The Golden Timeline: Every event leading up to Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s shocking divorce (2024)

The Golden Bachelor has reached a shocking and abrupt conclusion: the inaugural Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner and his wife, Theresa Nist, announced they are getting a divorce only three months after their wedding.

The Golden Bachelor — which premiered last fall as a Bachelor spin-off series — became ABC’s most-watched unscripted premiere onHulu, and has even spawned a spin-off series of its own with The Golden Bachelorette set to air later this fall.

Though the show is only a single season into its run, The Golden Bachelor and its star have delivered more than enough drama to sate Bachelor Nation — that is, until The Golden Bachelorette premieres.

But, how did we get here? Here is every event that led up to the Golden Wedding… and the Golden Divorce.

The Golden Bachelor Gets Announced On ABC

May 16, 2023: ABC finally announced that the Bachelor franchise will be expanding to include a dating series focused on seniors looking for love in their “golden years.” The show has been in the works since at least 2020.

“One hopeless romantic is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life,” ABC’s official description of the show reads. “The women arriving at the mansion have a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities.”

Gerry Turner Announced As ABC’s First Golden Bachelor

July 17, 2023: Turner is introduced to the world on Good Morning America with a dating profile that would make any woman swoon: “He posts his thirst traps in a leather-bound album. His DMs have postage. He gets the early bird special any time he wants,” a voiceover in the promo said, perEntertainment Weekly. “If you call him, he’ll answer the phone. He doesn’t have gray hair, he has ‘wisdom highlights.’ Florida wants to retire and move to him.”

The Golden Bachelor Season 1 Begins Filming

Aug. 5, 2023: Bachelor host Jesse Palmer shares a photo of himself and Turner at the Bachelor Mansion, writing that he “has begun his historic journey to find love!!!” Reality Steve also reports weeks later that the final rose ceremony took place on Aug. 31.

The Golden Bachelor Season 1 Premieres On ABC

Sept. 28, 2023: The Golden Bachelor premieres on ABC, giving fans our first real glimpse at the cast of incredible women from ages 60 to 75 who are looking for love – including former Bachelor Matt James’ mom, Patty!

Gerry And Theresa Get Engaged!

Nov. 30, 2023: After weeks of serious chemistry, Turner officially chooses Nist, a financial services professional from New Jersey, to be his fiancée. Choosing between Nist and Leslie Fhima is evidently a difficult decision for Turner to make, as he says through tears, “The only time I’ve ever felt worse in my whole life is when my wife passed away, and this is a goddamn close second.”

Trouble In Paradise: Gerry’s Outed For Living With Another Woman After His Ex-Wife’s Death

Nov. 29, 2023: A report from The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Turner’s dating history is not as spotless as it seems.

Turner previously claimed that he has not dated much since the loss of his wife and high school sweetheart, Toni, in 2017. But, according to the report, Turner allegedly dated one woman for almost three years, beginning just a month after Toni’s death. They also lived together. Another report from The U.S. Sunalso claims that he “dated a couple of women.”

Theresa Claimed On Live Television That She Wasn’t Ready To Get Married

Dec. 28, 2023: The lovebirds pay a visit to Live! with Kelly and Mark, where Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos surprise them with an impromptu wedding in the middle of their interview.

Nist and Turner playfully go along with the bit until Consuelos – who is apparently an ordained minister – declares, “By the authority vested in me, by the showKelly and Mark, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” causing Nist to protest.

“No, wait! We’re not ready!” she replies.

Gerry And Theresa Tie The Knot In The Golden Wedding

Jan. 4, 2024: Turner and Nist make it official with a special wedding celebration at La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, California. Everyone in Bachelor Nation history is in attendance — including Fhima!

After many laughs and a hilarious pre-taped bit where Nist gets to enjoy an impromptu boudoir photoshoot, the Golden Wedding proves to be an emotional affair. “I promise that if you’re my partner in life I’ll make you the happiest woman on Earth,” Turner tells his new wife. “…We have a trust that can not be broken.”

And the special event even has a surprising turn of events when Bachelor alums Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell got engaged!

Reports Claim Turner And Nist Are Still Not Living Together After The Wedding

April 1, 2024: A TMZ report claims that the lovebirds were still living apart, though a source tells the outlet that the only reason was because moving would be too “time-consuming.”

At the time, Turner is reportedly living at his lake house in Indiana, while Nist is still living in New Jersey, where she is employed as a compliance officer.

The sources also say that moving away from their families “would be difficult for them.”

Turner, Nist, And Their Kids Compete On Celebrity Family Feud

April 7, 2024: Nist and Turner film an episode of Celebrity Family Feud. Nist’s kids, Jen Woolston and Tommy Nist, and Turner’s daughters, Jenny and Angie Turner, joined them on the show.

Turner posts a photo of their team on Instagram, writing, “[Had] a GREAT time atCelebrity Family Feudwith the blended family.”

Woolston shares that they faced off against a team of Bachelor Nation stars, includingZach Shallcross,Kaity Biggar,Joey Graziadei,Kelsey Anderson,Charity LawsonandDotun Olubeko.

The Golden Divorce: The Lovebirds Announce Their Separation On GMA

April 12, 2024: Nist and Turner reveal on Good Morning America that they have decided to get a divorce, just three months after tying the knot on the show.

“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations, and we’ve looked closely at our situation, our living situation, so forth and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to dissolve our marriage,” Turner says on the broadcast.

This shocking news rightfully left Bachelor Nation with several questions: What happens now? Will Nist have to return her wedding ring? Will ABC still air their episode of Celebrity Family Feud? Was it all a lie?!

This break-up will have all of Bachelor Nation looking for closure.