Matt James is fully on board with his mom competing on 'Golden Bachelor' as she follows in his footsteps
Former "Bachelor" star Matt James is voicing support for his mother, who just joined the franchise as a contestant on "The Golden Bachelor."
Patty James, 70, is following in her son's footsteps as one of 22 women vying for the affections of "Golden Bachelor" Gerry Turner, 71. When ABC revealed the spinoff's Season 1 cast on Wednesday, Matt James was among the first to shout-out his mom for making the cut.
The commercial real estate agent shared a photo of his mom in her "Golden Bachelor" best on his Instagram story and wrote, "I ccc uuu mama," according to the Hollywood Reporter. The franchise's first Black leading man also posted a series of flaming-heart emojis in comments under his mom's Instagram post promoting the show.
Read more: 22 women and a second chance at love: Gerry Turner's 'whirlwind' moment as 'The Golden Bachelor'
Also happy for Patty James was Rachael Kirkconnell, the recipient of Matt James' "final rose" on the 25th season of "The Bachelor." Kirkconnell and James became a couple after their season of "The Bachelor" ended in controversy and Kirkconnell apologized for a photo of her attending an antebellum South-themed party in 2018. The graphic designer and the former football player are still together.
"She's ready to find love," Kirkconnell said, tagging Patty James in her Instagram story. "So proud of you for putting your heart out there."
"Thank you, sweet Rachael!" Patty replied.
Read more: 'The Bachelor' made a 'sideshow' of its first Black star. Now he's speaking out
According to the Bachelor Nation website, Patty James is a retired real-estate professional from Durham, N.C., who "loves playing ping pong, and lounging poolside with a great book." After being single for 30 years, she is hoping to "share positivity and zest for life with a partner."
The "fun facts" section of her bio also notes that she is a coffee drinker, avid sailor and fan of body glitter.
“I want to meet someone who loves and cherishes me that I can live out my golden years with," Patty James said in a statement.
Read more: 'Florida wants to retire and move to him': Meet ABC's first 'Golden Bachelor'
Last month, ABC announced that Turner would be the first star of the "Golden Bachelor," an offshoot of the popular dating show that features contestants in their 60s and 70s instead of the usual bunch of 20- and 30-somethings. Prior to the series premiere, the grandfather and retired restaurateur has already won the hearts of fans by sharing his love for his wife of 43 years, Toni, who became sick and died in 2017.
“I really had a wonderful marriage,” Turner told The Times in an interview published Thursday. “I think back on 43 years that were happy and productive. We raised children and did all the things that were expected.”
Now, with the support of his children, Turner is seeking a second chance at love. He told The Times that he and the women competing on the show are "committed to showing the world that you still have energy and vitality in your 60s and 70s."
“And guess what? You get a lot of wisdom," he said.
"Some of us aren’t smart, but we’ve seen a lot of stuff. That’s a theme that I hope gets carried through the show. It’s a huge responsibility, but also an easy responsibility to carry out. It cuts through a lot of the garbage that may be necessary or appear to be necessary to a younger generation.”
The first season of "The Golden Bachelor" premieres Sept. 28 on ABC.
Read more: 'The Bachelor's' first season with a Black lead is swept into a firestorm over race
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
