Yes, Matt James' mom is a contestant on The Golden Bachelor

The rumors are true, rose lovers: Matt James' mom, Patty, is one of the 22 senior women starring on The Golden Bachelor.

Season 25 Bachelor Matt has been dodging questions for weeks about whether his 70-year-old mother — a retired real estate professional from Durham, NC — would be one of the women dating Gerry Turner on ABC's senior citizen spin-off of The Bachelor. Now that EW has exclusively revealed the full Golden Bachelor cast, we can confirm Patty's participation.

Looking good, mama!

Viewers first met Patty in 2021, when Matt sat down with her on his Bachelor season premiere. "My mom raised us in a Christian household," recalled Matt, whose parents split up when he was a baby. "That foundation was everything for me. I've seen all the sacrifices that my mom has made in my life. She put aside everything so that I would have the opportunity to be the man that she knew I was capable of being."

But now that Matt and his younger brother, John, are all grown up, it's Patty's turn. "I'm looking for someone that cares about family like I do," she says in the new Golden Bachelor promo. Perhaps that someone will be 72-year-old Golden star Gerry Turner, who ABC describes as a "doting father and grandfather" to daughters Angie and Jenny, and granddaughters, Charlee and Payton.

And who knows? If it works out, maybe Matt and season 25 "winner" Rachael Kirkconnell can have a double wedding with Patty and Gerry.

The Golden Bachelor premieres Thursday, Sept. 28 on ABC.

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