As The Golden Bachelor Season 2’s Mel Owens gets deeper into his televised search for late-in-life love, he’s inevitably going to have to open up about his ex-wife, his marriage, and his divorce.
As Owens explained during The Golden Bachelor Season 2 premiere, “My wife filed for divorce. She had found someone new. I was shocked. It’s heart-wrenching. It’s the toughest thing that I have ever gone through.” While he hasn’t spoken much about the mother of his two sons, Lucas and Andre, he did stress that he “enjoyed being married” and “enjoyed having a partnership.” In his Golden Bachelor bio, he even called his ex-wife “his first love,” so naturally, the lovely Golden Gals who are hoping to find lasting love with Mel are curious about his major relationship — as are members of Bachelor Nation.
Who is The Golden Bachelor Mel Owens’ ex-wife, Fabiana Pimentel Owens? How old is Mel’s ex-wife? What’s her job? And what’s the latest Golden Bachelor divorce drama making headlines? We’ve got answers.
Here’s what to know about Mel’s ex wife Fabiana Pimentel as you watch the next chapter of his love story unfold on The Golden Bachelor.
Per Pimentel’s LinkedIn page, she’s currently the director of Experiences at Preferred Hotels & Resorts and was a co-founder of Final Touch Organizing. She received a master’s degree in marketing from UCLA in 2003, and she’s originally from Brazil, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Faculdade da Cidade.
Remember when Mel went on MGoBlue’s In the Trenches podcast back in June and revealed that he told Golden Bachelor producers he preferred women between ages 45 and 60? Checks out, because his ex-wife is 47 years old, 19 years younger than him.
Mel and his ex-wife, Fabiana, were together for nearly 25 years before splitting in 2020. Per People, she filed for divorce in February 2020, per court documents. Their divorce was reportedly finalized in December 2024.
When asked about Fabiana leaving him for another man, Owens told UsWeekly, “I’m never going to get in the way of someone’s happiness. If you want to find somebody else in a different phase in your life — it hurts — but I can’t get in the way of your happiness. And what’s your happiness may not be my happiness. That’d be a real conflict — you can’t stop somebody, say, ‘I’m over here now.’ You can beg and plead, but I’m fine. Life is short, and if you’re in love with somebody else, that’s fine.”
Despite Mel’s level-headed words, there has been some divorce drama reported since the 66-year-old entered the Golden Bachelor spotlight. Back in July, Daily Mail reported that although Fabiana waived all rights to receive ongoing spousal support and alimony, a judge ruled that Mel had to pay his ex $980,000 (including past due child support, mortgage and law school loans, and more) by February 28, 2025. The Golden Bachelor lead reportedly paid what was owed in time, but when Daily Mail asked his ex about his new TV role, she allegedly told the publication, “Good luck. I mean, it’s going to be bad. But anyway, I don’t want to be involved in this.”
New episodes of The Golden Bachelor premiere Wednesdays on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.