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Nick Viall Weighs In on ‘Golden Bachelor’ Star Gerry Turner’s Ex-Girlfriend’s Claims
The Bachelor alum Nick Viall didn’t hold back while weighing in on The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner’s controversy.
“It’s tough to watch an entire season of Gerry selling this entire narrative that all he’s been doing since the passing of his wife was cry, play pickle ball and occasionally [have] this weird one-on-one moment with some hand lotion,” Nick, 43, said while appearing on the Tuesday, December 12, episode of Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast.
Bachelor Nation was left in shock after Gerry’s ex-girlfriend revealed they dated for nearly three years during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on November 29. Not only did viewers feel betrayed that Gerry, 72, lied about being in a relationship, but fans were also upset that the romance began just one month after his late wife, Toni, died in 2017.
“In reality, we come to find out that the body was barely cold before he started dating,” Nick, who served as The Bachelor in 2017, continued. “And it opens up a lot of questions about what was going on.”
While Nick noted that Gerry shouldn’t be shamed for dating after Toni’s death, he said he had “mixed feelings” about the way he portrayed himself as a grieving widower on the show.
“The show itself sometimes tries to craft a narrative about their leads that even the leads are a little uncomfortable with because it almost feels like, ‘I’m not that squeaky clean,’ type of thing,” the “Viall Files” podcast host noted. “Because no one really is, right, you know? So I think sometimes that is the fault of the show, this kind of narrative.”
After Nick stated that Gerry was “allowed to date” after Toni, he pointed out that the reality star “didn’t cheat on anyone from what we know.”
News of Gerry’s secret relationship broke just one day before the season finale aired on November 30. During the episode, fans watched the retired restaurateur propose to Theresa Nist.
While Life & Style exclusively revealed that the women on his season felt he hadn’t been honest with them, Theresa, 70, has stood by her man.
“It does cause some red flags for the family, what else can he lie about if he did this? Will something else come out?” a source exclusively told Life & Style about how she reacted to the scandal. “But he and Theresa have spoken about it and she trusts him and they have moved past it.”
The insider continued, “Theresa knows that it’s a show at the end of the day, the producers cherry pick how they want the story told. She’s in love and she understands that everyone has a past. They are happy.”
Meanwhile, Gerry broke his silence two days after the news broke while speaking to the Los Angeles Times on December 1. “My only response is that I have so many positive things in my life right now,” he said at the time. “I have the wonderful love of Theresa, my partner. I don’t have time to reflect on comments like this. I’m happy to look forward.”
