Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner is addressing claims he misrepresented his career

Gerry Turner has responded to accusations that he misrepresented his career before moving on The golden bachelor.

When Turner, 72, was cast as the inaugural Golden Bachelor, his career was listed as retired. He previously claimed that he had worked as a restaurateur and owned several eateries.

“The business I owned was a lot like the Cadillac Diner There is a [Nist] and I went there on the very first date,” Turner shared Katie Couric Media in an interview published on Friday, December 1, referring to the first one-on-one date he shared with now-fiancé Nist, 70. “I was selling burgers, fries and shakes, and it was a very profitable business.”

He continued: “And the comments about what I did later in life, I did after I retired. I retired at 55, and I really enjoyed giving back to the community and doing things that were of value to other people.”

The Hollywood Reporter published a bombshell exposé earlier this month, claiming Turner’s LinkedIn bio “doesn’t match” his story. According to the article, Turner sold his Mr. Quick drive-in franchise in Iowa in 1985 before retiring. Since then, he is said to have held various sales and management positions within the meat industry, but no end date is stated on LinkedIn. THR claimed that the dates do not align, as Turner would have retired at age 55 in 2006. The magazine also did not know how his post-retirement gigs, installing hot tubs and various maintenance jobs, were factored into the timeline.

“I mean, gosh, I didn’t work as a handyman for the money. I did it because I knew I was doing something good for people who needed help,” he told Katie Couric Media. ‘There’s just enough truth in it [the exposé]. But I have so many positives to think about that I didn’t really think about that article.”

From Turner Golden bachelor The journey ended on Thursday, November 30, when fans watched him propose to Nist, dumping his fellow finalist Leslie Fhima. Turner and Nist, who are both widows, made this known during After the last rose that they will get married on January 4, 2024 during a ceremony broadcast live.

Related: Meet the family of golden bachelor Gerry Turner

Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner has the support of his family on his journey to find love on the ABC reality series. Gerry, who was announced as the first-ever Golden Bachelor in July 2023, shared two daughters, Jenny and Angie, with his late wife Toni. Gerry and Toni married in 1972 and enjoyed “43 wonderful years […]

The newlyweds will then move to Charleston, South Carolina, to start their new life together. (Turner retired to Indiana while Nist is based in New Jersey.)

“That was one of the conversations we had in the fantasy suites that was really important, where I saw fate taking hold of us,” Turner said Friday. “I had been talking about moving to the Charleston, South Carolina area with my children for two years, and Theresa and I had our conversation there. Lo and behold, I heard that Theresa has a son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren about an hour and a half drive from Charleston. And so I thought, ‘Oh my God, there’s a good room for compromise.’ So that’s the first place we’re going to look for a house.”