The Golden Bachelor star Mel Owens has finally spoken out about his ageist and sexist comments that sparked major backlash from Bachelor Nation.

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"Those [comments] were a mistake by me. It's unfair. It's insensitive," Mel, 66, told Glamour magazine.

"And I want to earn it back. I have to earn it back every single moment that I'm on the show... The spirit has no age. It's true. And also, you can change. That's the key. It is not too late to change."

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Mel, a former NFL player-turned-lawyer, was announced as The Golden Bachelor's Season 2 star back in April, and now he's about two weeks into filming the show.

Mel's initial cast of senior bachelorettes -- whom ABC has yet to confirm -- are expected to range in age from 58 to 77, but two months ago, Mel had admitted he only wanted to date women ages 45 through 60.

Mel had said during a June appearance on the "MGoBlue" podcast with Jon Jansen, "I said [to an executive producer], 'You know, if they're 60 or over, I'm cutting them.'"

Bachelor Nation has since been expressing outrage and disgust over Mel's "superficial" remarks on social media.

The backlash even prompted speculation ABC was considering firing Mel and replacing him with a different leading man for The Golden Bachelor's second season.

Mel told Glamour that he didn't even know his comments had created such a stir until his good friend, a 65-year-old woman, called him out.

"I didn't know she's also a big fan of The Bachelor. She said to me, 'Mel... no. What are you doing?' She goes, 'I'm reading all about it,'" Mel recalled.

"I didn't know that it hit that hard. She goes, 'You've got to right the wrong.' So I listened to her. That's how I found out, basically."

Mel's friend apparently told him that his comments were "insensitive" and "just incredibly wrong."

Mel shared, "She said, 'What you said... [is] just not who you are.' My reference of dating was 39, 40 years old. I hadn't dated in 26, 27 years. That's what I told her."

Mel went on to explain of his mindset in June, "I'm thinking, to me, the age range was 45 to 60. That's my age range. I'm thinking that's the gold years for me. My reference, again, was when I was dating at 39, 40. I hadn't dated in 26 years, so I had no clue. And that's why I said that comment."

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Mel also insisted he "didn't know anything" about The Golden Bachelor's age group.

"I didn't know the age range because I wasn't watching it," Mel explained to the magazine, adding how he didn't even know about The Golden Bachelor's Season 1 couple Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist's short-lived marriage and divorce.

"I didn't know any of it,' he reiterated.

But Mel's friend apparently said there was no excuse for his hurtful behavior and he had to take responsibility and apologize.

And according to Mel, he did just that.

"I apologized to the women on the show. When I first walked in, I addressed it. I apologized to them. I said, 'It was unfair, insensitive. I want to earn it back. Just give me the chance,'" Mel claimed.

Mel also revealed that several of his bachelorettes confronted him about his ageist comments.

"During our one-on-ones, 12 or 15 of them said, 'We appreciate the apology, and it meant a lot to us,'" Mel recalled.

Mel suggested that the ladies got their revenge by taking playful jabs at him during a comedy roast.

"One of the [group] dates was a roast. It was brutal. They were killing me," Mel said.

"One said, 'Oh, when Mel was walking with me, he was using me as a cane.' And I'm from Detroit, right? One said, 'Like a Detroit pizza, he's doughy, squishy, square, and crusty.'"

But Mel pointed out how the jokes were "good" because he needed to be put in his place.

"I earned that, and I took it and I deserved it, and it landed squarely on me. They were throwing haymakers. It was good," Mel shared.

He elaborated that some of the jokes were "so harsh."

"They went, 'Hey, are you okay?'" Mel recalled. "And I said, 'No, I'm good. I'm good. I deserved it.' It was funny too. And very creative."

When asked if his perspective on age has changed after meeting his cast of women, Mel replied, "I'm absolutely shocked at the women, of how active they are. They're brilliant... It's shocking how brilliant they are."

Mel praised the women for their impressive professions and unyielding zest for life.

"The things they do, like one was a bomb squad person and there's a couple dentists, a doctor, a motocross racer, a flight attendant for 40 years. You have all these varied professions," Mel said.

"And they're not 40. They're 60, 65, maybe 70. And they go, 'Oh, I'm still working. I'm still riding. I have my practice.' So there it is. It's right in front of you."

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When Mel had conducted his controversial podcast interview back in June, he also admitted that he wanted to stay away from women with wigs and artificial hips.

He also said he was looking to be matched with a "lifetime learner" who enjoys to "work out, stay fit, eat, have fun, be energetic and live life."

While many viewers may still be skeptical that Mel can earn their trust back, Mel said he's going to try by being himself and "being fair and apologetic and honest."

Mel urged fans to "tune in" to The Golden Bachelor's second season this fall because he's going to try to earn their respect back.

"Watch the show and see if I earn it back. Because I apologized [on Night 1]. You have to be earnest in your work to get the trust back," Mel acknowledged.

"Everybody there is smart, and they can see through you if you're lying or you don't mean what you say. That's why I say tune in. Hopefully the show will show that the women that are in their golden years, that are doing these amazing things. It's inspirational."

Mel's The Golden Bachelor journey isn't finished yet, but he already called the experience life-changing.

"I was telling one of the producers, 'I just can't wait to tell my friends what impact this had on me. I know it's going to be huge.'"

He added, "I don't know [how] yet. I just know from my experience -- because I've done some interesting things -- and I know those impact me, and this is going to impact me in a huge way."

The two-hour premiere of The Golden Bachelor is set to air on Wednesday, September 24 on ABC.

ABC previously shared that Mel was married for 17 years and has two children with his now ex-wife Fabiana Owens, who is 20 years younger than Mel and apparently thinks his season is "going to be bad."

The network shared that when Mel got divorced and grieved the death of his father, he channeled his energy into being the best father he could be and coaching his kids' extracurricular sports teams.

The Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer had told Us Weekly in April how Mel was looking for genuine and lasting companionship "in its purest state" and Mel was "going to be a great lead."

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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