A lot of rumors have circulated since The Golden Bachelor’s final couple — Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist — announced they were getting a divorce just three months after their live-televised wedding on ABC. But in all of the supposed arguments about cornfields and allegations that Gerry got caught in a lie, I haven’t heard any of the reality dating show’s cast turn on Theresa in defense of the 72-year-old Indiana resident — until now. The statement came from a pretty unexpected source, too — none other than Gerry and Theresa’s wedding officiant Susan Noles.
Susan Noles quickly became a fan favorite on The Golden Bachelor, along with Kathy Swarts, and the duo recently sat down on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show with Julia Cunningham to discuss all things Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist. When the hosts said they were “not surprised” at the breakup because they had turned on Gerry even before allegations regarding past relationships came out, Susan was quick to jump to the Bachelor’s defense, saying:
I’ve gotta support this man a little bit. I feel like he got the wrong end of it. Theresa decided not to move and not to quit her job. He got frustrated. Who can blame him? I mean, I would’ve never said I would move to that place wherever that is in the middle of nowhere.
There certainly was concern following the unhinged Golden Wedding special that Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist continued to live in separate homes, and the distance was mentioned when the couple made their split announcement on Good Morning America. However, the speculation was that it was Gerry who had doubled back on his promise to move to New Jersey, not the other way around.
Susan Noles seems to straight-up blame Theresa Nist for agreeing to move to Indiana, asking who could blame Gerry Turner for getting frustrated. That is definitely not the statement I expected to hear from the Kris Jenner look-alike. After all, Susan was the one who performed the wedding ceremony (which eventually “ruined” her streak of no divorces as an officiant).
Kathy Swarts jumped in with kind words for both Gerry and Theresa, and she and Susan agreed that Gerry and Theresa really did fall in love but just got caught up in the moment. Kathy said:
Gerry’s a nice guy. Theresa’s a lovely lady. You know, shit happens. Sorry. It does and we like them both, but yeah. You know, I’m sorry. You know someone a month or six weeks and these things happen.
Gerry Turner has allegedly faced “rage and cruelty” since the split announcement, and one Golden Bachelor contestant even said she “dodged a bullet” by being sent home early in the season. Susan Noles sheds an interesting light on the situation by pointing out that maybe the divorce wasn’t all Gerry’s fault after all.
The big question now is will The Golden Bachelorette’s Joan Vassos face the same fate? The lead of the upcoming spinoff recently revealed a conversation she had with Gerry Turner that has me concerned that might be the case. Keep your eye on the 2024 TV schedule for that premiere date, and in the meantime, plan to catch Jenn Tran’s historic season of The Bachelorette when it premieres at 8 p.m. ET Monday, July 8, on ABC.