EXCLUSIVE: Bill Maher Pitches Himself for 'Age-Inappropriate Golden Bachelor' — Boasts He's a Pro at 'Handling' 20-Year-Old Girls in Real Life Who Will 'Leave Crying'
Bill Maher thinks he can do a version of 'The Golden Bachelor' featuring 20-year-old contestants.
Dec. 30 2025, Published 12:45 p.m. ET
Bill Maher thinks he's the perfect man to revive the failing The Golden Bachelor, but he has an entirely different take on the show's format, including bringing on much younger rose recipients, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Maher turns 70 in January 2026, and noted he's "the correct age" for the ABC dating show featuring mature suitors looking for love later in life. However, he wants "20-year-old" contestants whom he promises will "leave crying" once he's through with them.
'These Girls Will Leave Crying'
Maher claimed he would 'straighten out' the lives of his young contestants, which would result in tears.
The topic arose after Maher's Club Random podcast guest, John Stamos, revealed he'd brought along a pal who directs ABC's The Bachelor. That caused the HBO star to perk up and pitch an idea of his own.
"I have a great idea for The Bachelor. You know, they do The Golden Bachelor. I am the correct age. I want to be the Golden Bachelor. But none of this age-appropriate b------ ," Maher warned.
"That's a funny show. That's a great f------ show," he claimed about his premise of only having young women on to compete for his attention.
"Now, some of these girls will leave crying. No, they will. Because I'm going to be real with them," Maher promised.
"Not mean, just real. I'm going to f------ straighten out their lives as I have so many 20-year-old girls in my real life. Okay. I'm very good at it," he self-assuredly boasted.
The Ultimate 'Hate Watch'
Maher thinks viewers would tune in to hate-watch his version of 'The Golden Bachelor.'
Stamos, 62, jumped in with what he thought was the perfect title: "'Golden Bachelor Daddy Issues.' What do you say?"
Maher tweaked the idea, saying it would be more "Daddy problem-solving. Not issues. I will solve their problems."
"We've gotta get this thing going. Don't you think the ratings would be off the charts?" Maher asked about his idea for The Golden Bachelor.
However, Stamos didn't think it would be a hit among the key female demographic, telling Maher, "I mean, women won't watch it."
"Women," Maher sneered, "Oh, you don't think they'd be interested just to hate-watch it? This is like an ultimate hate watch for them. I mean, what do people want these days? They just want to get stirred up about s--- and be angry about s---. I think I'm giving them the product they're asking for."
No Hanky-Panky
Maher said he didn't want physical intimacy with the younger contestants on his version of 'The Golden Bachelor.'
"People in their 20s don't know anything," the Real Time host snarked about the prospective contestants, but made the surprising revelation that he didn't want any hanky-panky with the young women.
"This is The Golden Bachelor: Age Inappropriate. That's the name of the show. That's the name. Age-inappropriate Golden Bachelor, but you cannot have s--," he declared.
Maher demanded the show remain "chaste," saying otherwise, "you'd lose the audience completely" if having s-- with the much younger women was a component of the series.
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Another Golden Bachelor Who Preferred Younger Women
Mel Owens' controversial comments about contestant ages turned off some viewers.
The first season of ABC's The Golden Bachelor was a ratings smash, as retired restaurateur Gerry Turner, 74, found love and married Theresa Nist, 72, only to file for divorce four months later when distance became an issue.
The second season featured 66-year-old Mel Owens searching for love in his later years, but he made open complaints before filming began that he preferred to date women in the 45-60-year-old range and would "cut" any contestant older than that.
His lack of connection with his contestants hurt the season's ratings. The former NFL player ultimately chose 62-year-old Peg Munson as his final rose recipient, but didn't propose marriage.
