry Was Blamed For The Golden Bachelor Divorce
Gerry's Reputation Was Ruined
Because the Golden Bachelor producers had portrayed Gerry in such a negative light at the end of his season, and had also lied about his past, which tarnished his good-guy image, fans automatically blamed him for the divorce. They spread terrible rumors, including that he only married Theresa for her money, and that the whole Golden Wedding was a sham. Gerry's reputation was ruined, but the producers never defended him.
Instead, the Golden Bachelor producers allowed Gerry to be kicked while he was down. However, what no one knew was that Gerry was also dealing with his cancer diagnosis, which makes things even worse. I believe that the Golden Bachelor producers should publicly apologize for allowing Gerry's name to be dragged through the mud while they sat back and did nothing about it, especially in light of Gerry's announcement that he has cancer.
Gerry's Golden Bachelorette Appearance Further Destroyed His Image
Gerry's Advice To Joan Vassos Was Highly Criticized
I couldn't believe it when Gerry was invited back to advise Joan Vassos during her Golden Bachelorette season. Although the two are great friends in real life, it seemed inappropriate for Gerry, whose season ended in failure, to be on Joan's season as an advisor. His advice to Joan was highly criticized, especially when he asked her if she'd considered the possibility that her guy wasn't there. It was a harsh reality check that brought fans out of the fantasy world of the Golden Bachelorette and reminded them that Gerry's season had ended in divorce.
In addition, Gerry never mentioned Theresa by name or discussed their divorce. Instead, he made a vague comment in which he told Joan that she was at an advantage over him because she had considered that she might not find true love on The Golden Bachelorette. This implied that Gerry had perhaps forced himself to find love during his season, which was disrespectful to Theresa.
However, looking back on this conversation, I'm now disgusted by the Golden Bachelorette producers for two reasons. Firstly, I find it hard to believe that Theresa never came up in Gerry and Joan's discussion. Therefore, it's highly possible that the producers chose to edit out that part of the conversation to avoid any mention of the divorce. Secondly, Joan's season filmed from June to July 2024, which means that Gerry's appearance came shortly after his cancer diagnosis.
I feel terrible knowing that Gerry was dealing with so much while he filmed that scene, and, in the end, it only led to him getting even more backlash. It's heartbreaking to think about how devastated he must've been after a cancer diagnosis and a divorce, but the producers added insult to injury by not protecting him, and once again portraying him in a negative light.
Although Gerry made a lot of mistakes during and after his Golden Bachelor season, and his cancer diagnosis doesn't negate that, it does give some insight into why the aftermath of the show was so chaotic. I feel that the Golden Bachelor producers owe Gerry an apology for the part that they played in that. They made a difficult time in his life even harder, and they should tell him that they're sorry for it.
For me, Gerry's cancer diagnosis has helped put everything into perspective, and I now know that Gerry was never the villain in this situation, but rather it was the Golden Bachelor producers. I'm very upset about it because Gerry didn't deserve to be treated that way. I wish Gerry nothing but the best as he moves forward with his life after The Golden Bachelor.
