The Golden Bachelor’s Gerry Turner has struggled with his reputation after his true personality was revealed after the series wrapped, but there are a few ways he could potentially fix his reputation. Gerry was introduced during The Golden Bachelor season 1 as the wholesome, sweet grandfather who was looking for love after being widowed just a few years prior. Gerry’s time on the series was a near-instant hit, making it clear that The Golden Bachelor was a hit with Bachelor Nation.

Authentic, funny, and genuine in a way other Bachelor franchise shows aren’t, The Golden Bachelor was able to bring a different feeling to the franchise that Bachelor Nation quickly latched onto. Happy with the way Gerry was communicating with the women of his season and thankful that the cast of The Golden Bachelor season 1 wasn’t catty in the way some younger Bachelor casts can be, Bachelor Nation and even those who don’t typically engage in Bachelor content were enjoying the series. Unfortunately, the other shoe was bound to drop as the series continued.

Gerry’s time as the lead was something that brought Bachelor Nation together, but as it came closer to the end of the season, scandalous information began to leak about his life before the show. Though Gerry had been clear that he hadn’t dated prior to his time as The Golden Bachelor, as he hadn’t felt ready after his wife died, the lead’s ex-girlfriend came out to debunk his story. Gerry’s ex shared that she’d been a live-in girlfriend and that during their serious relationship, Gerry had worked hard to hide her from the rest of his life.

With Gerry’s poor behavior exposed, it wasn’t just the fact that he’d been in a relationship that made Bachelor Nation wary of him. Although Gerry vehemently denied the accusations of treating his ex badly and ultimately tried to make it clear that he’d been dating someone very casually, the fact that he’d lied at all made things far worse for him. If Gerry was willing to lie about a relationship, what else would he be capable of lying about? Bachelor Nation felt their trust had been taken advantage of, and Gerry’s reputation suffered.

After Gerry and Theresa Nist’s engagement and live TV wedding, the couple were hopeful that moving into 2024, things would be able to change for the better. The Golden couple’s decision to marry so quickly felt like a bandage over the wound of Gerry’s reputation taking a hit, but when they couldn’t make their relationship work, things got worse for The Golden Bachelor star. Gerry’s social media presence and attitude post-divorce made Bachelor Nation feel he was being disingenuous. While his behavior wasn’t great, there’s still a possibility Gerry’s reputation could be rehabilitated.

8Gerry Should Make An Appearance On The Golden Bachelorette

He Should Serve As An Advisor For Joan Vassos

Although Gerry’s time on The Golden Bachelor wasn’t successful, he was still able to deal with the pressures that come with being the lead on the series well. As one of the more “normal” Bachelor franchise leads in the last several years, Gerry was made out to be clueless about the process of being The Golden Bachelor early on, which made it seem like he struggled more later in the experience. Though he wasn’t the best when it came to the aftermath of the show, Gerry has a unique perspective on the leading role.

While coming into The Golden Bachelorette season 1, which will star Joan Vassos from Gerry’s season as the lead, as a contestant would be a mistake, advising the new lead on the ins and outs of everything could be a great move for Gerry’s reputation. Though he wouldn’t have concrete relationship advice for Joan considering his relationship with Theresa dissolved quickly, Gerry would be an asset regarding how to move through the experience. Visiting The Golden Bachelorette could earn Gerry more respect.

7Gerry Should Get Off Of Social Media For A Short Time

He Should Take A Break To Let The Backlash Die Down

Although Gerry’s social media accounts are typically used to keep his followers in the loop about what’s happening in his life, The Golden Bachelor star has been criticized recently for sharing too much. After what happened post Golden Bachelor with Gerry’s marriage to Theresa imploding and his feelings seemingly stagnant surrounding his Bachelor Nation ex, many struggled to want to support Gerry. His content online, despite being consistent and similarly-themed, has been called inauthentic by some Bachelor Nation fans.

Even though Bachelor Nation is looking at Gerry’s content consistently, many are hopeful that he’ll take a break from posting to re-evaluate his position in Bachelor Nation and let some of the buzz die down. Gerry, who has been mostly ignoring the fact that he’s one of the most polarizing members of Bachelor Nation, seems to want to keep up with people on social media. Even so, it would be best for him to take a break, even a short one, to give people time to get over his betrayal.

6Gerry Shouldn’t Compete In Any Reality Competitions

He Shouldn’t Take On Any More Reality TV

Gerry’s time on reality TV was short-lived, but it seems likely that he’s interested in competing on other reality TV shows in the future. Though Gerry was cast as The Golden Bachelor for specific reasons surrounding his age, life-stage, and relationship status, now that he’s been on a reality TV series, others have likely already expressed interest. Early on in Gerry’s past being brought up after the Golden scandal, it was confirmed he wanted to become more of a reality TV villain than he managed to.

While Gerry’s likely had offers from other reality TV competition shows, he shouldn’t take the bait. Gerry’s time on reality TV was difficult for him and his family, and the aftermath has proven that he wasn’t ready for the pushback of an entire community of viewers. Though he shouldn’t necessarily give up on the genre entirely, Gerry should take some time away from reality TV competitions like Dancing With The Stars in order to keep his profile low while the hate dies down.

5Gerry Should Speak Out On His Divorce

He Should Be Honest About His Split

Gerry has consistently been keeping his silence about what happened during and after The Golden Bachelor, but by withholding his side of the story, he’s been allowing others to come up with their own narrative. The Golden Bachelor star has been staying surprisingly quiet about his divorce, keeping his feelings to himself as the public eviscerates him on a near-daily basis. Rather than speaking up and clearing up any misconceptions, Gerry has chosen to preserve his and Theresa’s privacy.

While it’s a valiant effort, Gerry would be better off speaking up about his divorce and sharing his side of the story. Though it could ultimately bring more drama into his life when Bachelor Nation has dissenting opinions or ideas, Gerry is one of the two people who has authority on his split from Theresa. If Gerry speaks up about the divorce and shares his truth, it’s posisble that he could win back some of the Bachelor Nation viewers who have been against him.

4Gerry Shouldn’t Go Public With Any Relationships

He Should Stay Quiet About His Personal Life

Although Gerry may be dating in his life post-Golden Bachelor, he should keep his private life private throughout the next stretch of time. Gerry’s life was so incredibly public throughout his time on The Golden Bachelor and afterward. With his relationship with Theresa being captured on camera along with the build-up to and their eventual wedding, he hasn’t been able to keep much to himself for the course of the last year.

After Gerry and Theresa’s divorce, it was clear that both of them would need a bit of time on their own before they began pursuing romantic relationships again. Even so, Gerry’s been more vocal about being ready to date again than Theresa, which has gotten him a fair amount of backlash. At this point, Gerry should choose to keep quiet about his dating life and not go private about any new relationships, preserving his own peace.

3Gerry Can Stay Away From Bachelor Nation For A While

He Doesn’t Need To Be Part Of The Franchise

While he may be able to pay a visit to The Golden Bachelorette, Gerry should choose to stay away from everything else in Bachelor Nation for a while. Though he’s now a fixture in the franchise, Gerry’s unsuccessful turn as the lead and behavior after the fact has made Bachelor Nation viewers uninterested in seeing him again. While Gerry fixes his reputation and tries to learn from his experiences on the show, he should stay away from the franchise.

Though Gerry has been vilified in a way that probably makes him seem worse than he is, keeping his distance from the franchise could be good for him and good for the show. With The Golden Bachelorette coming soon, Gerry’s input could be detrimental for the series as a whole. Instead, Gerry should be keeping to himself and rooting for Joan from afar.

2Gerry Should Post More About His Family

He Should Share More About His Daughters

While Gerry should likely take somewhat of a social media break, when he does return to Instagram, he should prioritize posting about his family more often. Though The Golden Bachelor star does post about his family from time to time, it’s clear that his content is more about himself than his loved ones. Gerry’s allowed to post whatever he’d like on his platform, but his engagement would benefit from a change.

As someone who has said they prioritize their family in a major way, Gerry should be sharing more about his family in a capacity that they’re comfortable with. While his kids and grandkids may not be interested in being featured on his social media, Gerry should share what he’s allowed to in order to make himself look a bit more three-dimensional. His current online persona would benefit from learning more about his loved ones.

1Gerry Can Start A Podcast

He Should Try To Share The Truth

While it may be a bit of a stretch, it’s possible that Gerry giving Bachelor Nation a better look into his life and thought process could be a way for him to repair their perception of him. For Gerry, staying quiet about the truth has given the world the opportunity to write their own narrative and stick to it. Rather than letting others set the record, he should take the mic both literally and figuratively, sharing his genuine thoughts about what’s happened in his life.

If Gerry were to start a podcast and share his experiences, opening up in whatever way he can about his time as The Golden Bachelor as well as the aftermath, he’d gain more support. Even if the story of his divorce from Theresa makes Gerry look like the bad guy, owning that and talking through it would likely win him some major points with Bachelor Nation. Though The Golden Bachelor may not need a podcast, it could be a huge benefit for his ruined reputation.