The Golden Bachelor stars Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist may have chosen to divorce after only three months of marriage, but Bachelor Nation star Joe Amabile is defending their decision. While Joe ultimately found his match on Bachelor In Paradise season 7 with Serena Pitt, he had some other connections from his earlier time with the franchise. First appearing on The Bachelorette season 14, Joe was one of the hopeful contestants looking to win Becca Kufrin’s heart. Many were sad when the charismatic grocery store owner was eliminated, but his romantic connections made on the franchise were far from over.

” I do think it’s hard to pick up and move your entire life”

According to an exclusive interview with People, Joe’s stance on The Golden Bachelor divorce is different than many angry Bachelor Nation fans. “I think it’s tricky,” Joe explained, sharing that while Gerry and Theresa were “lovely people”, he understood how things took a turn for the worst. “Especially in your later years in life, you’re pretty settled in whatever city you live in, so I do think it’s hard to pick up and move your entire life when your family lives wherever. So, I could see where that was an issue,” Joe shared, empathizing with the Golden couple’s public split..

The Golden Bachelor Is Still An “Entertaining Show” Despite Divorce

Although some Bachelor Nation alumni have shared they feel Gerry and Theresa’s divorce puts a stain on the series, Joe disagrees. Sharing his take along with the fact that he feels The Golden Bachelor is still “an entertaining show” despite the split, Joe has been able to make it clear that he doesn’t blame the leads for choosing their happiness over the perception of their relationship from fans. Joe’s time on The Bachelorette and Bachelor In Paradise bred complicated emotions, making him especially empathetic to the issues some Bachelor Nation couples face after the cameras stop rolling on their seasons.

While Joe’s time on the series has led him to more than one romantic relationship, finally seeing him settled down and married to Serena as of 2022, his stance on Gerry and Theresa’s divorce is an interesting one. With so much experience in the franchise, Joe understands just how difficult it can be to make a Bachelor relationship work, and though Gerry and Theresa are being held to a different standard by Bachelor Nation, their relationship was flimsier than those on The Bachelor. With less time to get to know each other they were, in some ways, built to fail.

After speculation about Gerry and Theresa’s home lives made fans question if they were ever going to make the jump to living together, the couple had to make the difficult announcment that they were choosing to divorce. While Gerry and Theresa’s announcement emphasized their mutual resepct of one another, Bachelor Nation found it difficult to trust the couple after investing their emotions in the growing relationship. With Bachelor Nation alumni standing up for Gerry and Theresa’s decision, it’s clear The Golden Bachelor couple has support from all over the franchise, including former contestants like Joe.