'The Golden Bachelor's Patty James Is Going To Take This Season By Storm
The Golden Bachelor is finally hitting the air this week, and Bachelor Nation fans are legitimately freaking out. After all, the new show—which started casting calls way back in 2020—features 72-year-old bachelor Gerry Turner, a widower who is looking for love again after losing his wife. The premise is truly heartwarming.
Plus, it's a nice twist on a show that’s gotten criticism for featuring influencers, er, contestants who might not always be there for the right reasons. Starting Thursday, you’ll get to meet Gerry's 22 new (senior citizen) contestants, all of whom are looking for love, and few of whom have social media. These gals genuinely seem to want to try to find their soul mate.
But while poring over the contestant profiles, you might have noticed a familiar face in the mix. If you’ve been following The Bachelor for a while, you'll realize that former Bachelor lead Matt James'mom, Patty, is there at the party. But who is Patty James and what has she been up to since her son's season? Here’s everything you need to know about this sweet woman vying for Gerry Turner’s heart.
Who is Patty James?
Patty James is a retired real estate professional, according to her official bio. She was previously married but has been single for almost 30 years (more on that in a sec). Other fun facts about Patty: She’s an avid sailor and can't start her day without a cup of coffee. Perhaps best of all, she loves her body glitter “and encourages you to do the same," her bio says.
Patty’s Instagram posts feature a few incredible selfies, along with delicious-looking meals, roses from her son, and pics from her adventures. Her feed is honestly iconic.
She appeared a lot during Matt James’ season.
Oh, right! ICYMI, Patty is former Bachelor star Matt James’ mom. Patty was featured pretty heavily in season 25, which featured Matt as the first Black Bachelor, and aired back in 2020. It became pretty clear that she and her son have a deep relationship.
Patty is also mom to Matt’s brother, John, and she also regularly posts about him online.
Apparently, Patty is also down to become a grandma soon to a "basketball team" of kids, Matt said in a Bachelor Nation interview. Maybe Gerry's granddaughters can babysit!
How old is Patty?
Patty is 70 years old, thank you very much. She celebrated her 70th birthday back in March, which means she was born on March 27, 1953.
Where is she from?
Patty is from Durham, North Carolina, which is a short drive from Raleigh, where she raised Matt and John.
What does Patty do for work?
Well, she is currently retired, but she was previously a real estate agent. While she was an active agent, Patty worked for Lennar Homes after “quickly” finding her way into real estate thanks to her psychology degree, according to LinkedIn.
“I love this industry and have provided assistance to buyers and sellers from all over the country,” she wrote in her bio.
How far does Patty make it on the show?
You'll have to wait and see! My guess is she will somehow incorporate Matt into her entrance during the premiere, but no one knows how far she will go.
That said, Reality Steve did provide spoilers that touch on which women make it to the final three, and... Patty isn’t on the list. Womp. Whether she was eliminated or left the show on her own is TBD. Stay tuned for more details on that front!
Matt and his mom are really close.
After ABC revealed its cast for The Golden Bachelor late this summer, Matt shared a photo of his mom from the show in his Instagram Stories, writing, “I ccc uuu mama,” with a fiery heart emoji.
He also just has a super tight relationship with her. Example A:
And Matt also posted an adorable montage for her 70th birthday.
"Lord I realize daily what a blessing it has been having mom with us this long. You say 'train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.' She has done just that," he captioned the post, which was filled with cute pics of the two of them together. "Happy 70th Birthday 'MAMA' *Migo's voice*."
Who are Matt James’ parents?
Patty was previously married to Manny James, who is Matt and John’s father. They broke up when her sons were young, and Patty raised them as a single mom. That's part of the reason Matt is so darn close with her.
Matt and Manny seemingly reconciled when he filmed The Bachelor. “Whatever I can do to make it better, I'll work on it,” Manny said, per People. “I want you to be happy for the rest of your life and I want you to have a relationship that's healthy and not like what I went through.”
Is it Thursday yet?
You Might Also Like
