‘Golden Bachelor’ Gerry Turner Congratulates ‘Golden Bachelorette’ Joan Vassos: “You Will Be Phenomenal”

The Golden Bachelor lead Gerry Turner is passing the Golden Rose to his ex, Joan Vassos, who ABC announced as the first ever Golden Bachelorette lead during an upfronts presentation on May 14.

Hours after ABC revealed The Golden Bachelorette will be a crucial part of its fall schedule, running 90 minutes (a bump up from hour-long Golden Bachelor episodes) on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ahead of Abbott Elementary, the network announced the Golden Bachelor alum would be getting a second shot at late-in-life love on the highly-anticipated senior spinoff.

Shortly after the news broke, Turner shared a celebratory message to Vassos on Instagram, writing, “Dear Joan, Congratulations on being named the first ever Golden Bachelorette. You will be phenomenal as the new representative of a generation. From one Golden to another…relax, breathe, and enjoy.”

The message, written in an all caps font atop a cloud-like background image, was set to JVKE’s “golden hour” and included the following caption: “And, ABC makes History, once again!!!”

In this case, they’re making HERstory, Gerry. But we’ll let it slide!

For those who need a refresher on Vassos, her official Golden Bachelor bio revealed, “She has four kids and two grandkids and is looking for love again after losing her husband of 32 years to pancreatic cancer.”

“Joan is proud of herself for starting a new career in this chapter of life and for how resilient she’s been through many unexpected life changes. When she’s not working, Joan loves listening to Elton John, hanging with her dog, and cooking a delicious meal,” the bio continued. “Joan describes herself as a loving mother and a hard worker who would love to find someone with whom to enjoy life. She’s happiest when she’s at the beach with her family and is looking for a family man with whom to blend her life.”

Fans of The Golden Bachelor will recall Vassos left the debut season early, just three episodes in, due to a family emergency. After making a major impression during the group date talent show, she and Turner shared some deep dinner conversation and she revealed that her daughter back home had given birth just 15 days earlier. The following morning, cameras caught Vassos sobbing on the phone to her daughter, who was struggling post C-section. Next thing we knew, the 60-year-old Private School Administrator from Rockland, Maryland was crying and saying goodbye to her fellow contestants.

As noted in our previous piece, Vassos told Turner she had to go be a mom and thanked him for giving her the first deep romantic connection she’d felt since her husband passed. “I understand. I get it. But I can’t tell you how disappointed I am,” he said with tears in his eyes. “I was so excited this morning I was out of bed dancing. I was thrilled that we had a conversation like we did and there’s a moral compass that we both share and sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest.” The two hugged, cried, and said goodbye. Even after Vassos left the mansion, Turner remained outside sobbing.

Following the episode, Vassos shared a statement on Instagram reflecting on her Golden Bachelor experience and departure. “A huge thank you to everyone expressing their concern for my family. It’s a privilege to be a mom to four amazing kids and a grandmother (they call me Jojo) to two beautiful grandchildren,” she wrote in an Instagram Story. “But once a mom, always a mom and sometimes the timing doesn’t work out with finding love. Everyone at home is doing great and I hope one day I will get the chance at love again. 🌹” And look at that, she is!

While we wait for more details on The Golden Bachelorette, this feels like a perfect time to rewatch The Golden Bachelor for an official Joan refresher.