Since his divorce from Theresa Nist, The Golden Bachelor's Gerry Turner has been accused of being more interested in fame than finding true love. Gerry recently turned 73 years old, and his reputation has taken a hit over the last year. When ABC announced the retired restaurateur as the first lead of their The Bachelor spin-off, he became an instant national sensation, and casting offices were flooded with applications from women interested in meeting the tall, attractive widower. 22 women in their 60s and 70s were selected to compete for Gerry's heart, including the eventual winner, Theresa Nist, a widowed day trader who recently turned 71. Though the competition was stiff, Theresa walked away with Gerry's final rose, his heart, and a diamond engagement ring.
Though the show finished filming in the summer of 2023, Gerry and Theresa had to keep their relationship secret until The Golden Bachelor season 1 finale aired in December. Once the septuagenarian couple went public with their relationship, they wasted no time planning their lavish Golden wedding, which aired just a few weeks later. The star-studded event was a big hit for the network, but, just like in real life, a great wedding doesn't necessarily mean a great marriage. Despite high hopes for the couple, Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce in April, after only three months of marriage. Gerry's behavior before and after the split has suggested that his nice-guy persona may have all been an act, and here are eight examples of Gerry faking it for the cameras.
8 Gerry Said He Loved Multiple Women
His Misled Leslie Fhima
Gerry and Theresa hit it off right away. From the moment Theresa stepped out of the limousine on night one, pretending she was naked under her coat, Gerry was smitten. Though Theresa was a front-runner throughout The Golden Bachelor season 1, she wasn't the only woman who captured Gerry's attention. He was also very interested in 65-year-old fitness trainer Leslie Fhima, who got one of Gerry's final two roses. During the final overnight dates, Gerry made both women think that he would choose them, even telling Leslie she was "the one." It was a big surprise when Gerry chose Theresa, and sent a heartbroken Leslie home in tears.
Though Leslie struggled to get over the devastation of Gerry's shocking rejection, she has since moved on and appears to be thriving.
7 Gerry Cried Several Times On TV
He Was An Emotional Wreck
Gerry came to be known for being an emotional Bachelor lead, often crying throughout the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor. The waterworks started in earnest during the second episode of the season when Gerry got emotional about having to eliminate four of the women who had been vying for his heart. “A few days ago, we all met. We were strangers. We didn’t know anything about each other," Gerry said at the beginning of the rose ceremony.
"And today, I look at this group of women and you’re all my friends. That really makes a night like this very difficult for me, but I know this process is working, and I so appreciate every one of you, and I hope you know that I have high, strong feelings for all of you.”
At the end of the speech, Gerry dissolved into tears. Once the waterworks had started, they never stopped, and Gerry cried his way through the rest of the season.
6 Gerry Flaunted His Love Life
He Doesn't Have To Be Single
Since announcing his divorce from Theresa, there has been a lot of speculation about Gerry's love life. During a June interview with TMZ, Gerry claimed that though he's not ready to start dating again, he had received multiple romantic offers from interested women. According to Gerry, women have been sending him messages via his DMs and have even approached him to give him their phone numbers in person. Though Gerry claimed that he hadn't contacted any of the women yet, he clearly told the story because he wanted everyone to know that he was still a famous person with plenty of options.
That wasn't the first time Gerry's love life had come up after The Golden Bachelor's divorce announcement.
In May, IndyStar reported that Gerry was spotted at a dating event. On May 17, the newly single retiree attended the TinCaps Love and Roses Night event in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The event includes a series of challenges in which singles compete for a Fort Wayne dating package. Though it appeared that Gerry was hosting the event, not participating in it, the optics were still terrible.
5 Gerry Introduced His Family To The World
It's A Family Affair
While many The Bachelor leads try to keep their families out of the spotlight, Gerry has often dragged his family into the spotlight. Before joining the cast of The Golden Bachelor season 1, Gerry had been a loving father to two daughters and a grandfather to two granddaughters. Gerry had been married to his first wife, Toni Turner, for 43 years until she passed away in 2017 following a brief illness. The family was always very close, and that didn't change after Toni's death. When Gerry appeared on The Golden Bachelor, he included his family in the journey, and they bonded with Theresa. Since divorcing Theresa, Gerry has leaned on his daughters and granddaughters, continuing to post about them often.
Gerry should probably have followed the lead of other Bachelor leads, and kept his family out of the public eye.
4 Gerry Went On Family Feud With Theresa
They Divorced Weeks Later
Fame comes with privileges and even extraordinary opportunities, like when Gerry and Theresa were invited to appear on the beloved game show Celebrity Family Feud, along with other The Golden Bachelor cast members. The episode was filmed before Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce but aired afterward, which made the whole thing awkward.
After the divorce was announced, it was speculated that ABC would end up scrapping the episode, but they ultimately aired it after all.
Shockingly, Gerry and Theresa seemingly pretended to be a happy loving couple just a few weeks before they announced their separation. If they were able to fake being a happy couple when they were about to break up, it leads to questions about what else the couple may have faked during their time in the public eye.
3 Gerry Had A TV Wedding
He Wanted A Lavish Event
In January, just a few weeks after The Golden Bachelor's final rose ceremony, Gerry and Theresa tied the knot in a big, lavish dream wedding fit for a king and queen. No expense was spared for the nationally televised Golden Bachelor wedding, which was attended by many Bachelor Nation alums, including many of the women Gerry had just rejected on the show. It was a major production, a dazzling array of candlelight and flowers. Theresa walked down the aisle in a glamorous Badgley Mischka wedding gown, which the designer fitted her for, as the women she had vanquished in pursuit of Gerry's heart looked on under the watchful eyes of ABC cameras.
Gerry's first wedding was a more modest event, so it's possible that Gerry really wanted his dream wedding, and that's exactly what he got.
2 Gerry & Theresa Lied About Their Status
They Misled Everyone
There were signs of trouble before Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce in April. The biggest sign of trouble in paradise was that, even months after their wedding, Gerry and Theresa still lived in Indiana and New Jersey, respectively. Physically speaking, there were over 700 miles between them, but the emotional distance between The Golden Bachelor couple was even greater. The two were constantly flying back and forth and posting photos on social media, so no one can say they didn't try to make it work.
Ultimately, neither Gerry nor Theresa wanted to move away from their families, and the long-distance marriage became unsustainable.
In March, Gerry posted several family photos to Instagram that featured Gerry and Theresa attending a Turner family event. Gerry's caption reads, "What better way to spend a Saturday than watching your granddaughter play volleyball with Theresa and all the family." Since The Golden Bachelor couple announced their divorce just a few weeks later, it's clear that they posted the photo in response to questions people had started asking about their marriage.
1 Gerry Flaunted His Fame
He's A Big Star And He Knows It
Though Gerry has received enormous criticism since the divorce, no one can ever accuse the man of not being entertaining. Though The Golden Bachelor season 1 can attribute its success to multiple factors, including an aging television audience that loves stories about other baby boomers, Gerry's charming qualities played a role in the show's incredible reception, and Gerry knows it. In May, just a few weeks before announcing his divorce from Theresa, Gerry posted on Instagram about his Critics' Choice "Male Star of the Year" nomination. He posted a screenshot of the nominees with his name circled.
Gerry didn't win, as the award went to Alan Cumming for hosting The Traitors, but just being nominated is impressive.
While Gerry's reputation has taken a hit since The Golden Bachelor announced his divorce, Theresa's popularity has only grown. When the divorce was announced, fans were quick to side with Theresa. Although both parties were equally to blame for the split, Gerry got the lion's share of the blame. Gerry has been trying to reclaim his good name, but maybe he should lean into it instead and ride his fame to villain status.
