Another member of Bachelor Nation is weighing on in “The Golden Bachelor” breakup.
Shortly after Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist announced they were divorcing after just three months of marriage, original “Bachelorette” star Trista Sutter shared her reaction to the sad news.
Sutter, who is still married to her final rose recipient Ryan 20 years later, admitted on the “Almost Famous” podcast that she thinks the septuagenarian couple made a faux pas by not living together first.
“I thought, personally — when they did announce that they were going to be getting married so quickly — I thought, well, good for them, because if they know they know, then just do it,” Sutter said on the April 12 podcast. “But now, hindsight’s 20/20. And you’re like, maybe you should have taken a beat and lived in the same home for a while.”
During a joint appearance on “Good Morning America” on April 12, Turner, 72, and Nist, 70, announced their split. The short-term couple pointed to issues with their long-distance relationship as part of the reason for the divorce. Turner lives in Indiana, while Nist lives and works in New Jersey.
“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 said on GMA.
Trista Sutter Doesn’t Understand Why Turner & Nist Didn’t Discuss Their Living Situation Prior to Getting Married
Turner and Nist didn’t live together before their wedding or after. On “Almost Famous,” Sutter admitted she was confused by the former couple’s lack of communication.
“I do feel like if they were adamant that both of them were going to live where they live now, then that should have been discussed,” she said. “But I just don’t know if the timing was right. And I don’t know that they realized until after they had said their vows.”
“If one person is living in one place and the other is living in another and they just can’t compromise, then there’s nothing to talk about,” Sutter added of the divorce news.
She also cautioned future “Bachelor” contestants to talk about “realistic stuff” such as their future living situation before getting married on the fast-paced dating show.
Trista Sutter Attended Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist’s Wedding & Had Been Supportive of the ‘Golden Bachelor’ Couple
On January 4, 2024, Sutter and her husband were guests at Turner and Nist’s televised wedding. The wedding was held at the La Quinta Resort and Club in Palm Springs, California.
As the couple exchanged vows, Sutter’s husband was caught on camera whispering something to her. Commenters on the X app speculated that Ryan Sutter said “that’s not gonna happen” when Turner vowed to make his bride “the happiest woman on earth.”
Soon after, Trista Sutter set the record straight with fans. The OG “Bachelorette” revealed her husband made a cute comment about their own relationship. “Since I was the one to whom Ryan was speaking, I can clarify,” she wrote on X. “He said ‘the second happiest.’”
According to E! News, Sutter elaborated on her Instagram stories. “Someone on Twitter that has nothing better to do with their time is speculating that Ryan said something negative. When, of course, he didn’t,” she shared. “It was a beautiful wedding and we were there to support them. They’re part of our Bachelor Nation family.”
Victoria Miller is a contributor for Heavy specializing in TV and celebrity news. She can be reached at [email protected]. More about Victoria Miller